Presenting quantitative information is a specialized form of communication. Like all forms of communication, quantitative data presentation is most effective when we follow a few best practices, such as the following seven tenets. Know your data. Until you understand the stories that live in your data, you can’t begin to tell them. Know your audience. […]

A “straw man” is a flawed form of argument that occurs when one side attacks a position that isn’t actually held by the other side (the “straw man”) and then acts as though the other side’s position has been refuted. People usually construct straw men when they cannot legitimately refute an opponent’s position. As such, […]

When I fell in love with words as a young man, I developed a respect for publishers that was born mostly of fantasy. I imagined venerable institutions filled with people of great intellect, integrity, and respect for ideas. I’m sure many people who fit this description still work for publishers, but my personal experience has […]

The usefulness of understanding relationships within networks is becoming more apparent, so it is fortunate that our ability to explore and analyze networks by visualizing them is improving. Common examples of networks that analysts examine include connections between terrorists or connections between linked sites on the World Wide Web. While these networks in particular get […]