Page 88 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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What I have said above assumes that you will make the graphs yourself. If so, these directions may be useful. If
someone else in your institution prepares the graphs, you may be able to provide reasonable instructions if you are
aware of the essential elements. If you are not experienced in graph-making, and such talent is not readily available in
your institution, you should probably try to find a good commercial art establishment. Scientists are sometimes
surprised that a commercial artist can do in minutes, at reasonable cost (usually), what it would take them hours to do.
Graph-making is not a job for amateurs.

As to the legends, they should normally be typed on a separate page, not at the bottom or top of the illustrations
themselves. The main reason for this is that the two portions must be separated in the printing process, the legends
being produced by typesetting and the illustrations by photographic processes.

Creating Graphics Electronically for Scientific Papers
Today's technology allows scientists to easily display any number of data variables within a single graphic.
Unfortunately, the ease with which complex charts and graphs can be created electronically often leads to confusing
or deceptive graphics. Software programs offer a wide choice of templates and formats but cannot help you choose
the ones most appropriate to your data. Although they can make the creation of detailed illustrations easier and
quicker, graphics software applications do not relieve authors of their responsibility for designing useful illustrations
that communicate data accurately and effectively.

Effective information design focuses on what the graphic is supposed to convey in terms of its data content. It
includes the typography used for the graphic display, the weight of lines, and the visual arrangement of the data.

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Software for Graphs and Charts

Charts and graphs can be prepared by using cross-platform applications such as these:

• Excel: Data from Excel can be converted into chart format within the Excel program. Excel data can also be
exported to DeltaGraph Pro (see below) or to slide-making programs such as PowerPoint and Persuasion (see below).

• Microsoft Office: Data from Excel or Word can be converted into chart format by using Microsoft Chart in the
Microsoft Office collection of programs.

• DeltaGraph Pro: DeltaGraph Pro is a program devoted exclusively to graph-making. It contains a wide library of
chart types, with extensive documentation on how to format each type.

• Word: This word-processing program contains the tools for formatting tables but not graphs.

Software for Slides
PowerPoint and Persuasion are slide programs with similar functions; both are available for either Mac or PC.
PowerPoint is part of Microsoft's Office Suite and has the advantage of connectivity between applications within it.
Adobe's Persuasion can easily import data from other applications. If run from a computer, these applications contain
facilities for switching to video or QuickTime movies. They also include functions for outlining and for printing
handouts. Word-processing applications can print overhead slides on acetate sheets made for laser printers. If you
wish to convert your computer slide show to 35-mm photographic slides, you can select a function that will provide
the digital information that can be converted to slides by a service bureau. The package Astound differs from
PowerPoint and Persuasion in that is has animation functions that could be useful in a lecture or presentation.

Software for Illustrations

There are two different types of illustration software. Draw or illustration programs are based on geometric shapes

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