Image Integrity and Standards

This policy applies to all images, figures, schematics, and tables submitted with a manuscript to a JQBio-published title, and to all Authors submitting them.

Images and figures must be clear, professionally prepared, and provided at 300 dpi. All figures and images submitted must be final versions; JQBio does not accept content intended as a placeholder, draft, or otherwise unfinished pending later alteration.

Titles, headers, and labels on a Figure must be legible, in a font no smaller than 11 pt. Preferably, we ask the author(s) to submit Tables as separate Excel or .csv file, but we accept Tables within the submitted Word (.docx) document. JQBio, however, does not accept a picture or image of a Table.

The manuscript file may contain Images and Figures in line with text, but these must also be provided as individual files because our submission system will not be able to import Images and Figures directly from the manuscript submitted. Any visual asset must be submitted how the author(s) wishes them to be typeset in the published article. Figures should not be aggregated where they come from different studies, experiments, experimental study groups, or dates, or otherwise combined in a way that might mislead the representation of the grouped data. The use of colour-blind-accessible palettes for figures and images is encouraged, though not required.

Any alteration made to an image after it was produced must be declared in the figure caption. This includes, without limitation, the addition of scale bars, annotations, axis or title and header changes, the addition of figure legends, and cropping. Where data in an image or figure appears to have been cropped, Authors should explain the reason for this; best practice is to submit figures with clear and complete axes and consistent presentation across the dataset.

JQBio does not accept figures or images that have been touched up, edited, or otherwise manipulated using Photoshop or any other image-altering tool. Where the quality of a photo or image needs improving, such as adjustments to brightness or contrast for cell images, it is best practice to apply the same settings to both experimental and control datasets.

For images of living tissue, including cell images, the application of filters must fit within the scope of the experimental design. Filters must not be used to touch up, improve, change, enhance, correct, or merge images, except where required by the experimental design or by presentation requirements applied consistently across the entire dataset.

Where an image or figure has been obtained from another party, including a third party, Authors must ensure they hold the correct licence or permission to publish it. JQBio does not check individual images for copyright or licensing; this responsibility rests with Authors.

Where an image or figure was generated using artificial intelligence, this must be declared. The conditions under which such images may be used are set out in the AI Policy.

It is at the discretion of the Journal to format images, tables, figures, and schematics to the standards required for digital presentation and for parsed PDF copies. Particular attention is given to image size when rescaling for publication, and Authors are able to check and approve the resulting styling before publication.