Guidelines For Authors: Figures and Tables

We invite life science educators with figures and tables to submit them for peer review and inclusion in one of the Life DiscoveryEd Digital Library portals.

Figure and Table subjects sought:

• Conceptual figures depicting processes or organization. This includes theoretical figures depicting relationships predicted by theories.
• Data figures that report data collected during experiments or observational studies.
• Conceptual tables displaying comparisons or categories.
• Data tables that report the results of experiments and observational studies.

Formatting

We are currently accepting files in GIF or JPG format with a maximum width of 800 pixels.

Review Criteria

All submitted items are peer reviewed and selected for scientific accuracy, instructional value, and visual quality. The information provided with each submission is important for educators searching for resources and deciding how to use them effectively in their courses. Therefore, both the figure and its corresponding descriptions are required for a submission to be complete.

Only submissions that meet all of the following criteria will be included in Life DiscoveryEd:

• Quality, clarity, and appeal.
  Does the submission meet the visual standards of the collection? Is the subject easily detected in the submission? Can this figure and its underlying concept be described in terms familiar to a layperson?
• Scientific accuracy.
  Is the science presented in the figure or table accurate? Has the significance of the submission been identified in the description? Has the author included appropriate guidance for interpreting the figure or table?
• Instructional value.
  Does the submission help foster understanding of disciplinary concepts/techniques? Is this submission and its underlying concept described in terms familiar to an educator?
• Adherence to the field.
  Does this submission fit within the discipline of ecology/botany/economic botany/evolution?
• Description of classroom use.
  Has the author included guidance for applying the figure or table to education? What should students know and be able to do after seeing and discussing the figure?

Life DiscoveryEd Digital Library reviewers will use the Peer Review Rubric for Figures and Tables to review submissions.