{"id":12137,"date":"2015-04-09T16:08:40","date_gmt":"2015-04-09T20:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/researchimpact.ydsinc.ca\/infographicsforkt\/"},"modified":"2021-11-23T16:58:55","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T21:58:55","slug":"infographicsforkt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/researchimpact.ca\/fr\/archive\/infographicsforkt\/","title":{"rendered":"Infographics for Knowledge Translation"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s guest post written by Issac Coplan, comes from the NeuroDevNet KT blog KT Core-ner. It was originally published on April 8, 2015<\/a> and is reposted here with permission.<\/em>
\nThe word infographic is an abbreviation of the term \u201cInformation Graphic\u201d. Increasingly, these forms of data visualization have used in knowledge translation as a tool for\u00a0disseminating research and sharing the findings of evaluations. The overall goal of NeuroDevNet\u2019s KT Core is to influence policy and practice using network generated knowledge. Infographics provide a quick visual representation\u00a0of the main messages in research. This makes them accessible to busy; decision makers\/policy makers, practitioners, researchers, students, parents and families.
\nThe rising application of infographics has been accompanied by conversations about incorporating visualization into post-secondary learning environments.\u00a0Thompson (2015)<\/a> discusses the concept of allowing students to create a \u2018visual legacy\u2019 through infographics. This meant bringing research projects to broader audiences by incorporating infographics. \u00a0Incorporating critical<\/a> analysis of infographics also allows students to analyze the information that they are receiving, and practice creating a good visualization.
\nWhile infographics can be a persuasive tool, one of the overarching challenges of data visualization is the presentation both appealing and\u00a0representative visualizations. This is the central argument that Tufte (2006) takes up in the book \u2018Beautiful Evidence\u2019<\/a>. The opening pages quote famed Italian Astronomer\/Physicist\/Mathematician Galileo Galilei:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was observed by is the nature or matter of the Milky Way itself, which with the aid of the spyglass, may be observed so well that all the disputes that for so many generations have vexed philosophers are destroyed by visible certainty, and we are liberated from wordy arguments.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

demonstrating that while tools (like infographics) are new, debates around visualization are old\u00a0and deeply rooted in scientific discussions. Tufte (2006) also argues that creating any good data visualization means paying attention to the quality of information and the accuracy of presentations:<\/p>\n

\u201cconsumers of presentations should insist that presenters be held intellectually and ethically responsible for what they show and tell. Thus consuming a presentation is also an intellectual and a moral activity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is this ethic that separates a good infographic, produced with attention to research, from an advertisement or infographic that is not based on research or accurate data.
\nNeuroDevNet has introduced a new KT product, infographics.\u00a0Here is a quote from one of our researchers who recognizes the value of infographics for dissemination:
\n\u201cResearchers generate knowledge, but it needs to inform to have impact. As research methods evolve, so do the ways of sharing information to others. Infographics represent a valuable way to do just that \u2013 to get main messages across in an accessible way to lay audiences. It\u2019s a way to start a conversation, plant a seed, generate interest and bring people in to learn more.\u201d
\n\u2013 Dr. Jonathan Weiss, Associate Professor, CIHR Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Treatment and Care Research<\/em>
\nIt is with this in mind that we began the process of creating the first infographic with NeuroDevNet Trainees Tamara Bodnar and Parker Holman. Tamara & Parker worked on a project where they\u00a0introduced teachers to current scientific research that could be integrated into the\u00a0\u00a0science curriculum. The project was delivered during a professional development day.
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