How to Write a Visualization Survey Paper: A Starting Point

Abstract

This paper attempts to explain the mechanics of writing a survey paper in data visualization or visual analytics. It serves as a useful starting point for those who have never written a survey paper or have very little experience. A literature review or survey paper is often considered the starting point of a PhD candidate's scientific degree. However, there are no dedicated papers that focus on guidelines for the planning or writing of a survey paper or literature review in visualization or visual analytics. We provide guidelines and our recommendations for a foundational structure on which to build a survey paper, whilst also considering intermediate goals, and offer helpful advice to improve the survey process and literature analysis. The result is a useful starting point for those wishing to write a survey paper or state-of-the-art (STAR) review in visualization or visual analytics. The guidelines and recommendations we make can also be generalized to other areas of computing and science. An abstract is a required feature of a survey paper and should identity the topic of the literature review. A good abstract addresses why the given topic is interesting and why it is helpful. A good abstract features the following elements: (1) topic introduction, (2) the motivation, (3) the goal of the review, and the benefits the review provides to the reader. A good literature survey offers a helpful classification of the literature, mature areas of research, and open, unsolved problems in visualization or visual analytics.