Graphical abstract
To give some extra power and finesse to your abstract, you are asked to deliver a graphical abstract. This is a single schematic image that visually represents the primary findings or design of your research, allowing readers to easily identify the main message of the research. With a graphical abstract, the reviewer can understand your research aim in a glance. The guidelines and do's and don'ts are listed below.
Guidelines graphical abstract
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Show only the main aspects of your research, do not get lost in the details
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Use simple icons, which are recognizable for your peers
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Do not use distracting and cluttering elements
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Avoid an overuse of text, your figure should be self-explanatory
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You can imagine that this figure needs to be that simple, it is understandable by a layman, so ask feedback from your family/friends who are not in the same field
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To design this graphical abstract, you can make use of e.g., Biorender.com platform
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If you can compartmentalize your research, do so, and use different color shades per compartment/research part, so they are clearly defined
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An example of a graphical abstract is shown below
