FigureIQ guide

Scientific figure checker: what matters before submission

A useful figure check is broader than DPI. It asks whether the finished file will survive publication size, remain accessible, and meet the requirements of the journal you are submitting to.

Open FigureIQ

A figure can look finished and still fail at publication size

The useful question is not whether a figure looks sharp on a laptop. It is whether the exported file will remain readable, distinguishable, and technically usable at the size the journal is likely to publish it.

That means checking the figure as an output object: its raster resolution, typography, marks, colour encoding, panel structure, and the requirements of the target venue.

Six checks worth running before submission

  • Effective resolution at the intended publication width, not the DPI value stored in the file alone.
  • Text, legends, annotations, lines, and markers after the figure is reduced to final size.
  • Colour distinction, contrast, grayscale behaviour, and whether meaning is carried by colour alone.
  • Axes, units, legends, panel labels, annotations, and scale bars where the figure type requires them.
  • Typography, terminology, palette, panel conventions, and file preparation across the manuscript figure set.
  • The selected journal’s current author instructions for file type, dimensions, resolution, and production-stage requirements.

Measured checks and visual review should not be mixed together

Some findings can be measured directly: pixel dimensions, expected output width, effective resolution, file format, or repeated colour values. Others require visual judgement: hierarchy, density, reading order, or whether labels remain easy to distinguish.

A useful figure checker should make that distinction visible. A measured failure should show the measurement and threshold. A visual concern should be presented as a review finding, not disguised as a laboratory-style measurement.

Figure preparation tools can assess presentation and publication readiness. They cannot establish whether the underlying scientific result is correct, statistically valid, or likely to be accepted by a journal.

The target journal still has the final word

There is no single universal journal-compliant figure specification. Resolution depends on artwork type, font requirements vary, and some publishers distinguish between initial peer-review files and final production artwork.

Source note

Publisher specifications are not universal and can change by journal, artwork type, and submission stage. The target journal’s current instructions remain authoritative.