Make Every Graph Great
Principles, recommendations, and case studies with respect to scientific graph design.
Written by Dr. Alex Bajcz, Quantitative Ecologist for the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota
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Welcome, fellow data viz nerds!!!
On this site, you'll find my compilation of the essential principles of effective scientific graph design, as gleaned from my study of the data visualization literature as well as from my own experiences.
You'll also find my compendium of specific recommendations (my "dos and don'ts") for designing graphs, in case you're less into "whys" and more into "whats!"
On the "Case Studies" page, you'll find critiques of recent graphs from the ecological literature as well as my re-interpretations of them, complete with reproducible code and detailed commentary.
Lastly, on the "References" page, I provide links to some of the specific resources I've pulled content from those that provide useful, alternative perspectives to mine.
More of my content related to data visualization and graph design can be found:
On my professional website, including my "Bestiary of Graph Types."
On the University of Minnesota Software Carpentry for R website, including my version of the ggplot2 curriculum.
Through my Github account, including the R code to recreate the graphs on the Case Studies page.
Finally, a disclaimer: I am a regular user of ChatGPT. I used it to consider and critique many of the contents of this site; however, the organization, words, and central ideas presented are all mine.
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