Ilya Shabanov Profile picture
Jan 5, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read Read on X
Tired of the same old bar graphs and line plots, #ScienceTwitter?

Here are 5 lesser-known but powerful graphical methods for visualizing your next publication.

👇 Image
1 – SANKEY DIAGRAM

Great for displaying dynamic processes or flows in a graph.

Example: Flow of immigrants and emigrants to and from a country.

The favourite diagram of marketers optimizing conversion rates of their customers. Image
2 – TERNARY DIAGRAM

Measured 3 components of something and they sum up to a constant (e.g. 100%)?

Then display this three dimensional data in a two dimensional triangle, without loosing any information.

Example: Soil Composition or relative sources of Income Image
3 – VIOLIN PLOT

Replace boring box plots with sexy violins.

Box plots don't show the distribution of your data.

Especially multiple peaks are easily visible with a violin but hidden by a box plot. Image
4 – SPIDER CHART

One of the few graphs correctly representing high dimensional (3 or more) data.

But it can only display a few points at a time.

Alternative uses are to display periodical data, like average temperature across months. Image
5 – CHORD DIAGRAM

It shines when you need to display (numerical) relations within a group or between multiple groups.

But: Add too much data and it becomes an impressively looking mess.
(Yes, biologists, I am talking to you and your beloved protein interaction networks) Image
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I am Ilya and this account helps academics to make their journey more effortless.

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More from @Artifexx

Jun 19
Almost done with the slides for this upcoming webinar.

It will be aimed at note-taking and synthesis.

Here is a sneak peak:
👇 Image
Note Taking

Most people take notes in the order they learn about the content.

This is wrong.

Conceptual notes are much more powerful.

Because you don't repeat yourself and use links instead.Image
Academic Note-taking

For academia, special rules apply.

You must protect yourself from plagiarism and always know where you learned what.

This is why you must use a source note template.Image
Image
Read 8 tweets
Jun 18
Everybody uses Google Docs.

But most don't install any of the 100+ extensions.

Unlock hidden features and save time with these 4 must-use extensions: 👇
(I use them for scientific papers)
What are extensions?

Extensions add functionality that Google Docs does not have.

Each extension adds a sidebar where it can be configured and activated.

Google does not develop these extensions but they gain access to your content.

Be aware of privacy issues.
1. Cross Reference

Allows you to generate numbers for figures automatically.

If you rearrange the figures, just click a button and all names and mentions are updated.

Works equally well for tables or equations.

Irreplaceable for academic work.
Read 8 tweets
Jun 12
I thought I would spend days on this lit review.

It took me just 10 minutes (no joke)!

Here is how and what tool I used:
👇Image
My Topic:

I am figuring out how forests react to climate change in New Zealand.

The big question: Who has done it before?
(A vast literature review question that can take hours)

Googling it, I found only a single paper: [Wardle 1992]
Really!?Image
To check if there is really only one paper, I searched for this paper [Wardle 1992] on @LitmapsApp ... Image
Read 11 tweets
May 28
Double your productivity in Google Docs.

Learn these 12 essential keyboard shortcuts.

Windows & Mac:
👇
1. Paste without Style

Ever pasted something from Word or a browser and noticed that the format is completely broken?

Paste without format to avoid this. Press:

⌘ + ⇧ + V (Mac)
CTRL + SHIFT + V (Win)

In this example I copy from MS Word and the style is totally off.
2. Fast navigation (any software)

You use the arrow ⬅️ keys ➡️ to go move the cursor letter by letter.

Hold ⎇ (ctrl on Win) to move word by word instead.
Hold ⌘ (home, end keys on Win) to move line by line.

Fix typos in milliseconds with this trick (Video is real time).
Read 15 tweets
May 21
This is Niklas Luhmann.

He has more citations than 99% of scientists.
And 70+ books.

Here is how he did it:
(...steal his secret) Image
Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and philosopher studying how societies function.

He wrote over 70 books and 400 articles on topics like law, politics, and art.

Luhmann described society as a self-sustaining system and was influential, especially in Germany. Image
Famous thinkers like Charles Darwin (20+ books) or Albert Einstein (300+ publications) share a common trait:

They think DEEPLY and SYSTEMATICALLY about their subject.

Luhmann's system however is the best documented through his note collection system: The Zettelkasten (photo). Image
Read 14 tweets
May 16
Everybody uses Google Docs.

But most don't know its best features.

11 features that save time and make your work more professional:
(even for scientific papers)
👇
1. Folding

If you have a long document this is a life saver.

Create a heading.
Next to the heading click the ">" button to fold all text beneath this heading.
2. Table of Contents

The fastest way to get around in a document is to use the automatic table of contents.

Click the three line icon at the top left.

Now click the headings to navigate in your document.
Read 13 tweets

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