Preparing Scientific Illustrations

Every graduate student, postdoc and scientist knows that images and illustrations can make or break their lecture, poster presentation, and journal or book article. Graphics software and laser printers have placed professional-quality graphics within the reach of everyone. But in the end, whether your audience sees clear, understandable images or a 300 dpi mess depends on whether you've followed the principles presented by Mary Helen Briscoe in this book. Learn the strengths and weaknesses of different forms of visual presentations. Understand when to use a figure, and how much information can be represented in one. See examples of bad, good, and better graphs and tables. Focus on your audience, to learn that a figure prepared for an article may not be ideal for a slide or an overhead. The author also presents information on presenting DNA sequences, protein structures, and other molecular graphics.