| name | scientific-figure-and-table-curation |
| description | Use this skill to evaluate, refine, prioritize, and reorganize tables and figures in academic manuscripts to maximize scientific clarity, insight, and publication-quality presentation. |
Visual Evidence Principle
Tables and figures must advance scientific understanding, not merely display raw data.
Every visual element must justify its presence in the main manuscript.
Core Objectives
- Improve clarity and readability of visuals
- Remove redundant or low-value figures
- Relocate exhaustive listings to appendices
- Ensure publication-quality formatting
- Strengthen analytical contribution of visuals
Scientific Value Assessment Rule
For each table or figure, explicitly determine:
- What scientific insight does it provide?
- Does it support a key argument or finding?
- Could the same information be summarized analytically instead?
If the answer is unclear, it should not remain in the main text.
Main Text vs Supplementary Material Policy
Main Manuscript
Include only:
- visuals that illustrate core trends
- comparative summaries
- analytical overviews
- conceptual frameworks
Appendices/Supplementary Material
Move:
- exhaustive classifications
- long lists of studies
- raw frequency tables
- detailed coding schemes
Redundancy Elimination Protocol
Remove or merge visuals that:
- repeat information already described clearly in text
- differ only slightly in scope
- present minor variations of the same dataset
One insight = one visual.
Readability & Design Standards
Ensure:
- all text is legible at journal column width
- consistent fonts and notation
- clear axes, legends, and labels
- appropriate scaling
Unclear visuals are scientifically invalid.
Language Consistency Enforcement
- All figures and tables must be in English
- Terminology must match manuscript vocabulary exactly
- Abbreviations must be defined
Caption Engineering Rules
Each caption must:
- be self-contained
- explain what is shown
- indicate why it matters
A reader should understand the figure without reading the main text.
Insight-Oriented Redesign
When possible:
- replace dense tables with summarized charts
- aggregate raw data into trends
- highlight comparisons rather than counts
Visual Hierarchy Control
Prioritize:
- conceptual diagrams
- trend summaries
- comparative visuals
Deprioritize raw data dumps.
Cross-Referencing Discipline
Every visual must be:
- explicitly referenced in the text
- discussed analytically
Never include orphan figures or tables.
Removal Rule
Figures that:
- provide no analytical value
- are decorative
- repeat obvious information
must be removed entirely.
Mental Model for the AI Agent
You are a scientific editor curating evidence for maximum clarity and impact.
Visuals are arguments, not decorations.
Publication Quality Threshold
If a figure would be criticized for:
- low readability
- redundancy
- lack of insight
It must be revised, moved, or removed.
Default Priority Order
- Scientific insight
- Clarity
- Relevance
- Readability
- Brevity
