The Journey to a Successful Illustrated Review

Illustrated review articles, rooted in scientific rigor, are made up of capsules or panels of visuals that together provide an up-to-date overview of a topic. Illustrated reviews aim to provide a more accessible format than traditional written reviews to facilitate more effective knowledge translation and dissemination. However, the novelty of this format can dissuade prospective authors due to uncertainty and lack of comfort. To remedy this uncertainty, we have summarized the journey of developing an illustrated review, from identifying an appropriate topic to submitting the final manuscript for peer review. We highlight the importance of approaching an illustrated review from a storytelling perspective, and encouraging authors to keep their audience in mind when picking a theme or characters. We provide storyboard considerations and simplify graphic design principles to develop an outline and line draft for the illustrated review. We list programs available to authors to demystify creating attractive and engaging scientific visuals. Finally, we provide information on choosing colors or fonts and where to find copyright-free icons, graphics, illustrations, and pictures. This review provides prospective authors with the knowledge, tools, and resources to create an effective illustrated review article. If there is difficulty with the links embedded within the document please download the full PDF.

Automated summary

Illustrated review articles consist of capsules or panels of visuals that provide an up-to-date overview of a topic. They aim to be more accessible than traditional written reviews, facilitating effective knowledge translation and dissemination. This article summarizes the process of developing an illustrated review, emphasizes the importance of storytelling, and provides tools and resources for creating effective illustrated review articles.