Review and Analysis of Scientific Paper Embellishments

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hong, Jiayi, Wang, Yixuan, Isenberg, Petra, Maciejewski, Ross
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Hong, Jiayi
Wang, Yixuan
Isenberg, Petra
Maciejewski, Ross
author_facet Hong, Jiayi
Wang, Yixuan
Isenberg, Petra
Maciejewski, Ross
contents We present a review and analysis of scientific paper embellishments -- simple visual elements that are deeply integrated into the text of scientific publications. These embellishments are increasingly used in research papers, which have the potential to enhance textual descriptions, strengthen connections between figures and content, and improve internal textual coherence, while also carrying the risk of disrupting the reading experience. As their exact impact is not yet well understood, we conducted a systematic review of all visualization papers published between 2019 and 2024 in IEEE VIS, ACM CHI, and EuroVis. From this corpus, we identified 374 papers that used paper embellishments and distilled three key dimensions that characterize their usage: purposes (WHY), design choices (HOW), and locations (WHERE) of paper embellishments. Our findings provide a structured perspective on the form of current embellishments in scientific writing in the visualization domain and provide insights into their role in shaping scientific communication.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_20306
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Review and Analysis of Scientific Paper Embellishments
Hong, Jiayi
Wang, Yixuan
Isenberg, Petra
Maciejewski, Ross
Digital Libraries
Human-Computer Interaction
We present a review and analysis of scientific paper embellishments -- simple visual elements that are deeply integrated into the text of scientific publications. These embellishments are increasingly used in research papers, which have the potential to enhance textual descriptions, strengthen connections between figures and content, and improve internal textual coherence, while also carrying the risk of disrupting the reading experience. As their exact impact is not yet well understood, we conducted a systematic review of all visualization papers published between 2019 and 2024 in IEEE VIS, ACM CHI, and EuroVis. From this corpus, we identified 374 papers that used paper embellishments and distilled three key dimensions that characterize their usage: purposes (WHY), design choices (HOW), and locations (WHERE) of paper embellishments. Our findings provide a structured perspective on the form of current embellishments in scientific writing in the visualization domain and provide insights into their role in shaping scientific communication.
title Review and Analysis of Scientific Paper Embellishments
topic Digital Libraries
Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20306