Yu Shuhong, an academician of China Academy of Sciences and a famous scholar, once said that "the first thing I look for in a publication is its graphic abstract", which shows the priority of graphic abstract.
The online retrieval results of many databases will display graphic abstracts together, which is not only more eye-catching but also helpful for reasoning, so that the paper can be seen by more people who are interested in research.
In addition, Elsevier pointed out in his author's guide that the study found that readers understood the papers with graphic abstracts faster and remembered them deeper.
Compared with pure text abstracts, graphic abstracts bring three times the reading volume and two times the citation volume for articles, and the number of times the pictures themselves are forwarded and mentioned on social media is eight times that of ordinary abstracts.
What is a graphical summary?
The graphic abstract summarizes the research mechanism and innovation with intuitive pictures and concise language, which makes the research core clear at a glance. It was first introduced into the academic publishing industry by Dr. Andrew Ibrahim, the creative director of the Yearbook of Surgery, and became popular.
There is no uniform standard for drawing graphic abstract. Dr Ibrahim believes that a good graphic summary should have the following elements:
Summarize the research questions-refer to the title of the paper or the title of the key chart;
Summary of research results-most papers have more than three research results, and the graphic summary requires the author to streamline the most important 1~3 items;
Citation information-usually including the surname of the first author, the name of the target journal and the year of publication;
Briefly describe the relationship between research findings-terminology needs to be consistent with the text;
Matching pictures for research and discovery-pictures can be simple monochrome icons, which can achieve the purpose of visualization;
Research data with units-provide digital information that can support research findings;
Producer information-producers are usually researchers themselves, journals and third-party institutions. It should be noted that the use of its trademarks without the consent of journals or third-party institutions is at risk of infringement.
Description of the elements of the graphic abstract proposed by Dr. Andrew Ibrahim
This first generation of graphic abstract standard advocates the author to highlight the value of research results, but there are many variations in the development of graphic abstract.
Some journals think it is necessary to write a graphic summary of the research methods, while others say that there is no need to list multiple research findings, just choose the most critical one. Researchers should also draw according to the requirements of the target journals.
Five steps of making pictures and texts
Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology (cJASN) published an introductory guide to graphic abstract in official website on 20 17, which provided more detailed drawing steps and evaluation criteria for clinical research.
Step 1: Prepare the thesis.
Step 2: Read the full text and find out the following elements in the study.
Experimental design, such as whether to adopt retrospective cohort study, randomized controlled trial and case-control study;
Experimental details, such as inclusion criteria or exclusion criteria, n value, etc. ;
Interventions;
Research results, including major findings and valuable secondary findings.
Step 3: Start painting.
Choose a handy software, such as PowerPoint or Keynote；;
It is divided into the following parts: title, research methods, results and conclusions;
With the help of the color panel function, the color scheme can be determined;
Draw key elements, such as queues, interventions, research results, etc. It is suggested to use icon material websites such as Noun Project or Iconfinder, but attention should be paid to copyright issues.
Add descriptive text and data corresponding to each section. Fonts and formats need to be unified;
Insert document information for easy reference by others.
Step 4: Ask peers and tutors for feedback on the first draft and make fine adjustments.
Step 5: Export the final draft in the format required by the target journal.
The graphic abstract, data and text information drawn by Deji are processed.
The graphic abstract, data and text information drawn by Deji are processed.
"Nine Want and Six Don't Want" in Painting
wine and meat dishes
On the premise of not affecting the conclusion, reduce redundant details;
Draw a unique conclusion that is most in line with the data and avoid generalizations;
The presentation effect is concise and clear, highlighting the key points;
Have a clear beginning and end, "read" from top to bottom or from left to right;
Use easy-to-read fonts and font sizes;
If the periodical provides a drawing template, it is best to apply it;
Ensure the resolution of the manuscript;
Listen to feedback from colleagues;
Provides information about the producer of graphic abstracts.
Six. No.
Do not use unauthorized icons or pictures;
Don't use any model diagrams or charts contained in the paper itself;
Don't appear other forms of supplementary materials or comments outside the graphics.
Don't try to show all the research findings;
Don't explain the findings in detail;
Don't use the logo of a periodical without cooperation.
Who will abstract the graphics?
Many third-party organizations, such as retouching companies and design studios, provide services for drawing graphic summaries. If you need professional assistance in this field, I'm happy to help you.
As a publishing support and polishing institution with 20 years' experience, we know that academic exchange is far more than just seeing published articles.
In addition to graphic abstracts, Yi Deji also provides a series of solutions to enhance the influence of scientific research, including the design of journal cover pictures and concise abstracts.
The graphic abstract, data and text information drawn by Deji are processed.