Introducing Political Science Students to Data Visualization Strategies

Abstract

Data visualization is an important tool for communicating research results. This manuscript discusses a method that instructors can use to introduce political science students to visualizations and discusses strategies that instructors can share with students about how to create high-quality visualizations. These strategies can help students make visualizations that avoid common shortcomings in published political science visualizations.

Keywords:

• Visualizations
• figures
• graduate education
• undergraduate education
• undergraduate research

Acknowledgments

The author thanks the peer reviewers for helpful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

L. J. Zigerell

L. J. Zigerell is an associate professor of politics and government at Illinois Stata University, with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh. L.J.'s research specialization is racial attitudes, and he has taught courses involving judicial process, constitutional law, inequality, quantitative reasoning, and research methods. L.J. has published in journals such as Political Research Quarterly and PS: Political Science and Politics, and he currently serves on the editorial board of the Social Science Journal.