1 File Requirements
Each figure should be provided as a separate file and numbered sequentially as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and so on. If a figure contains subfigures, label them separately as a, b, c, etc.
2 Size Requirements
The height of a figure should not exceed one page, or 21 cm. The width should be 8 cm for a half-column figure, 16 cm for a full-column figure, or 11 cm for a two-thirds-column figure.
3 Format Requirements
Figures may be provided in TIFF, JPEG, PDF, AI, or EPS format. Line art should have a resolution of 1000 to 1200 dpi; combined color and grayscale plates should exceed 300 dpi; composite plates combining color/grayscale images with bar charts or line art should exceed 600 dpi. Figure style should be consistent throughout the manuscript.
4 Specific Instructions
4.1 Line Charts and Bar Charts
This includes flow cytometry plots, survival curves, scatter plots, bar charts, line charts, DNA sequence diagrams, box plots, and similar figures. Please use color in RGB mode and apply a consistent color scheme throughout the manuscript. Provide the editorial office with a separate PDF file for each figure.
If figures are created in Excel, the first color scheme is recommended. After preparing the figure, select it in the worksheet, then choose File - Print. In the print options, select a PDF printer, save and name the PDF, and print. In Office 2010 or later, you may directly select the completed figure and save it as a PDF to obtain the figure in PDF format.
The resulting PDF figure can be edited in AI software, such as Adobe Illustrator CS5, to produce the AI, TIFF, or EPS files required by the editorial office. Tick labels on the x- and y-axes should be 8 pt, axis titles 9 pt, and lines 1 pt. Chinese text should use SimSun, and English text should use Times New Roman. Text within figures should not exceed 9 pt and should preferably be larger than 6 pt.
4.2 Photographs, Electrophoresis Images, Electron Microscopy Images, and Other Color/Grayscale Images
Please process these images using PS, such as Adobe Photoshop CS5, and AI software.
Pay attention to the following details:
Microscopy or electron microscopy images should include a scale bar.
In electrophoresis band images, there should be one space between numbers and units, such as 200 kDa rather than 200kDa.
Figure titles, figure notes, and figure numbers should not be drawn onto the image files.
If arrows, symbols, numbers, or letters are needed in illustrations, their direction, position, and meaning should be clearly explained in the figure notes. Do not place excessive text on illustrations, especially photographs, and avoid covering important information in the image.
The following method of saving figures is prohibited:
Do not create illustrations by directly taking screenshots of line charts or graphs output by software such as flow cytometry software, Excel, or SPSS. Such images clearly cannot meet print-resolution requirements.
4.3 Biological Schematic Diagrams
If needed for the article, please manually draw biological schematic diagrams using computer software to help illustrate a biological process or operation. Color mode (RGB) is recommended, and vector format is preferred. If submitted as a TIFF bitmap, the resolution should be at least 500 dpi.