Journal Cover

The basic steps in producing a scientific illustration are as follows:
1. The first step in creating a scientific journal cover is to conduct research on the subject. Before you draw something, you must first understand it thoroughly. When illustrating a process or an object, breaking it down into smaller parts can help you think about the best way to present it. Make some rough sketches on paper once you’ve gathered all of the necessary information. This step is analogous to creating an outline for an article. Before you begin working with digital illustration tools, you should have a good idea of your illustration.

2. It’s crucial to keep your target audience at the forefront of your mind when creating rough sketches. Are you providing this example for academic peers or other scientists already familiar with the subject? Or do you design it with the general public in mind? What information you must include and what information you can omit from your illustration will become clear once you have identified your target audience.

3. Last but not least, keep in mind that a scientific illustration is not meant to introduce new materials before using digital tools. To make the information in your article simpler to understand for your audience, use scientific illustrations. The illustration should make the subject of your study clear. You could draw an illustration highlighting the main parts and the function of the stent, for instance, if you were writing about how a stent unblocks heart arteries.

4. Once you’ve roughed out your initial concepts, it’s time to use digital tools. Tools like PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator are commonplace among researchers. PowerPoint excels at creating slideshows, but it struggles to create realistic illustrations. Although Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are excellent tools, they can be expensive and difficult to learn. The creation of illustration tools tailored specifically for scientists by some recent innovators is a blessing.

5. After learning the fundamentals and choosing the best tool for the job, it’s time to consider what makes a strong scientific illustration. The quick response is that an effective scientific illustration should communicate information clearly and be visually appealing. Instead of making things more confusing, it ought to improve the viewer’s understanding. You can use color, but there’s no need to use every hue under the sun. By using color sparingly, you can draw attention to the illustration’s key features. Text can be added to scientific illustrations to help viewers understand what they are seeing. A strong illustration can give your research presentation a whole new dimension and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Cover Images have a significant impact on research article usage metrics. An analysis has been completed by Wiely to compare key article usage metrics of papers featured as Cover Images against the average metric values of published papers in the same issue.
Results showed that articles with a Cover Image get more than 50% higher full-text views and 30% higher Altmetric Attention scores

Graphs and plots of data should be avoided in general because they contain too much information and might be unintelligible without the context of the content. Text, as well as sophisticated manufacturing techniques, should be avoided if feasible.