Jensen EA, Borkiewicz K, Naiman JP, Levy S, Carpenter J (2024) Picture perfect science communication: How public audiences respond to informational labels in cinematic-style 3D data visualization. PLoS ONE 19(10): e0307733.
Communicating science effectively is important. Effectively mobilizing practical techniques to achieve this goal can be challenging, however. One promising science communication approach that has gained increasing attention in recent years is cinematic-style 3D data visualizations (citations anonymized for the peer review process). There is good reason to think that presenting scientific data in a cinematic manner, known as ’cinematic scientific visualization,’ can bolster public engagement with scientific topics [1]. Yet, key questions remain about precisely how to use cinematic-style 3D visualization to deliver the greatest impact for the public. A key unresolved issue is the extent to which explanatory [2] or informational labels should be used in this kind of science communication. Here, we present an experimental study to address the research question: How do informational labels affect audience responses to cinematic-style scientific visualizations?
