In:
PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 19, No. 3 ( 2021-3-31), p. e3001161-
Abstract:
Scientists routinely use images to display data. Readers often examine figures first; therefore, it is important that figures are accessible to a broad audience. Many resources discuss fraudulent image manipulation and technical specifications for image acquisition; however, data on the legibility and interpretability of images are scarce. We systematically examined these factors in non-blot images published in the top 15 journals in 3 fields; plant sciences, cell biology, and physiology ( n = 580 papers). Common problems included missing scale bars, misplaced or poorly marked insets, images or labels that were not accessible to colorblind readers, and insufficient explanations of colors, labels, annotations, or the species and tissue or object depicted in the image. Papers that met all good practice criteria examined for all image-based figures were uncommon (physiology 16%, cell biology 12%, plant sciences 2%). We present detailed descriptions and visual examples to help scientists avoid common pitfalls when publishing images. Our recommendations address image magnification, scale information, insets, annotation, and color and may encourage discussion about quality standards for bioimage publishing.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1545-7885
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g011
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g012
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.g013
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.s006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.r001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.r002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.r003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pbio.3001161.r004
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2126773-X
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