Current use of visuals in scientific communication

Scholars have argued that compared to text and tables, graphs and other visuals (or “inscriptions”) are a more advanced form of communication than ordinary prose and that the widespread use of graphs in the sciences contributes to the authority of scientific discourse. Research from the early 1980s identified only a few types of inscriptions that accounted for the vast use of visual communication in scientific communication. Yet with advances in production and publishing technology, the potential for use of inscriptions in professional discourse has increased. Therefore, we decided to revisit the question regarding the type and frequency of inscriptions used in scientific discourse. Based on a content analysis of 1,326 inscriptions from 43 research articles in the journal Science, we found that representational visuals, such as graphs and diagrams, are “high-use” inscriptions. Photograph and instrument output, which are reproductions of scientific evidence rather than transformations of data output, are “medium-use” inscriptions. Tables and equations, which are most similar to ordinary syntax, are “low-use” inscriptions. This research also identifies visual subtypes that should be emphasized when teaching scientific communication.