Scientific illustration
How to brief scientific illustration: figures, graphical abstracts and covers
Prepare the purpose, key message, materials and delivery requirements before planning figures, graphical abstracts, covers, posters, slides or video.
What should the first inquiry include?
When discussing scientific illustration with RIBLAB, start with six items: intended use, a one-sentence finding, the number of figures or pages, available materials, target specifications and deadline. A finished draft is not required. We can first agree the information structure, then assess the design work.
Describe the task in your first message. Do not send unpublished research data through the website form; agree how materials will be shared and used in the next step.
What changes with the format?
Article figures
Identify the question each panel answers, the reading order, essential labels and the distinction between experimental data and explanations of the research process. For data charts, confirm axes, units, uncertainty and legends. Researchers check scientific accuracy; design preserves the meaning of the data.
Graphical abstracts
Write the shortest account of the research subject, method and main finding before selecting visual elements. A graphical abstract helps readers grasp the central message; it need not contain every experimental panel. Consult the target journal’s author guide. Elsevier’s graphical abstract guidance provides a starting point, followed by the journal-specific requirements.
Covers
Provide the research theme, focal subject, journal name, dimensions and submission date from the editorial team. We can then discuss composition, space for the masthead and output versions. The journal decides whether to select cover artwork; delivery does not imply acceptance.
Academic posters and slides
Posters need display dimensions, reading distance and an information hierarchy. Slides need the teaching or conference context, talk duration, page count, playback setup and editable-template requirements. They can share a visual style while using different reading and presentation sequences.
Video and public science communication
Agree the audience, platform, duration, aspect ratio and main message before assigning responsibility for scripts, narration, subtitles and music. Public-facing explanations should retain the conditions that limit the scientific findings.
A brief you can fill in
- Purpose and audience: publication, conference, teaching or public communication; who will read or watch it.
- Main message: one takeaway and the scientific details that must remain.
- Scope: figure and panel count, slide count or video duration; existing drafts.
- Materials: text, charts, photos and models available, with their permitted uses.
- Specifications: journal or organizer instructions, dimensions, formats and languages.
- Schedule: deadline, internal reviewer and time available for each feedback round.
- Delivery: exports, editable sources, revision rounds and later adaptation needs.
Why agree the structure before detailed production?
When the finding or number of figures is still changing, detailed production can lead to repeated rearrangement. Our suggested sequence is to confirm the brief, text and layout, visual details, then final files. One person consolidates feedback at each stage so the team can resolve conflicting comments.
Acceptance should check scientific labels, reading order, legibility and agreed export requirements. There is no single resolution or format suitable for every submission. The Nature research figure guide is an official reference; the target journal remains the source for its own requirements.
With the purpose, quantity and date ready, review our scientific illustration service or describe the task on the collaboration page. Quotes and schedules follow a review of content complexity and deliverables.