Post on 17-Aug-2015
What they didn’t teach in graduate schoolConrad HackettPew Research Center Demographer
@conradhackett
1
Good research is all too often
Poorly written
Poorly illustrated
Poorly disseminated
Research should have
Audience identified
Blueprint for informing/persuading audience
Communication plan
Coming up in this talk …
1. What is the Pew Research Center?
2. Case study of Pew Research project
3. Tips for writing, graphics & social media
What is the Pew Research Center?
Audience
Blueprint for informing audience
Communication plan
Case study
10
Muslims are growing fastest
Source: The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050
11Source: The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050
Muslims are projected to outnumberChristians after 2070
Practical tips - writing
Work with journalists
Revise, revise, revise lead paragraphs of report until they are as clear and interesting as possible
Practical tips - graphics
Work with graphic designers
Make graphics that summarize key findings
Practical tips - graphicsFollow best practices in graphic design
For example, keep data: ink ratio high
the following slides are by darkhorseanalytics.com
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Lighten lines
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Or remove lines
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Or remove lines
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Or remove lines
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Or remove lines
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FrenchFries
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Calories per 100g
533
296260
FrenchFries
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Direct label
Calories per 100g
607542
moreLess
is
(effective)
moreLess
is
(attractive)
moreLess
is
(impactive)
Number of
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Before
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0FrenchFries
PotatoChips
Bacon Pizza Chili Dog
Type of Food
Calories per 100g for different foods FrenchFriesPotatoChipsBacon
Pizza
Chili Dog
533
296260
FrenchFries
PotatoChips
Bacon Pizza Chili Dog
After
Calories per 100g
607542
Practical tips – social media
Say what’s interesting
Practical tips – social media
Use graphics
Practical tips – social media
Find good role models and copy their best practices
Research should have
Audience identified
Blueprint for informing/persuading audience
Communication plan
What they didn’t teach in graduate schoolConrad HackettPew Research Center Demographer
@conradhackett
59