Amid a Big Data context, characterized by waves of innovation from the availability of bulk data that can be stored and processed more and more efficiently, it has revolutionized cultural, social and economic structures. It is in this context that the research seeks to establish the parallel between the fields of Information Science and Information Visualization and evaluates the potential of applying visualization in Information Retrieval Systems (SRI). To this end, basic concepts such as the document itself, the organization, the retrieval and, finally, the visualization of the information are explored. A series of examples and use cases are explored, as well as the main features and principles of visualization in application on SRI interfaces. In order to validate the concepts empirically, a case study is presented that details a system of analysis of news and mentions in social networks that allowed communication professionals to follow the perception about the services provided. It was concluded that the success of the use of visualizations in SRI is related to aspects related to the three information paradigms, since technical and methodological requirements are necessary to meet the data transformations necessary to generate visualizations and, at the same time, maintain the integrity of digital document metadata. From the cognitive point of view, it is necessary to consider the analytical skills of the user necessary for the correct interpretation of the reading of the data. Under the social paradigm, the institutional policies involved in the whole process of data collection, processing, organization and analysis are discussed and represent the social and cultural context of the community or institution that will make use of the system.