Centre for Research Informatics Training
Scientific Figure Design
Event details
Sessions
- 10 November 2026 — 09:30 to 17:30 — Craik-Marshall
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About the course
Delivered in partnership with the Babraham Bioinformatics Group.
A practical introduction to designing clear, effective and publication-ready scientific figures.
Good figure design is an essential research skill. Clear visual communication improves the accessibility, interpretation and impact of scientific results in papers, posters, presentations and grant applications. This course introduces the principles of effective figure design, focusing on clarity, accessibility and visual communication rather than software-specific techniques.
Participants learn how to critically assess scientific figures, avoid common design mistakes and improve the presentation of complex experimental data.
By the end of the course, participants should be able to:
- identify the key principles of effective scientific figure design
- design figures that communicate results clearly and accurately
- improve figure layout, colour usage, typography and annotation
- avoid common visualisation and accessibility problems
- critically evaluate figures used in publications and presentations
- produce clearer and more consistent publication-ready figures
The course combines presentations, demonstrations and practical exercises using real-world scientific examples.
Intended audience
This course is suitable for:
- researchers and students preparing figures for publications, presentations or posters
- participants working with biological, biomedical or quantitative datasets
- researchers interested in improving visual communication and accessibility
- anyone producing scientific figures, diagrams or data visualisations
Prerequisites
No prior design experience is required.
Participants should have some familiarity with generating scientific plots or figures within their own research workflows.
Course fees
All fees are per full training day.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Industry full charge | £130.00 |
| Academic / Government / charity concessionary | £65.00 |
| Cambridge University staff members / postdocs / visitors | £65.00 |
| Cambridge University registered students | Free |
| Cambridge University registered students non-attendance | £22.00 |
| Special events | Per event |
Payment options will be provided in booking confirmation emails sent after registration.
General information
More detailed information is available on our dedicated cancellation and non-attendance policy, waiting list, accessibility, privacy policies and terms & conditions pages.
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