Change in Visual Representations in a Life Sciences Journal

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06011
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Sociology/History of science and technology
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: ARIGA Kana 東北大学, 研究推進本部, 特任助教 (40756623)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚表象論 / データの視覚化 / グラフ / サイエンティフィック・イラストレーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Visual representation in science has been frequently discussed in recent decades. However, little is known about the types of visual representations actually used in science as a whole.To clarify trends in scientific visual representation practices, the author constructed a new classification system for figures in a scientific journal and analyzed how such figures have changed since the 1970s. The author focused on one international journal in life sciences, Cell. Thousands of figures from articles in Cell were sampled, grouped into categories using a bottom-up method. The author then constructed a new hierarchical classification system.
The three highest-order categories found were 1) figures as data, 2) figures as explanation, and 3) the hybrid of them. Figures diversified based on media shifts and improvement in research technology. It is suggested that the shift of visual media in scientific practice may have changed the style of argument used to present scientific knowledge.

Free Research Field

科学論