What Is A Scientific Illustration?

What is a scientific illustration? Scientific illustrations are artistic renderings of biological specimens, chemical structures, or anything that scientists want to depict appealingly. They are used in academic journals, textbooks, and other publications for various purposes, including education and commercialization. Artistic skills are often required both during the creation process and also in the interpretation of scientific results. This article focuses on using illustrations to enhance communication between scientists and the general public.

Why Illustrate Science?

Much of the research that occurs in science is done to augment or clarify our knowledge of reality. Scientific results are then presented to other scientists for scrutiny and peer review before they are published. After this process, generally, more people will be exposed to scientific information than during scientists’ original making of the discovery. Scientific images help transmit this information, but there are two main reasons they are important for science outreach.

First, visualizations can make abstract data (such as data tables or statistical results) more concrete and easier to understand by the general public. Second, some concepts cannot be readily communicated through written text alone; images provide another dimension of information that can make scientific concepts more accessible.

Research has shown that the general public is more receptive to scientific information when illustrations are used, regardless of their background in science. The use of research results by scientists to advance specific agendas within the field, while important for validation and confirmation, is not this article’s focus. However, an interesting example is images to attract financial support for scientific projects by depicting their potential benefits to society.

How Is an Illustration Made?

Scientific illustrations begin with the visual representation or interpretation of a specific type of data or phenomena that scientists want to communicate. The types and quality of research results and how they are depicted determine what impression a scientific illustration conveys to the public.

Many people have difficulty interpreting graphs and other data, so artists need to properly depict them. This includes selecting a proper graph type, choosing the color palette carefully, sizing the elements correctly about each other, and using a limited number of colors that can be distinguished on most screens or prints. For example, one study found that artists had more difficulty depicting area differences (e.g., between two regions) than other types of graphs (e.g., line graphs). However, the differences were still apparent to people with limited science knowledge or not scientists themselves.

After choosing an appropriate visualization, an artist must gather the necessary data and materials. Depending on the type of illustration, this might include dissecting a specimen or setting up equipment for photographs. Artists can generate images from existing sources such as microscope slides or files from molecular biology experiments for simple illustrations.