Overall Requirements for SCI Illustrations
There are many types of SCI magazines, and the requirements for illustrations are also different, but the following are common:
1. The illustration size should meet the requirements of SCI journals
2. The words in the illustrations of the same manuscript must have the same font size and font
3. Illustrations of the specified file types of SCI journals must be submitted
4. The naming of illustration files must meet the requirements of SCI journals
5. The resolution of illustrations must meet the requirements of SCI journals
6. The thickness of the lines (strokes) in the illustrations of the same manuscript must be uniform
7. Illustrations in the specified color mode of SCI journals must be submitted
8. The volume of illustration files must meet the requirements of SCI journals
I heard that if your illustrations meet the above requirements, the magazine editor will give you a score like this:
Commonly used software for editing illustrations
Bitmap editing : Adobe Photoshop (PS) or GIMP (free software)
Vector drawing class : Adobe Illustrator (AI) or CorelDRAW
Chart making class : Graphpad, Origin, SigmaPlot, SPSS, Excel, R Language
PDF virtual printer : Adobe Acrobat Professional, PdfFactory My current drawing combination is generally a combination of R language + AI + Ps
Format of illustration files
There are two main file formats for illustrations: TIFF and EPS, corresponding to bitmap and vector graphics. The images taken by the camera are all bitmaps, and the images generated by functions are all vector graphics.
TIFF format : bitmap. For illustrations edited by Photoshop, please combine layers when exporting images in tiff format (students who don’t understand the concept of layers can Google it by themselves, and the editor will introduce the PS topic later)
EPS format : vector graphics. Bitmaps can be embedded in it.
Supplementary knowledge: A bitmap is composed of individual pixels. For example, when we take a selfie with a camera, the editor zoomed in on his own selfie, but was frightened to death by a bunch of mosaics; all the lines in the vector map are one by one function, so no matter how you zoom in, there will be no mosaic!
Format of the artwork filename
Illustration file name :
Fig1.tiff, Fig2.tiff...Fig1.eps, Fig2.eps...Figure 1.tiff, Figure 2.tiff (Multiple pictures are combined into one, which is counted as one picture), and some journals require that the manuscript An author or corresponding author's surname combined with fig, such as Smith_fig1.tiff.
SCI Illustration Color Mode
1. RGB color mode;
2. CMYK color mode;
3. Grayscale mode;
Most SCI journals accept illustration files in RGB color mode, and a few journals require authors to submit illustration files in CMYK color mode before publication and printing. It is recommended to use bitmap editing software such as PS for color mode conversion. In addition, it is recommended that you refer to the specific regulations on the color mode of illustrations in the submission requirements of the journals to be submitted before drawing.
font
Font : Arial or Times New Roman (some journals also accept Helvetica, Courier, etc.).
Font size : Most SCI journals require a font size of 6-12 pt for illustrations.
Line thickness and color
Line (stroke) thickness : The thickness of the line should be between 0.2-1.5 pt, too thin or too thick is not beautiful.
Line (stroke) color : SCI journals do not have strict regulations on line color. Black, white, and gray are more common. If it is not special, it is generally not recommended to use color.
Lossless compression and file size requirements for illustrations
Illustration lossless compression :
Most SCI journals require authors to submit illustration files in TIFF format, because the TIFF file format has a magical ability: lossless compression properties. Regardless of whether the content in the TIFF illustration is a bitmap or a line image, the file size can be compressed through the LZW lossless compression method, but the pixel information and quality of the original image will not be lost at all. So far, many SCI journals (including the top journal "Nature") have adopted Authors are advised to use illustration editing software (PS or GIMP) to perform LZW compression processing on illustrations in TIFF format.
file size :
Since the vast majority of SCI journals adopt the online submission system, in view of the limitation of the server space and network speed of the online submission system, most journals suggest that the file size submitted by authors must be controlled within 10MB (10240KB). The file compressed with LZW should not exceed 10MB. If it exceeds 10MB, it means the layout is too large. Try to split or remake it.
Illustration size :
Most SCI journals have three types of layout specifications for illustration layout: single-column, 1.5-column, and double-column. The three types of illustrations have different width settings for the illustrations, but there are no requirements for the margins on both sides and the height. difference.
Single-column graphs are generally composed of one or more small graphs. The total width of the graph is generally 8-9 cm. The left and right margins of the graph must be moderate and as little as possible. SCI journals have relatively loose restrictions on the height of graphs, but generally no more than 24 cm.
1.5 column pictures , generally composed of one or more small pictures, the total width of the illustration is generally 11.4~14 cm, the left and right white space of the illustration must be moderate, and the white space should be kept as little as possible. Similarly, the height generally does not exceed 24 cm.
Double-column diagrams are generally composed of one or more small diagrams. The total width of the illustration is generally 17.1~19 cm. The left and right white space of the illustration must be moderate and as little as possible. Similarly, the height generally does not exceed 24 cm.