Proving the value of visual design in scientific communication
Open Access
- 5 July 2022
- journal article
- Published by John Benjamins Publishing Company in Identifying Information and Tenor in Texts
- Vol. 23 (1), 80-95
- https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.23.1.09che
Abstract
This study examines how scientists respond to visual design in scientific communications. Specifically, we determine the impact of visual design on the Graphical Abstract (GA), an overview figure that attracts potential readers and visually summarizes what a paper is about. We show that GAs designed in accordance with classic visual design principles significantly enhance readers’ first impressions of a paper. Well-designed GAs make papers seem more interesting, more clearly written and more scientifically rigorous. These results confirm that visual design enhances rather than detracts from the perception of intellectual and scientific competence.Keywords
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