How to Make Professional Graphical Abstracts in PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator

One of the easiest ways to create good graphical abstracts is to start with a template that provides the correct size and framework that makes it easy for you to make an effective design. Use this link to download twenty-four free graphical templates for PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator. These include templates formatted for Elsevier journals.

After you download the graphical abstract templates, the next step is to choose a design that shows the main points of your scientific story. For example, if you want to highlight the methods and results of your research, you may want to choose a templates from the two panel designs. If your data has multiple concepts or results, then you may want to choose a four panel or unique template design.

My recommended way to choose a template is to sketch a draft on pen and paper to see how many sections you will need to best describe your research. The examples below show two graphical abstract design brainstorms with options for two panel and three panel templates.

Two Panel Example

Three Panel Example

Resize the Graphical Abstract to Match Journal Requirements:

You can find different journal requirements by going to the Journal’s homepage and then finding the link to the graphical abstract guidelines from there. If you Google the journal’s graphical abstract requirements, make sure you find the most up-to-date page on the website.

For example, Elsevier academic journals require that graphical abstracts are 1328 x 531 pixels. In contrast, most other journals require that it matches the maximum figure sizes of approximately 180 mm width (double column on a regular sheet of paper). Make sure to check the specifications before moving on to the next step of adding designs and data to avoid having to reformat the file.

After you have your graphical abstract template saved as your draft document, the next step is to add the designs, data, and text. No matter which design software you are using, there are three main methods you can use to create the graphical abstract design.

Recommended Methods to Add Designs and Data to Graphical Abstracts:

1. Download customizable images and template designs that have appropriate copyright rules.
2. Download images from online databases such as Simplified Science Images 
3. Make sure that the images have high resolution and are permitted for use in scientific publications without attribution.
4. Draw your own illustrations.
5. Draw illustrations using Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, PowerPoint, Inkscape, Google Draw, or other design tools
6. Build your skills with free online courses and digital illustration workshops
7. Import and optimize graphs from software such as Excel, GraphPad Prism, etc.
8. Graphing software have a lot of design options that will allow you design and export graphs that match your graphical abstract color, size, and spacing.

After you have your graphical abstract template saved as your draft document, the next step is to add the designs, data, and text. No matter which design software you are using, there are three main methods you can use to create the graphical abstract design.

Recommended Methods to Add Designs and Data to Graphical Abstracts:

1. Download customizable images and template designs that have appropriate copyright rules.
2. Download images from online databases such as Simplified Science Images 
3. Make sure that the images have high resolution and are permitted for use in scientific publications without attribution.
4. Draw your own illustrations.
5. Draw illustrations using Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, PowerPoint, Inkscape, Google Draw, or other design tools
6. Take courses in scientific design
7. Import and optimize graphs from software such as Excel, GraphPad Prism, etc.
8. Graphing software have a lot of design options that will allow you design and export graphs that match your graphical abstract color, size, and spacing.