How to make a figure to publish
- All figures must be accompanied by a figure caption that allows the figure to stand alone without the text in the paper
- Each axis must be labeled usually with units in square brackets
- Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing throughout the figure
- Limit fonts to normal ones: Arial, Times, and Symbol (try to avoid symbols if you can - as these are most likely to get messed up at copy editing).
- Number the figures according to their sequence in the text.
- Some journals need the figs separately rather than embedded in the text (some need both - e.g. Elsevier wants them embedded first round even though their instructions say otherwise for some journals) - follow the journal guidelines on format - normally EPS or TIFF are preferred. To put your figs in the correct format use the GNU Image Manipulation Program (or GIMP) - it is free, open source, and easy to use.
- Make sure the figure is of high resolution - usually at least 300dpi
- Use a logical naming convention - E.g. Fig 1 with a short description for the first figure, etc.
- Provide captions to Figures separately - do not put them in the image - do not put a title on the figure.
- Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
- Produce images that can be understood withOUT color - many journals charge exorbitant amounts for color images - and unless your work really warrants it - it is probably not worth it. All line graphs for instance can be differentiated with multiple symbols. Until the death of print journals - most journals are offering free online color. Thus, you should submit graphics that look better in color - but do not need it whenever possible. Most people that read your article will read the online color version - but same may use the hardcopy form or a print out.
For those publishing in Elsevier journal they have a detailed guide on electronic artwork here: http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions
Make it a habit
- For those in the QASRG - please make it a habit to make all of your figures following this format -- so if you are using Open Office Spreadsheet - make your default graphs follow a format that you can publish in your desired journal -- this will save you a lot of time in reformatting when you go to publish either papers or your thesis. It also helps to make your preliminary work easier to understand.
Example
From: J Pearce and P Harris, “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by inducing energy conservation and distributed generation from elimination of electric utility customer charges,” Energy Policy 35, no. 12 (12, 2007): 6514-6525.