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Stuart G. Jantzen, Jodie Jenkinson, Gal McGill (Biomedical Communications Unit, Department of Biology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario; Center for Molecular and Cellular Dynamics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts )
With scientific animations, it can be difficult for the viewer to determine which pieces are based on scientific data. As a result, animations can be dismissed as speculation, or conversely, artistic license can be misinterpreted as fact. We discuss the importance of creating citation systems that allow audiences to understand the sources informing an animation. Visualizations can be deconstructed into elements such as characters and environments, which may in turn be described in terms of the sources that inform their constituent properties. These references come in a variety of forms; furthermore, the data itself may be adapted or manipulated in various ways. In addition to linking references to components of an animation, a citation system should allow for presentation of annotated animations that is both clear and meaningful to audiences. A system such as the one described here could significantly increase the transparency of scientific animation, improving accountability and lending strength to the medium.