SCI Figure Design: A Brief Discussion on Paper Figure Layout

When creating figures for academic papers, the first thing we need to determine is the layout (dimensions) of the images. Designing and drawing on the wrong layout often leads to unnecessary trouble at the final submission stage. Guidelines for image layout requirements are usually clearly stated in the publisher’s Guide for Authors. If not, it's recommended that authors contact the publisher directly—this clarifies the requirements and demonstrates professionalism, attention to detail, and respect for the journal.

Here, we’ll briefly discuss the common layouts used in scientific figures.

Aside from a few specialized journals (such as Science and certain physics publications), most academic journals use a two-column layout. In this context, we focus on two key dimensions: L1 (single-column width) and L2 (double-column width).

When we begin designing and drawing a figure, the first thing to consider and determine is the width of the image—whether to adopt a single-column or double-column layout.As for the height, it can generally be adjusted freely.Below are examples of double-column and single-column layouts.