The value of data visualization for academic/library search engines

Academic search engines like Google Scholar or citation indices like Web of Science offer important information about academic articles through citation counts. And there is a whole field of research called citation analysis which is dedicated to analyzing journal impact factors and other bibliometrics. The Web of Science citation index has a rudimentary visualization component, but it’s also clearly aimed at more advanced scholars. I’m interested in the possibilities of using information visualization to enhance the research not just of scholars but of students as well. Greater visualization can lead to greater discoverability: of important sources, trends, and emerging scholarship. To take this proposition to its radical limits, maybe we could even consider replacing the entire traditional list of search results with an interface that puts greater emphasis on visual learning and discoverability.

To broaden the scope of this session proposal, I’d be interested in joining up with anyone interested in pushing further the use of information visualization generally within the digital humanities.