Tips for making scientific figures

1. Have a plan (start with a sketch)
2. Design for papers (start from a fixed width)
3. Use vector art where appropriate
4. Consciously use visual language
5. Show your workings

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this. Please use the issues page to tell me I'm wrong, or suggest new things to add!

References

• A free book on data visualisation, with lots of beautiful examples:
  • Claus O. Wilke (2019) Fundamentals of Data Visualization
• General figure making:
  • Rolandi, Cheng, Pérez-Kriz (2011) A Brief Guide to Designing Effective Figures for the Scientific Paper.
• Colour maps:
  • Nunez, Anderton, Renslow (2018) Optimizing colormaps with consideration for color vision deficiency to enable accurate interpretation of scientific data
  • Rogowitz, Treinish (2017) Why Should Engineers and Scientists Be Worried About Color
  • Borland, Taylor (2007) Rainbow color map (still) considered harmful
• Choosing colours:
  • Online colourblind simulator
  • Color brewer
  • Seaborn palettes
• Words
  • What's the difference between a graph, a chart, and a plot

Appendix: Making diagrams with Inkscape

E.g. to visualise an experimental set-up or create a graphical abstract.

1. Getting started
2. Shapes, colours, text, and lines
3. More drawing
4. Paths
5. Saving and exporting
6. Annoyances

Appendix: Plotting with Matplotlib

E.g. to plot data or graph functions.

1. Getting started
2. Lines and markers
3. Layout
4. Axes, legends, and annotations
5. Raster data
6. Neat tricks