prl-figures

PRL Figures (prl-figures)

When to trigger

• You have many candidate figures and need to choose a few
• Your lead figure does not convey the central result at a glance
• Panels are dense, captions are long, or symbols are unreadable at column width
• You are over length and figures (which count against the limit) are a target
• A coauthor wants to "add one more panel just in case"

Figure strategy for a Letter

A Letter carries a few high-impact figures only — typically on the order of three or four, sometimes fewer. Every figure must earn its place against the deductible length limit (figures consume the word budget; see prl-length-management). The hierarchy:

• Lead figure (Fig. 1) — conveys the central result at a glance. A physicist skimming should grasp the headline from this figure plus its caption alone.
• Supporting figures — each makes exactly one additional point (a control, a dependence, a comparison to theory).
• Everything else — parameter sweeps, raw traces, extended datasets → Supplemental Material.

If a figure does not advance the single central claim or one essential support, move it to SM.

Lead-figure design rules

| Principle | Practice |

|-------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|

| One glance, one message | The eye should land on the central result immediately |

| Self-explaining | Headline readable from figure + caption, without the body |

| Schematic + data | A small schematic/inset can orient out-of-subfield readers |

| Theory vs. experiment overlaid| Show the decisive comparison directly, not in separate panels |

| Annotate the key feature | Arrow / label on the peak, transition, or scaling that matters |

Production standards (column format)

• Design for single-column width first; use double-column only when the data demand it.
• Fonts, axis labels, and tick numbers must be legible at final printed size (roughly match the body text size).
• Use vector formats (EPS/PDF) for line art; high-resolution raster only for images/maps.
• Curves distinguishable in grayscale and color-blind-safe palettes; do not rely on color alone.
• Define every symbol/line in the caption; keep captions informative but tight (they count against length).
• Match notation in figures to the body; use SI units and consistent significant figures.

Panel discipline

• Prefer fewer panels with a clear reading order; label (a), (b), (c).
• A six-panel Fig. 1 usually signals that supporting panels belong in SM.
• Insets are powerful for a zoom or a schematic, but must remain legible.

Checklist

• [ ] Total figure count is small (a few) and each is essential
• [ ] Fig. 1 conveys the central result at a glance
• [ ] Every figure makes exactly one point
• [ ] All figures legible at single-column print size
• [ ] Color-blind-safe; not color-dependent; grayscale-distinguishable
• [ ] Decisive theory/experiment comparison shown directly
• [ ] Captions define all symbols and are as short as clarity allows
• [ ] Non-essential panels/datasets moved to SM

Anti-patterns

• A lead figure too dense to parse without the body text
• Six-panel megafigures that hide the headline
• Color-only encoding that fails in grayscale or for color-blind readers
• Tiny fonts / unreadable tick labels at column width
• Decorative figures that do not advance the central claim
• Long captions that quietly consume the length budget

Output format

【Figure count】N — each essential?  yes / cut list
【Fig. 1 conveys central result at a glance】yes / redesign
【Per-figure single point】list
【Legibility at column width】pass / fix
【Color-blind / grayscale safe】yes / fix
【Moved to SM】list
【Next】prl-supplementary (SM) or prl-length-management (fit limit)

> Figure formatting and length-counting rules are durable in spirit but specific in detail — verify current figure and length-deduction rules on the official APS / PRL author page.