Data Visualization for Linguists

Are you interested in learning how to make memorable and effective data visualizations for your research? In this workshop we will discuss principles of data visualization with a focus on linguistic data. Specifically, we will outline strategies for developing elegant, informative plots by implementing principles from graphic design and the grammar of graphics (Wilkinson, 2012). The workshop will cover how to think about data and the visual communication of data when designing figures using R (R Core Team, 2022) and ggplot2 (Wickham, 2009). This includes general do’s and dont’s, deciding how to pick the most appropriate plot for your data, as well as best practices for visualizing uncertainty, highlighting/annotating key graphical elements, formatting for publication, and much more. The workshop will combine theory and practice so attendees are encouraged to bring their computers with the latest version of R installed. Prior experience, while helpful, is not necessary.