Graphs, Tables, and Scientific Illustrations: Visualisation as the Science of Seeing Gerontology

Visual inscriptions (e.g., graphs, illustrations) are a defining feature of scientific discovery to aid in data analysis, interpretation, and communication (e.g., Latour, 1990; Lynch, 1985). Our purpose was to examine how visual inscriptions are used to present data in gerontology journals. We compared 357 articles sampled from 24 peer-reviewed gerontology journals published between 1995 and 2009. Approximately 11 per cent of page space was dedicated to data presentation with more page space occupied by tables (9.13%) than graphs (2.32%). Graph use in gerontology was lower than in psychology (6.6% of page space) and higher than in criminology and criminal justice (1.7% of page space). Following Latour (1990), we argue that visualisations provide an understandable summary of complex data by effectively presenting multifaceted results. When inscriptions are used in dissemination, researchers become less reliant on complex statistical jargon and can communicate easily with a diverse audience (researchers, health care practitioners, clients).