Graphical abstracts

Authors submitting an original research article or a review article have the option to publish a graphical abstract alongside their article. This is not compulsory, although editors may request one at revision.

A graphical abstract should summarise the key elements of the study in a single diagram or image. It should be striking enough to be used as (for instance) a conference slide, a  social media post or an illustration for a news story or blog post.

There are many types of graphical abstract. ERS favours two in particular, although others will be considered.

For translational or basic science studies, the graphical abstract may take the form of a mechanistic illustration. In this case, the illustration should illustrate the mechanism or interaction discussed in the article, with particular emphasis on the aspect discovered or elucidated. Alternatively it could focus on the timeline of an intervention or disease progression, with stages on the line represented pictorially. This form of graphical abstract is focused more on the outcome of a study than on its methodology.

For cohort studies or clinical trials, more focus on the study population and intervention or comparison may be needed. This may involve more text than a purely illustrative graphical abstract, and may take the form of a branching flowchart, moving left to right. The abstract is likely to appear on small screens, or be seen from far away, so it is important to restrict the number of stages (preferably three) and visual elements, and to keep the text very short.

Click through below for some examples published in the ERJ:

The finished graphical abstract should have a width:height aspect ratio between 2:1 and 1:1, to maximise its reusability.

The graphical abstract should be submitted as a standalone file, in the highest-resolution format you have available. If necessary, you can submit any working files (such as a layered Illustrator file, an SVG, a Powerpoint slide in which you have drafted the layout or even text notes for our production staff) as supporting documents.

The image you supply does not have to be of publishable quality. ERS has in-house production staff who can work with you to redraw your graphical abstract as needed. Please make sure all elements are clearly labelled for our artworkers.

To accompany your graphical abstract, please supply a short caption, along the same lines as a figure caption.

Page last updated 10 July 2023