Graphical abstracts
The journal Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine requires graphical abstracts (GAs) for papers accepted for publication. The GAs should be submitted as a separate file in the submission system.
A GA is a single, concise, pictorial, and visual summary of the main findings of the article. It is a visual representation of the key messages of a research paper, capturing the article's content for readers at a glance. It should be a figure specially designed for the purpose (and not a compilation of figures and tables from the paper). The editorial office of Adv Clin Exp Med does not offer graphic design or DTP services – the authors have to provide GAs in a finished form.
HOW TO PREPARE A GA?
1) Neither one of the figures from the paper nor the PRISMA flowchart can serve as a GA. A GA should not contain tables or figures taken directly from the paper or whole paragraphs of text, or be compiled from several tables/figures from the manuscript.
2) A GA cannot be text with illustrations – supplementing the text abstract with some graphics is insufficient. Neither should a GA include a caption. Please do not use the “Graphical abstract” heading in the image file.
3) A GA cannot exceed the size of one A4 page – it should be less complicated than, e.g., a conference poster.
4) A GA can be read horizontally (from the left to the right), vertically (from top to bottom), or circularly – but it has to have a clear beginning and end. It cannot be a single column read from top to bottom – such a format will not fit on a screen. A GA has to have a clear structure, although it does not have to reflect the structure of the plain text abstract or the whole paper. If it proves impossible to present material and methods, results, and conclusions, it can provide a more general overview of the paper.
5) A GA should be comprehensible without the context of the whole paper (self-explanatory) – it should enable the readers to decide whether the text is worthy of their attention by making clear what the paper is about, not by providing a riddle. Therefore, a GA should include the paper's title.
6) A GA should clearly state the question or purpose of the study (to contextualize it) and describe the research design (e.g., randomized trial, retrospective review, meta-analysis) to make the quality of evidence more straightforward.
7) Regarding text within a GA, sans-serif typefaces are considered a better choice (mainly for aesthetic reasons). Use text sparingly, but if you feel that conclusions should be provided as full sentences or they will be unclear, use complete sentences in a separate box/section. Lowering text density can make your GA easier to read. Stark color contrast between the letters and the background (e.g., red letters against a green background) makes the text, even very short, virtually illegible.
8) Presenting numerical data (like p-values) whose meaning is unclear outside the context of the whole paper has no sense in a GA. Do not use abbreviations that can be unclear without reading the text (obvious acronyms, like DNA, are, of course, a good choice).
9) A GA must not include:
- reference showing how the paper should be cited;
- logotype of Wroclaw Medical University;
- title of the journal;
- cover of the journal.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Allowed data formats: PDF, JPG, PNG, and TIF (min. 2400 pixels of the base in the drawing (width)). The minimal resolution of TIF, JPG and PNG files is 300 dpi. Regarding text within the GA, its size should be 12–16 points (smaller fonts will be illegible online).
A paper on graphical abstracts has been published in ACEM:
In the blink of an eye: Graphical abstracts in Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Should you experience any problems with designing a graphical abstract on your own, we advise you use one of the widely available AI services:
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ChatGPT
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Microsoft Copilot
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Peplexity AI
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Anthropic Claude
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DeepSeek
or a dedicated AI tool for creating graphical abstract
Should any questions arise, do not hesitate to contact the editorial office. Please send the graphical abstracts via e-mail to the e-mail address marek.misiak@umw.edu.pl [alternative e-mail for Chinese authors: marek.misiak@friend.pl].