Course Announcements & learning achievement targets for Scientific Graphics Design
 

Introductory notes    VandalWeb Account    University of Idaho calendar

 
Learning achievement targets and weekly course schedule
Pre-course preparation Weeks of Oct 21 and 28 Nov 4 and Nov 11 Nov 18 and 25 Dec 2 and Dec 9 Dec 16


Introductory notes
  Setup Tutorial on setting up your Internet Explorer browser
Notes.
 This tutorial refers to a different course, but the browser setup is applicable to the Scientific Graphics course)
 Set Internet Explorer to compatibility mode.

Tutorials on using SigmaPlot  | Technical tips for SigmaPlot | SigmaPlot Product Uses
 
  Software SigmaPlot by Systat is graphics software that is most commonly used in the scientific community. This program is a comprehensive and full-featured program for creating journal-quality scientific graphics, and is used by over 100,000 scientist world-wide. SigmaPlot will have long-term value for your education and future profession. Thus, ready access to this scientific graphics program is a requirement for the course. SigmaPlot is available for purchase educational price. A free 30-day evaluation version is also available directly from Systat (see below). I highly recommended that you purchase this program for use on your own computer. SigmaPlot is not available on the University of Idaho computer laboratories.

This course requires proficiency with Windows-based computer systems. Ready access to a modern personal computer is highly recommended. Because we will use SigmaPlot for the course, ready access to this scientific graphics program or a program with equivalent features is a requirement for the course. Experience with photo-editing graphics software is also recommended.

 SigmaPlot by Systat
To purchase SigmaPlot at the education price of $100 (one-year subscription) or $200 (one-year subscription):
Purchase student license from Systat
To obtain the free evaluation version (30-day trial): Download from Systat
 Be sure to download and activate the free version so that is coincides with the four-week duration of this course
 Tutorials on using SigmaPlot (version 14)
Tips for New SigmaPlot User | Tutorials on using SigmaPlot  | Technical tips for SigmaPlot | SigmaPlot Product Uses
Other graphics programs: If you use a different graphics software program, it must be able to create graphs at the same level of quality and style that can be produced with SigmaPlot. Photo-editing software may be required for additional revisions and additions to graphs.

Other graphics programs: If you use a different graphics software program, it must be able to create graphs at the same level of quality and style that can be produced with SigmaPlot. Photo-editing software may be required for additional revisions and additions to graphs.
Microsoft Office with PowerPoint and Excel
 Harvard Graphics, GraphPad, PosterDocs, GraphicC, SciGraphica, R
 Photo-editing (bitmap) software: Corel Graphics Suite (Photopaint), Adobe Photoshop
Object illustration software: Corel Graphics Suite (Draw), Adobe Illustrator

 
  References The following optional reference books may be helpful for the presentation of scientific data.
 [Order online: University of Idaho Bookstore | Amazon.com | Textbooks online]

Essentials
Units, Symbols, and Terminology for Plant Physiology by F.B. Salisbury. 1996. Oxford University Press.
 Guide for use of the International System of Units (SI) by B.N. Taylor, NIST
 The visual display of quantitative data by Edward Tufte. 2001. Graphics Press. (also other titles)
 Review of SigmaPlot in Scientific Computing

Helpful references
 How to lie with statistics by D. Huff. 1954. W.W. Horton & Company.
 How to lie with maps by M. Monmonier. 1996.  Second edition. The University of Chicago Press.
 Gigerenzer, G. 2002. Calculated risks: How to know when numbers deceive you. Simon & Schuster.
 CBE Style Manual,  7th edition, published by the Council of Biology Editors, Inc (2006).

*These links are provided for your convenience. The University of Idaho and the professor have no connection with, and do not endorse or support the companies linked to above.
 


Pre-course preparation
  Notes Welcome to Scientific Graphics Design (NR 525). Please attend to the preparatory aspects of the course during the first week of the  course.

Complete the student information form when you start the course
(your access to the course will be activated after I receive your completed form)

 Carefully and thoroughly review the entire course internet site: Every section and page.
 Review the course Syllabus, Course and Student learning objectives, Guidelines, Advisory, Instructions for
 interactive lessons, and Tips sections of the course internet site. 

Make sure your computer system is configured correctly to access the course material.

Use Microsoft OneDrive to submit and receive large course documents too large for email transmission
To prevent your email from being filtered by the university "SPAM" filter, be sure to identify the course title in your email subject line, e.g., Scientific Graphics Design (NR 525). Include your full name in the body of all email correspondence.

Note: The course material and audio lectures are only compatible with computers that use the Windows-based operating system (Windows 10, 8, or 7) and Internet Explorer.

Make sure that your computer system is configured correctly for Skype (only if you wish to have consultations via video conferencing).
To access the course material, enter your UI NetID and password in the following manner:
(your access to the course will be activated after the receipt of your information form)

1. NetID (the portion of your UI email address before the @ symbol)
2. VandalWeb password

 
  Learning tips An excellent way to master the subject matter of the course is to orally explain a topic, concept, or term to a colleague. If you can explain the course subject matter in a succinct and technically correct manner, then you have mastered the topic.  More learning tips ...
 
  Study For the first week of the course, do not review any information on the design of graphs. I would like to assess your initial
knowledge and understanding of graphics design during this portion of the course.
 


Weeks of October 21 and 28
  Notes Complete all pre-course preparatory items (see above)

The access the secure course content, enter your access codes as follows:

Secure course learning materials:
UI NetID: (four letter/four number portion of your UI email address before the @ symbol, or your UI staff NetID
Password: your official UI VandalWeb password

 If you encounter technical problems with access to the course material, or the course material, please: (1) confirm that you computer figuration and browser are correctly configured (see Advisory, Tips, and Instructions sections), and (2) contact the professor to set up a diagnoses consultation to resolve the technical problem.

 
  Learning tips Frequent study and analysis of graphs in published in journals, books, and popular articles is good practice. Balance this with study of reference materials and regular practice in creating graphs in various formats.

More learning tips ...
 
  Study For the first week of the course, do not review any information on the design of graphs. I would like to assess your initial
knowledge and understanding of graphics design during this portion of the course.

Do not Install SigmaPlot on your computer at this time (the free trial is only valid for 30 days). If you intend to purchase a one- or two-year subscription to SigmaPlot, then you can install the program now. Begin your orientation to SigmaPlot with the online tutorials and tips at the links below.

Tips for New SigmaPlot User | Tutorials on using SigmaPlot  | Technical tips for SigmaPlot | SigmaPlot Product Uses

Study the use and reporting of units used in science: Guide for use of the International System of Units (SI) by B.N. Taylor, NIST

Off-campus access to the UI Library - journals, articles, and catalog
 
  Assessments Analysis projects (6) - Select the link to download the assignment for each graph style
Poorly designed graphs: Line | Bar | Pie
Excellently designed graphs: Line | Bar | Pie

Journal listing

Submit your completed analyses to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive by Monday morning, October 29.
 
Weeks of November 4 and 11
  Notes Consultations with the Professor are available via telephone, email and video conferencing - by appointment (Zoom or Skype)
 
  Learning tips An excellent way to master the subject matter of the course is to orally explain a topic, concept, or term to a colleague. If you can explain the course subject matter in a succinct and technically correct manner, then you have mastered the topic. For skills courses, regular practice will assist you perfecting your skills.  More learning tips ...
 
  Study
Interactive lesson
Carefully study and review the topics in the lessons (except the topics of Output Media through Video conference, and Study)
Note. Enter access codes are shown above

Optional readings
Tufte: Introduction and Chapter 1 -3
Tutorials on using SigmaPlot  | Technical tips for SigmaPlot | SigmaPlot Product Uses

Common special characters for science
 
  Assessments For the Analysis project from weeks of October 15 and 22
After you receive my evaluation of your Analysis Project, and have carefully reviewed the Interactive lesson,
redraw the three graphs you submitted as poorly designed graphs in the recommended format.
Download and install the free 30-day trial version of SigmaPlot (ignore this step if you purchased the one- or two-year subscription)
Submission form for redrawn graphs
Submit your redrawn graphs with your analysis to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive by Wednesday, November 7.
 
Week of November 18
  Notes Consultations with the Professor are available via telephone, email and video conferencing - by appointment (Zoom or Skype)
 
  Learning tips Although computer software greatly facilitates creating and revising graphs, using pencil and paper to sketch your ideas on how your data can be represented graphically is excellent practice.
 
  Study Interactive lesson
Carefully study and review the topics in the lessons (except the topics of Output Media through Video conference, and Study)
Note. Enter access codes are shown above

Optional readings
Tufte: Introduction and Chapter 4 -7

 
  Assessments Create a graph from the SigmaPlot data sets (select "Save as"): (files sent via email) Bar 1 | Line 1 | Bar 2 | Line 2 | Combined line
The assignment instructions in each file | Select to "save as" the file to your computer, then open with SigmaPlot.
Submit your SigmaPlot files with your complete graphs to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive by Wednesday, November 14.

 
Weeks of November 25
  Notes Consultations with the Professor are available via telephone, email and Skype (by appointment)

 
  Learning tips Rather than wait to prepare a presentation for a scheduled seminar or conference, regular practice in presenting your research to an audience is excellent practice for attaining mastery as a presenter.
 
  Study Recommendations and template for oral presentations
Recommendations for poster presentations
Recommendations for presentations via video preferences

Interactive lesson
Carefully study and review the topics in the lessons (except the topics of Output Media through Video conference, and Study)
Note. Enter access codes are shown above

Optional readings
Tufte: Introduction and Chapter 8 - 10
 
  Assessments Portion 1
 Now that you have experience creating and revising scientific graphs, carefully review the interactive lesson,
especially the design rationale and the recommended settings for various graph elements.

Portion 2
Create a PowerPoint presentation that contains the final graphs you created in the previous assignment
Use the recommended settings and approaches shown in the presentation template above.

In lieu of a new PowerPoint presentation, you may submit one of your own existing presentations for evaluation
Revise your own presentation according to the presentation template above before submitting the presentation
Include graphs created in the recommend SigmaPlot format)

Portion 3
Advanced topics:
Combine a graph created in SigmaPlot with a photograph or conceptual illustration
A. Export your SigmaPlot graph at the appropriate resolution and size for a print or oral presentation
B. Use a photo-editing program to combine your graph with a photograph or conceptual illustration (e.g., flow diagram)
C. Save your final graph in "jpg" format and insert into a PowerPoint slide
D. Send the completed PowerPoint file to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive for evaluation

Create a graph(s) from your own research data (or your profession) and submit to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive
or
If you do not have your own research data (or data from your profession), you can use the following data set
The data is for the climate of Boise, Idaho. Create various graphs that are similar to the other locations illustrated
by the example graphs below. The climate diagram is a particular way of graphing climate data (precipitation is plotted
on a 2:1 scale versus temperature) that is highly correlated with the vegetation type in that location. Analyze the final
climate diagram for Boise after you try to create the climate diagram. Note that the fill patterns can only be
added with photo-editing program after you have exported the graph.

SigmaPlot file (file sent via email) | Example graphs: Temperature | Precipitation | Combined temperature & precipitation | Climate diagram

 
Week of December 2 and 9
  Notes Consultations with the Professor are available via telephone, email and Skype (by appointment)

 
  Learning tips Rather than wait to prepare a presentation for a scheduled seminar or conference, regular practice in presenting your research to an audience is excellent practice for attaining mastery as a presenter.
 
  Study Recommendations and template for oral presentations
Recommendations for poster presentations
Recommendations for presentations via video preferences

Interactive lesson
Carefully study and review the topics in the lessons (except the topics of Output Media through Video conference, and Study)
Note. Enter access codes are shown above

Optional readings
Tufte: Introduction and Chapter 8 - 10
 
  Assessments Portion 1
 Now that you have experience creating and revising scientific graphs, carefully review the interactive lesson,
especially the design rationale and the recommended settings for various graph elements.

Portion 2
Create a PowerPoint presentation that contains the final graphs you created in the previous assignment
Use the recommended settings and approaches shown in the presentation template above.

In lieu of a new PowerPoint presentation, you may submit one of your own existing presentations for evaluation
Revise your own presentation according to the presentation template above before submitting the presentation
Include graphs created in the recommend SigmaPlot format)

Portion 3
Advanced topics:
Combine a graph created in SigmaPlot with a photograph or conceptual illustration
A. Export your SigmaPlot graph at the appropriate resolution and size for a print or oral presentation
B. Use a photo-editing program to combine your graph with a photograph or conceptual illustration (e.g., flow diagram)
C. Save your final graph in "jpg" format and insert into a PowerPoint slide
D. Send the completed PowerPoint file to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive for evaluation

Create a graph(s) from your own research data (or your profession) and submit to the Professor via email or Microsoft OneDrive
or
If you do not have your own research data (or data from your profession), you can use the following data set
The data is for the climate of Boise, Idaho. Create various graphs that are similar to the other locations illustrated
by the example graphs below. The climate diagram is a particular way of graphing climate data (precipitation is plotted
on a 2:1 scale versus temperature) that is highly correlated with the vegetation type in that location. Analyze the final
climate diagram for Boise after you try to create the climate diagram. Note that the fill patterns can only be
added with photo-editing program after you have exported the graph.

SigmaPlot file (file sent via email) | Example graphs: Temperature | Precipitation | Combined temperature & precipitation | Climate diagram

 
Week of December 16
  Notes Although your have mastered the essential features of SigmaPlot for the graphical representation of scientific data, I would highly recommend that you continue your study. And as with many skills, continuous practice and analysis is required for mastery. I would highly recommend that you continue to critically analyze graphs in the literature, in posters, and in oral presentations – toward improving your own facility at the graphical representation of scientific data.


Congratulations on your successful completion of the course. Thank you for your participation in the course and hope you will continue to develop your skills in graphics design and that you will be able to use the skills in your future educational and professional endeavors.