ISMTE © 2010 Publishing Figures: Eight Tips for Achieving High-Quality Results A training resource of the ISMTE

ISMTE © 2010

ISMTE © 2010 This video will provide you with the basics of good figure design and publication. An accompanying comprehensive supplemental guide will provide you with additional details and information.

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 1: Acceptable File Types

ISMTE © 2010 Make life easy: Ensure that you receive figures in an acceptable file type.

ISMTE © 2010 Acceptable file types include: EPS JPEG TIFF

ISMTE © 2010 If you plan on editing the figures you receive, you’ll want authors to submit them in the EPS format.

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 2: Clear, Data-Focused Graphics with No Visual Distractions

ISMTE © 2010 Graphics should be clear, with well-presented data. Authors often overemphasize key points using distracting elements.

ISMTE © 2010 What Are Distracting Elements? Extra boxes Too many colors Boldface Italics Underlining Multiple fonts

ISMTE © 2010 Ask your reviewers and editors: Keep an eye out for distracting elements and provide feedback to authors when necessary.

ISMTE © 2010 Figure 1 Example of visually distracting figure

ISMTE © 2010 Example of visually clear figure

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 3: Proper Resolution Additional information on resolution is included in the supplemental guide.

ISMTE © 2010 What is Resolution? Resolution is the number of points of information, also known as pixels, used to display an image. The higher the resolution, the crisper the image.

ISMTE © 2010 Resolution for Print vs. Screen Viewing Resolution needed for print = at least 300 ppi Resolution needed for screen = 100 ppi

ISMTE © ppi 100 ppi Print View

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 4: Preferred Color Modes Additional information on color modes is included in the supplemental guide.

ISMTE © 2010 RGB (Red, Green, Blue) CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)

ISMTE © 2010 RGB vs. CMYK RGB: Used by computer monitors, video screens, digital cameras, and other technologies through which light is emitted CMYK: Simulates the four-color printing process used by commercial printers Unpredictable results when printed Predictable results when printed

ISMTE © 2010 Our recommendation: Always use CMYK for print; RGB is fine for online-only figures.

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 5: Font Legibility

ISMTE © 2010 Authors often use tiny font sizes to pack data into figures. Require font size to be at least 6 points or greater.

ISMTE © 2010 Font is too small Font is appropriately sized

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 6: Consistent Style Across All Figures Additional information on figure style is included in the supplemental guide.

ISMTE © 2010 How to Ensure a Consistent Style Use uniform labels, line weights, fonts, scientific notation, and other style elements across all figures. Develop a style internally and include the style points in your instructions to authors.

ISMTE © 2010 Example of style that is not visually cohesive Manuscript 1 Manuscript 2

ISMTE © 2010 Example of style that is visually cohesive Manuscript 1 Manuscript 2

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 7: Proper Page Composition

ISMTE © 2010 Figures should be appropriately sized—not too large or too small. Space around figures should be efficiently used.

ISMTE © 2010 Proper Composition Results in: A professional look Efficient use of space

ISMTE © 2010 Unused space

ISMTE © 2010 How to Achieve Proper Page Composition Review all article proofs and ask your designer or compositor to make adjustments when necessary. Resize all figures internally prior to submitting them for production.

ISMTE © 2010 Tip 8: Good Communication With Your Authors Additional information on communicating with authors is included in the supplemental guide.

ISMTE © 2010 Communicate your guidelines early and often. Set expectations.

ISMTE © 2010 Information for Authors Manuscript Tracking Systems Decision Letters

ISMTE © 2010 Thank you for watching. Be sure to read the accompanying supplemental guide. Sarah L. Williamson, MA, and Lindsey M. Brounstein contributed significant expertise to the development of this video. Erin C. Dubnansky managed the project, edited the content, and recorded the audio. The ISMTE Training Committee (Erin Dubnansky, Chair, Kathy Brister, Maggie Haworth, Glenn Landis, and Maru Tapia) conceived of, contributed expertise to, and oversaw the project. Ms. Williamson is the Senior Medical Illustrator at the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) in Bethesda, Maryland. She has a master of arts in medical illustration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a background in biology and fine art. She has been producing medical illustrations and scientific graphics since Ms. Brounstein is the Publications and Graphics Coordinator at the AGA. She oversees the figure redraw process for Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and works with authors to provide high-quality images for their publications. She has worked for the AGA since Ms. Dubnansky is the Senior Director of Scholarly Publishing at the AGA. She oversees the financial operations; editorial processes, development, and review; marketing; and implementation of new initiatives for the AGA’s scholarly periodicals.