Illustrations and figures:

Line drawings and diagrams

Information represented in diagrammatic form is best submitted in a vector format as this allows a better reproduction of line and text elements, especially when printed.

• Supported vector file formats are PDF, EPS, Microsoft Word (DOC) and PowerPoint (PPT)
• Most graphics/statistical software can save PDF and/or EPS files. Please refer to the software documentation.
• On Mac OS X, the operating system also allows you to print to a PDF file from any application.
• On Windows users need either the full version of Adobe Acrobat, or a free alternative in order to print to PDF.
• If your diagram contains some graphical or photographic elements, these should be included within the vector file.
• If your figure contains a key, please include this within the figure. This will ensure accurate reproduction of colour and/or hatching between figure and explanation.

In the final PDF, figures will appear as either single (85mm) or double column (176mm). Please ensure that, when scaled to the appropriate width:

• Lines are at least 0.5 pt in width
• Label text is sized to ensure legibility (not smaller than 8pt)
• Images have a resolution of at least 300 dpi

Charts and graphs

Chart and graphs are best submitted as a vector format figures as this permits a sharper reproduction of line and text elements.

• Supported vector file formats are PDF, EPS, Microsoft Word (DOC) and PowerPoint (PPT)
• If you are submitting a graph or chart produced in Microsoft Excel, we recommend that you either save the chart as a PDF or copy the chart into a new Microsoft Word file and save according to the instructions for DOC files.
• If your figure contains a key, please include this within the figure. This will ensure accurate reproduction of colour and/or hatching between figure and explanation.
• Figure titles should not be included within the image file.
• Please avoid hatching or patterns and instead use shading or colors as these are more suitable for high-resolution printing.
• Please ensure axis labels will be legible at our final figure sizes.

Large plot graphs

Complex plot graphs (such as those that result from Systems Biology visualizations) may have a very large file size and should be rasterised (converted from vector to bitmap format) using a graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop before submission to BioMed Central in order to reduce the file size greatly. This will decrease the time taken to upload such files during submission and also reduce time spent opening the file by referees and readers.

Photographs/scans

Figures that contain only photographic data are best submitted in a bitmap format such as JPEG, TIFF or PNG.

• Many photographic images are captured as JPEG images, in which case they should be submitted as JPEGs. When capturing the image, be sure to use the maximum quality setting for JPEG quality, to avoid visible artefacts.
• The maximum effective resolution and quality of an image is determined when the original image is created (when the photograph is taken in the case of digital photography, or when an image is scanned). Increasing the resolution subsequent to this, whilst maintaining the same image size, is not advisable as it does not improve the quality of the image: the effective resolution remains the same.
• Similarly, resaving with higher quality JPEG compression settings will not compensate if the image was originally captured with low quality JPEG compression.
• Final resolution of photographs should be a minimum of 300 dpi, when scaled to single (85mm) or double column (176mm) width.
• Photographs should be provided with a scale bar if appropriate.

If the photograph needs to include text, arrows or other explanatory elements, these can be added in a graphics program, or these elements can be overlaid in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, and the figure submitted in that format instead.

• Copy the photographic image into a new file in the chosen editing program.
• Add all explanatory elements.
• Once the image has been edited, save and submit the final file as EPS, PDF, DOC or PPT depending on the program that was used to add the text. Do not reconvert to TIFF, JPEG or PNG as this will result in loss of quality.

If photographs, X-rays or scans of patients' body parts are included as part of the manuscript, written and signed consent of the patient (or the patient's guardian, where under 18) must be sent or faxed to the editors, and indicated in the manuscript.

Medical X-rays

Medical X-rays should be treated like photographs with the following additional guideline.

• If it is necessary to obscure a patient identity in a photograph or X-ray, please do not use an overlay. Instead, edit the image itself using a graphics program, such as Adobe Photoshop.

Micrographs

Micrographs should be treated like photographs with the following additional guidelines.

• Details of the magnification should be given.
• Details of any stains used and the method of preparation the sample should be given in the figure legend or in the Methods section.
• Detailed information about the microscope used should be included in the figure legend or in the Methods section.
• The type of camera, photographic software and details of any subsequent image manipulation should be given in the article text.

Screenshots

• Screenshots are best saved as TIFF or PNG. Avoid JPEG as the compression will needlessly reduce the quality of the screenshot image.
• Screenshots should be submitted at the same resolution at which they are captured (e.g. 1024x768) - there is no benefit to resaving them at a higher resolution.
• Similarly, do not convert screenshots to EPS format as this results in a larger file size with no increase in quality.

Genetic information and sequence alignments

Figures that present either amino-acid or nucleotide sequences should be treated like line drawings and diagrams. In the case of large, multiple sequence alignments additional care should be taken to ensure legibility of text.

• Courier is the preferred monospace font.
• Ensure that all text is legible at BioMed Central's standard figure widths.
• Figures should not exceed one page in size.
• If all information cannot be presented legibly in a single figure, please submit this data as an additional file.

3D atomic structures

Figures that contain stereoscopic images such as protein structures should be prepared according to the following guidelines.

• Figures should be prepared so that the center of each stereo pair is separated by 60 mm or less.
• Figures should be accompanied by details of the necessary distance between the stereo pairs.
• Images should be submitted at the size they should appear in the final print version.

Chemical reaction schemes

Chemical reaction scheme, unlike other figures, should be included within the text and given their own sequential numbering.

• Schemes should ideally fill a single column width (85 mm).
• If necessary, sparing use may be made of double column schemes (176 mm).
• Captions and atom labels should use a sans serif font (such as Arial or Helvetica) at 8 pt.
• Schemes should be accompanied by a separate legend.
• Recommended file formats - CDX (ChemDraw), TGF (Isis/Draw).