How to Make a Scientific Figure for a Paper

Figures are where reviewers and readers spend the most time, yet they're often made last and in a rush. A clear figure can carry your whole result; a confusing one can sink an otherwise strong paper. This step-by-step guide covers how to make figures that communicate well and pass review.

1. Decide the one point

Before designing, write the single message each figure must convey — "treatment X reduced Y," for example. Every element should support that point, and anything that doesn't gets cut. A figure that tries to show everything ends up showing nothing clearly.

2. Choose the right figure type

Match the format to the data: a line or bar chart for trends and comparisons, a schematic for mechanisms, a micrograph or render for structure, a flow diagram for processes. The wrong type forces readers to work harder than they should.

3. Plan the layout and reading order

For multi-panel figures, arrange panels in the order the reader should follow them and label them clearly (A, B, C). Keep alignment tight and spacing even — sloppy layout is the fastest way to look unprofessional. Leave the figure room to breathe rather than cramming panels together.

4. Use colour and labels well

Use a limited, colourblind-safe palette, and never rely on colour alone — add labels, patterns, or direct annotation. Keep text in a clean sans-serif font, legible at final size, and label axes, units, and scale bars. Consistency of colour and style across all figures helps readers follow your story.

5. Get the resolution and format right

Build at the journal's required size and resolution from the start — typically 300 dpi for images, higher for line art — and export to the formats they accept (often TIFF for raster, EPS/PDF for vector). See our DPI/TIFF/CMYK guide for the details.

6. Write a self-contained caption

A reader should understand the figure from the image and caption alone. State what is shown, define any abbreviations and symbols, and note sample sizes or statistics where relevant — without simply repeating the results text.

7. Check it before you submit

View the figure at final printed size and as a thumbnail, convert to greyscale to test contrast, and confirm it meets the journal's spec. A two-minute check catches the small problems — illegible labels, low resolution, colour reliance — that cause avoidable revision requests.

Related reading: Best Fonts for Scientific Figures and 10 Graphical Abstract Mistakes.