Research Guides: Data Visualization: Getting Started

Librarian for Digital Research and Scholarship

Zoe Borovsky

Email Me

Contact:

phone: 310-825-4954

https://ucla.zoom.us/my/zoepster

Subjects:Anthropology & Archaeology

COVID-19: Library Information, Resources, & Print Access

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Data Visualization: a Quick Guide

This guide is designed to show you how to...

Find free, open data sets on the Internet
Understand the tools available online
Decide how to visualize your data

You can also view data visualizations created by other universities, as well as infographics and visualizations that take forms beyond the classic chart or graph!

Presenting data in a visual way can make your research more engaging. Data visualization is the term for information collected and expressed in the form of an image, chart, graph, plot, cloud, tree or other graphical means. Visualizing data makes it more comprehensible, as well. The expression does not have to be complicated; pie charts, line plots and bar graphs are all popular, effective methods of data visualization.

Other forms of information can be expressed as images, as well. This is known as an infographic, or information visualization.

This guide provides an overview of popular data visualization tools on the web, resources for open data, and more tools to help you create your own data visualization.

Below: A vintage graphic depicting library call numbers for patrons.

The mission of the UCLA Library is to provide access to and delivery of information resources to UCLA students, faculty, and staff in support of the research and instructional mission of the university. Relying on its highly skilled staff, the Library encourages innovation, capitalizes on appropriate technologies, forges effective partnerships and aggressively promotes excellence.