4 Tips for Designing Scientific Figures for Manuscripts

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Scientific Figures

Scientific figures form the backbone of communication between researchers. Ideas and supporting evidence are primarily shared not only through text and speech but by images that describe the numbers and convey the details of each series of experiments. Here are several tips to help design scientific figures in a clear, concise, and informative way so that other researchers have an easier time understanding them and, ultimately, a better appreciation of your study.

 

Identify the “why”

Delineating the primary purpose of each figure is the best way to understand which information exactly should be included. It’s always tempting to build a figure with as many data points as possible, but only by asking what the overarching purpose of the specific figure should be will you be able to narrow down the scope and understand how to begin designing it.

Compose for clarity

The trickiest part of creating scientific figures is ensuring that each one shares an efficient composition to best convey the data and, thus, the message. The following tips are helpful when composing figures:

  • Use a top-bottom/left-right approach to presenting each section of the figure.
  • Make sure the focus is on the primary data. This can often be done by making the primary graph of the figure more prominent.
  • Removed repeated or excess text and other elements.

Select contrasting colors and dashes

Color selection is crucial when designing graphs as authors have the ability to highlight key messages on the graph merely by applying the right contrasting colors. With only two comparators, it’s easy to use grey and another bright color to highlight differences. If there are more than two, a gradient of the same color can be applied throughout the individual groups. If avoiding greyscale in order to contrast groups using two distinct colors, always refer to the color wheel to optimize color choice (as a rule of thumb, orange and blue provide maximum contrast compared with all other color combinations).

Dashes are also recommended for line graphs that integrate four or more groups, where pairs of each group contain some similarity. For example, if you compare a treatment group, one of which received a placebo and the other received a study drug, different colors can be used to differentiate these two groups. But if these two groups were further divided into those that received some form of supportive care and those that didn’t, full lines and dashed lines, all of a single color, can be used to divide the placebo group who received supportive care from those who didn’t.

Remember to be consistent with colors throughout the entire series of figures. Nothing is more confusing than identifying a specific group as one color and having the same group appear as an entirely different color later in the article.

Lastly, if the figures are to be published, it’s essential to consider the colors afforded by the target journal. Certain journals will only allow the use of greyscale, so remember to check beforehand to ensure sufficient contrast is added to each bar or line.

Labeling plants in the lab

Write descriptive legends

Legends are often an overlooked component of figure design, as they are often written long after the figure has been created, just prior to submission. However, the legend provides a necessary guide to readers that allows them to connect the dots and understand the messages conveyed in the figures, especially for those that are more than a single panel.

When writing legends, make sure they are descriptive enough so that one doesn’t necessarily need to review the article to understand the primary messages within the figures. Include a descriptive title that defines the figure in context, including the groups being compared and the endpoints used (if possible), and then describe each panel separately in as much detail as needed. Always make sure to include footnotes, if appropriate, as well as definitions of each abbreviation used in the figure.

Itemize by grouping

Many figures run into the problem of covering long lists of selected information. However, readers are apt to gloss over long lists unless there is something specific they are looking for, resulting in large chunks of potentially critical information that might be skimmed over. Instead of merely writing a list in a figure, attempt to group the items as much as possible with headers in order to provide more context and a better understanding of how they fit into your model. If possible, five items should be the maximum number per grouping.

 

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Reference:

  1. Guide to designing figures. Nature Reviews.