Why scientists need to be better at data visualization
Everyone needs to be better at data visualization. If for no other reason than to be an informed consumer. If Mark Twain had lived through informatics I'm sure it would be four ways to lie: "Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Charts"<p>There are a lot of bullshit techniques used in data viz that are tantamount to lying and people are often sincerely shocked when you call them on it.<p>"I didn't do that on purpose," as if they didn't learn when they're 4 that it doesn't matter if you meant it if you did it. You still have to apologize and try to make amends.<p>Things people do from ignorance or malice:<p>Remove the origin on the graph and the relative height of the lines is skewed.  3d pie charts are 'larger' on the bottom half. Circle charts conflate diameter with area (humans are bad at judging area).  On a log scale plot, a fat enough line can make anything look like a trend, because the end of the line is literally orders of magnitude wider than at the origin.<p>Friends don't let friends use any of these techniques, and the jaded instantly distrust anyone who is using them.<p>The used bookstore on the closest university campus has an entire shelf full of old editions of Edward Tufte books. I don't know if you'll be so lucky, but it's well worth a shot.