Graphical abstracts: showcasing science
for PeerJ

PeerJ is an open access journal that publishes high-impact peer reviewed research articles, in the fields of Biological and Medical Sciences and Computer Science. In the final stages of publication, authors can choose to have a “graphical abstract” designed, which is published alongside their article and shows the key messages of their work.

I design these graphical abstracts based on the research article and a summary from the author(s). The graphical abstract can be targeted at fellow researchers, policymakers and/or the general public – depending on the author’s preferences.

Visualizing the findings of research articles can be a very helpful tool in sharing the key messages in a way that is insightful, inspiring and easy to digest. For policymakers and the public these infographics make science more appealing and easier to understand, but even within the scientific community a graphical abstract can add value by focusing on the main messages.

Two examples of graphical abstracts are shown below.