Graphing Inline: Understanding Word-scale Graphics Use in Scientific Papers
This work addresses the problem of inefficient text-graphic integration in scientific communication for researchers and readers, but it is incremental as it builds on existing knowledge about word-scale graphics by providing empirical data and a framework.
The study investigated the use of word-scale graphics in scientific papers to understand their role in reducing cognitive load and enhancing communication, finding that such graphics are rarely used, icons dominate, and visual representation aligns with communicative functions like data annotation, based on an analysis of 909 graphics from 126,797 papers.
Graphics (e.g., figures and charts) are ubiquitous in scientific papers, yet separating graphics from text increases cognitive load in understanding text-graphic connections. Research has found that word-scale graphics, or visual embellishments at typographic size, can augment original text, making it more expressive and easier to understand. However, whether, if so, how scientific papers adopt word-scale graphics for scholarly communication remains unclear. To address this gap, we conducted a corpus study reviewing 909 word-scale graphics extracted from 126,797 scientific papers. Through analysis, we propose a framework that characterizes where (positioning), why (communicative function), and how (visual representation) authors apply word-scale graphics in scientific papers. Our findings reveal that word-scale graphics are rarely used, that icons dominate visual representation, and that visual representation connects with communicative function (e.g., using quantitative graphs for data annotation). We further discuss opportunities to enhance scholarly communication with word-scale graphics through technical and administrative innovations.