Great Scientific Figures - Young Scientists Academy

Learn what makes excellent scientific figures!

Whenever you communicate your research – be it in a publication, a poster, a conference talk – visuals play a crucial role. You will learn how to conceptualize, design and create visuals, that are immediately understandable and convey your message clearly.

Through the dynamic online learning format, comprising a 1-hour kickoff session and two 4-hour live online sessions, along with between-session videos and exercises, you'll immerse yourself in a wealth of examples and collaborate in small group sessions sharing feedback on your own figures and deepening your understanding and skills.

Goals

Understanding what makes a great scientific figure
Making good use of color, graphical elements, spatial layout, and fonts
Growing your technical & design-software skills
Streamlining your creation process

Content

Fundamentals of scientific visuals
When to use what type of visual? About charts, diagrams, illustrations, and more.
Essential tips to avoid common mistakes
Mastering layout, space, and grid
Harnessing the power of color effectively
Suggestions for improving your creation process
Discovering useful software tools for creation
In-depth discussions on your specific questions and examples

View the list of course videos here >>

About the Course

After the kickoff meeting you will dive into the content watching short videos - at your own pace and schedule. In the two main live online meetings, we will discuss best practice examples and your own figures, you will receive feedback, and deepen your insights.

Your "Design Project(s)"
Prior to the course, you'll submit samples of your own existing visuals. These samples, which may be used as examples, will provide a starting point for discussion. During the course, you'll have the opportunity to rework one or more difficult to design own figures for upcoming publications or talks. Throughout this process, in the two main live meetings, you'll receive valuable feedback and guidance to improve and excel.

Your "Software Growth Project"
You are encouraged to consider a personal "software growth project" as a complementary journey, running in parallel, where you can actively enhance your proficiency in utilizing specific graphic design software of your preference. You'll receive a comprehensive introduction to various software options, along with a curated list of links to free, concise online tutorials. They will guide you through different software tools, enriching your skill set along the way.

Please note that this course focuses exclusively on the individual visuals themselves and does not cover the design of complete slides or the active presentation of the content. This training perfectly complements our highly regarded 2-day presentation skills training and our comprehensive webinar on slide design.

Join us for this enriching seminar and revolutionize your scientific visuals to leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Course Timeline & Overview

Before the course participants need to share their learning goals & own figures
Course start: brief kickoff meeting (1h, live online)
followed by 2-3 weeks of video inputs (about 10-30 min/day) & assignments
4-hour online meeting: discussion of participants' figures, feedback in small groups
2-3 weeks between meetings: further videos & assignments
4-hour online meeting: further input & small group work. Course end.

Highly interactive - with during and after-seminar partnerships.
Total workload: About 2 days.

Methods

Understanding concepts and content using videos between the meetings. Deepening your understanding Through a dynamic online learning format, comprising a 1-hour kickoff session and two 4-hour live online sessions, along with between-session videos and exercises, you'll immerse yourself in a wealth of examples and collaborate in small group sessions, using and advancing your own material.

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