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How to create awesome illustrations in a scientific manuscript

 

There is a famous quote “A picture is worth a thousand words…” This saying is true even in the field of scientific research. Although a scientific paper may have a lot of data to validate the results, but most academics are drawn to a manuscript filled with innovative illustrations. These scientific illustrations are used by authors to communicate their research in a very succinct tone.

Although many scientists present their results and data in a way that is acceptable to reviewers, they do not often pay attention to scientific illustrations. Many a times, they show disinterest as they lack artistic skills needed to render scientific illustrations. Although a researcher need not be an artist to render illustrations, some tips will definitely help them improve their artistic bent of mind.

  1. Authors must consider the context of a scientific study and their target audience

A scientific illustration may be rendered beautifully in a paper, but it must be aligned with the scope and objectives of the paper. Before making a scientific illustration, authors must take into account the target audience of the paper. A scientific illustration must be rendered professionally and accurately. It should be well understood by scholars related to your field of study. In academic conferences and symposiums, most managers want to see illustrations that captivate the attention of the audience. This is because the audience usually consists of students and potential investors.

The authors must also pay attention to the destination of scientific illustrations. For example, scientific illustrations presented in papers and books are such that they act as supporting material. In general, they do not replace the text or content presented in the manuscript. Illustrations are supporting material and not substitutes in this context. However, the purpose of illustrations is more visual in conferences. Preference is given to articles with visual abstract and videos. So, in this context, the illustrations can be used as a substitute for text.

Conference posters must contain visuals that capture the attention of viewers who pass by the panels. The participants should be able to comprehend the visuals with respect to the results presented in the poster. In science communications, it is vital to capture the attention of academics through various types of scientific illustrations: visual abstracts, poster figures, and TOC images. These illustrations are deeply examined by researchers in academia.

2. First make a rough sketch of the illustration

Most authors prepare a rough draft of the manuscript. The same approach applies to scientific illustrations. Authors must be clear about the information they wish to convey through the illustration. Some of the most widely seen illustrations are infographics, experimental layouts, and workflows. All these illustrations can only be rendered after the authors provide a rough sketch to the graphic artist.

The main purpose here is to organize various sections that are intended to be displayed in the illustration. Experimental data is usually reported in the form of technical graphs, which can be created with a suitable software like Microsoft Excel and Word. A graphical representation of result is often used for clear presentation and to prevent instances of confusion among the researchers.

3. Authors should make clear and simple illustrations that are not superficial

A scientific illustration has to be rendered in a simple and clear layout. Authors should avoid unnecessary aesthetic features. To avoid possible confusion, the experimental results may be presented in the illustrations. The audience would definitely find it useful in understanding the scientific concept associated with the data. Nevertheless, simplicity should not be confused with superficiality. The illustrations rendered should be detail-oriented.

Scientific accuracy should never be compromised to incorporate aesthetics. The illustrations should be created in simple colors and should not be excessively gaudy in appearance. In most cases, authors can make use of black and white colors to render their illustrations. However, there may be instances where complex data has to be represented in different colors. Authors should take note of colors that can be easily distinguished by people who are color-blind.

4. Authors should make use of proper software

Just like any other activity, a proper software must be used for graphic designing. In olden times, a simple hand-written sketch was enough for submission in biology papers. Today, scientific journals will not accept a paper that has hand-written graphics. All scientific illustrations must be digitized with proper graphic design software.

If the paper contains only simple infographics or workflows, a presentation software or a vector diagram is enough to render the scientific illustrations. However, a 3D layout is required to effectively present the layout of the instrumentation used in the experiment. Authors should always check the journal’s guidelines before capturing the resolution of an image.

5. Authors must provide supplementary text to support the figures

A scientific illustration is incomplete without supporting text. It is extremely important to include figure legends in academic papers and books. The figure’s caption must be presented clearly in the manuscript. The placement of the figure and the text should be systematic in the manuscript.

In scientific conferences, authors are often required to explain the illustration to the audience. Therefore, all scientific illustrations must be accompanied with suitable oral presentations. A speaker cannot just stand mute in front of an awesome illustration during a conference. The visuals have to be explained creatively to the audience. The authors must be clear about what they wish to communicate through their scientific illustrations.

 Harrisco is the no. 1 academic editing company for researchers in Seoul, South Korea. They provide complete publication support to authors who wish publish their work in top-rated peer reviewed scientific journals. Seek the help of Harrisco in case you have difficulties in rendering your scientific illustrations.

 

 

 

 

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Effective Tips for Dissertation Writing

Pursuing a doctoral program in science and technology requires at least 3-4 years of rigorous work in a laboratory. A dissertation summarizes the research project that was carried out for three to four years.

Defending the dissertation is the important aspect of receiving a Ph.D. A researcher is entitled Ph.D. only after successfully defending the dissertation. It is an important landmark in the career of a researcher who can now be called an independent researcher or scientist.

Having said that, not all scientists are great wordsmith and a poorly written dissertation may be a death knell to one’s career. In fact, a researcher may not be able to receive Ph.D. if the dissertation is poorly written.

In this article, we explain steps that must be followed to write a dissertation effectively.

1. Start writing the dissertation right from the beginning of the research program: Most doctoral students tend to think that dissertation must be written at the final stage of their doctoral program.

They consider dissertation as just a scholarly paper that can be “written up” once the experimental study of their doctoral program is completed. They consider research experiments as the “real work” and scholarly communication as completely secondary.

Most doctoral students of science and technology are engrossed with work in the laboratory. They have to design the experimental study, perform complex experimental procedures, perform statistical analysis, derive results and finally present conclusion. With this rigorous work in the laboratory, most doctorate students procrastinate “dissertation writing.”

Although writing and defending thesis is the last component of a Ph.D program, science students should start writing their thesis/dissertation right from the start of their doctoral program. This is because the doctoral program extends for uptill three years and thesis must a cumulative reflection of their entire period. It is not something that can be “written up” at the fag end of the doctorate program.  

Dissertation writing rightly reflects the “art of science” as it is a skill that requires scientists to hone their skills as wordsmiths in science communications.  Every paper and presentation written from the first day of the doctoral program is important; doctorate students should start preparing their thesis from the very first day of their graduate careers.

2) Spend some time each on writing dissertation: It is essential that all doctorate students hone their skills in science writing. Therefore, science writing must be a part of your routine. There are many resources and style guides of science writing. Each doctoral student must spend some time daily reading these resources in order to get a grasp of science writing.

3) Consult your advisor throughout the process of dissertation writing: To pursue Ph.D. program successfully, it is very essential to have a rapport with the supervisor. It is essential to have an effective communication with your supervisor while pursuing your Ph.D.. This will certainly help a doctoral student in completing their dissertation in a timely manner. Most doctorate students feel afraid to show the rough draft of their thesis to the supervisor. Such an attitude can prove to be “fatal” in dissertation writing.

It is very important to communicate with the supervisor on a daily basis. Always seek advice on the progress of your work while pursuing your doctoral program. Professors and mentors would always help in different aspects of thesis writing, not just in terms of English language but also in refining the scientific aspect of this study.

If the student has a poor rapport with the supervisor, then it becomes very difficult for the student to defend their thesis at the fag end of their doctoral programs. Quite a few times, their dissertation is rejected as the supervisor is not just aware of the student’s research work right from the beginning. Following the rejection of dissertation, the student is crest-fallen as it is back to square one or ground zero for the student.

4) Students must maintain an annotated bibliography: This is a very important strategy for writing an effective dissertation. This strategy must be followed by a researcher throughout their career. Apart from compiling a conventional reference list of different papers, students must prepare an annotated bibliography that includes personal reading notes on each paper that they have read.

While writing a formal paper, a researcher must compile annotated bibliographies relevant to the topic. These may be personal reading notes obtained from several projects that serve as an interactive background for the current work in progress. Commentary, updates, and references are some of the kinds of additional writing that must be incorporated into a formal paper meant for publication in scholarly journals.

5) Students must consider “stepping stone” assignments:

Most PhD thesis of scientific disciplines contain “Introduction” and “Discussion”  sections in which previously published papers are referenced and quoted for arguments and evidences. Published papers are the resources on which the dissertation of the current study has to be based. Therefore, science students must write evaluative reports of all experiments periodically. It is important to write about failures and obstacles as they can be then included in the discussion section of the formal paper.

Apart from published papers, students may also refer to meta-analyses, literature reviews for referencing. A book review may also prove to a good resource in rare cases. New methodologies and techniques should also be evaluated periodically. All these types of scientific literature are very useful in writing a dissertation paper.

6) Attend workshops, conferences, and seminars: Students must present their research work at any relevant academic workshop, be it conference or less formal meetings of graduate students. When students make presentations at these events, they receive constructive feedback in improving the quality of the final draft of the dissertation.

Many universities hold formal meetings of students who are in similar stages of their doctoral programs. At these meetings, students discuss and review each other’s work to improve the quality of their work. It is highly recommended that students join such writing groups and workshops, wherein fellow students offer feedback and proofreading services.