本文關(guān)鍵詞：The Journal of Clinical Investigation，由筆耕文化傳播整理發(fā)布。

如何撰寫世界一流論文 | 圖表：一圖值千字

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在“”一貼的注意事項(xiàng)中我提到不少讀者只讀摘要，所以摘要必須能獨(dú)立成文，并能說明所有主要結(jié)果及其意義。有的讀者會(huì)隨后再看一下圖表來核實(shí)一下摘要中提到的結(jié)果，但仍然不讀全文。所以，跟摘要一樣，論文的圖表(外加其標(biāo)注)也必須能獨(dú)立成文，不用讀正文就能看懂。

圖表用于形象地表示正文所述結(jié)果。簡(jiǎn)而言之，他們是表達(dá)結(jié)果最有效的方式。好的圖表可以把獲得的結(jié)果迅速、準(zhǔn)確地傳達(dá)給讀者(遠(yuǎn)比讀正文為快)。對(duì)于研究人員來說，一方面他們所處的領(lǐng)域飛速進(jìn)展，另一方面他們又缺乏足夠的時(shí)間追蹤研究進(jìn)展，因此，如果你能迅速地把自己的研究結(jié)果傳遞給他們，他們自然感激不盡。期刊編輯和審稿人當(dāng)然也喜歡簡(jiǎn)潔明了的論文。所以制作高質(zhì)量的圖表來清楚傳達(dá)研究結(jié)果還是很有必要的。

和其他部分一樣，制作圖表也有一些“規(guī)則”。首先要了解目標(biāo)期刊允許多少圖表，不要超過這個(gè)限制。如果限定的圖表數(shù)目不足以表達(dá)你的結(jié)果，可以把有些放在“補(bǔ)充信息”（Supplementary Information）部分，或者在正文中敘述并加個(gè)說明“(data not shown)”。不過，只有不重要的附屬性結(jié)果才能這樣敘述，而那些支持你假設(shè)的結(jié)果則必須展現(xiàn)出來。如果你的首選期刊不足以展現(xiàn)你的所有重要數(shù)據(jù)，你可能需要考慮換個(gè)期刊。反之，如果期刊允許的圖表數(shù)目超過你的需要，也不要加上多余或不必要的圖表來湊數(shù)。每個(gè)圖表必須要有明確、必要的目的。

其次，圖表中的數(shù)據(jù)要易于解讀。考慮好讓每個(gè)圖表顯示多少數(shù)據(jù)，以及數(shù)據(jù)如何組織來傳遞重要信息。所以，與其把各種參數(shù)或治療方法都合并在一個(gè)圖中，不如考慮分別用一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單子圖表示然后拼成一個(gè)組圖。圖的坐標(biāo)、表的行列、以及示意圖的各部分都要標(biāo)記清楚。如有趨勢(shì)線、標(biāo)尺和統(tǒng)計(jì)檢驗(yàn)結(jié)果，，均應(yīng)予以標(biāo)明；比如用星號(hào)表示顯著性，或不同的符號(hào)來表示不同的顯著性水準(zhǔn)。對(duì)于大樣本，除了報(bào)告絕對(duì)數(shù)值之外還要有變化或差異的百分比。

第三，圖表的標(biāo)注也應(yīng)該獨(dú)立成文，并且無需閱讀全文就能完全理解。因此，縮寫要么不用，要么先定義后才用，同時(shí)應(yīng)該避免使用技術(shù)術(shù)語(yǔ)。標(biāo)注應(yīng)清楚說明做了什么、觀察到了什么；也應(yīng)簡(jiǎn)述使用了什么統(tǒng)計(jì)檢驗(yàn)，給出P值，并對(duì)所用的符號(hào)進(jìn)行定義。除了其中描述方法的語(yǔ)句，標(biāo)注和圖表標(biāo)題都應(yīng)采用現(xiàn)在時(shí)。比如，應(yīng)該寫：“Western blot showing an increase in the levels of p53 after…”而不是“Western blotting showed that the levels of p53 increased after…”。

最后，與“結(jié)果“部分的注意現(xiàn)項(xiàng)一樣，圖表和正文之間不應(yīng)有重復(fù)敘述。所以，容易用文字簡(jiǎn)要描述的就不要用圖表，而且圖表之間也不應(yīng)有所重復(fù)，例如，圖中已有的信息就不要又用表再顯示一次。圖表和標(biāo)注不要嵌在正文中間。出版單位會(huì)把你的正文和圖表合并成一個(gè)目標(biāo)雜志特有格式的“校樣”。他們通常要求作者提供單獨(dú)的圖表文件(偶爾可以放在稿件末尾)和單獨(dú)的正文文件（其中包含圖表標(biāo)注的列表，通常在”參考文獻(xiàn)”之后)。參照目標(biāo)期刊的《稿約》以確定其具體要求。
先制作清楚、高質(zhì)量的圖表，隨后就可以輕易地撰寫“結(jié)果”部分。圖表可以按邏輯排列組合來一步步推進(jìn)你的論證，或鞏固你的假設(shè)。給每個(gè)主要結(jié)果分配一個(gè)圖表和一個(gè)小節(jié)；小節(jié)的標(biāo)題應(yīng)和相應(yīng)的標(biāo)注相似；小節(jié)內(nèi)的正文簡(jiǎn)要敘述其相應(yīng)圖表內(nèi)含結(jié)果，其中統(tǒng)計(jì)分析結(jié)果要敘述完整，需要展示更多細(xì)節(jié)時(shí)告知讀者參見圖表。

實(shí)例

表格最適合用很少的敘述展現(xiàn)大量數(shù)據(jù)。上表節(jié)選自《The Journal of Clinical Investigation》上的一篇論文(doi:10.1172/JCI37622; 經(jīng)同意轉(zhuǎn)載)。表中數(shù)據(jù)非常清楚簡(jiǎn)練，如果用正文敘述這些數(shù)據(jù)需要大量文字，用表格則大大節(jié)省了文字。正文中只需提一下“患者和腫瘤樣本的臨床特征見表1”即可。下圖來自同一論文，其中包括了本文提及的優(yōu)秀圖表的多項(xiàng)要素，具體請(qǐng)見下面的清單。

清單

1. 圖表標(biāo)注要“獨(dú)立成文”。
2. 遵守圖表數(shù)目限制。
3. 圖表之間以及圖表和正文之間均無重復(fù)敘述。
4. 各個(gè)參數(shù)的數(shù)據(jù)分別用組圖中的一個(gè)子圖表示。
5. 標(biāo)出標(biāo)尺、趨勢(shì)線和標(biāo)記；顯示統(tǒng)計(jì)檢驗(yàn)結(jié)果。
6. 符號(hào)和縮寫要么不用，要么先定義再用。
7. 對(duì)于大樣本，給出絕對(duì)數(shù)和變化/差異的百分比。
8. 圖放在單獨(dú)的文件中或放在稿件末尾；不要嵌在正文中間。
9. 參照《稿約》確定圖表格式、大小、顏色、數(shù)目和其他要求。

英文原文
Display items: a picture tells a thousand words

In the last tip on abstracts I mentioned that many readers will only read the abstract of your paper, and so the abstract needed to be self-contained, describing all of the important findings and their significance. Some readers will go further than just the abstract and look at the display items to validate the findings described in the abstract, but still not read the entire paper. Thus, like the abstract, the display items in your paper (along with their associated legends) need to be able to stand alone and be understood without the need to refer to the text of the paper.

Display items include figures and tables, which are essentially graphical representations of the results described in the text. Simply put, they are the most effective and efficient way to present your results. With good figures and tables you will be able to impart to the reader exactly what you found in your study in a relatively short period of time (that is, much faster than it would take the reader to read the entire paper). Researchers in rapidly moving fields or with limited time to keep up to date with advances in their field will appreciate the rapidity with which they can be informed of your findings; journals editors and peer reviewers will appreciate the clarity. Therefore, it is worthwhile devoting some thought and attention to developing good quality figures and tables that clearly convey your results.
As with the other sections of scientific manuscripts, there are certain ‘rules’ that should be followed when generating display items. First, if you have a target journal in mind already, consider how many display items they allow and ensure that you do not exceed that limit. If you have more results to describe than can be simply shown in the allowable number of display items, some may need to be included in a Supplementary Information section, or described in the text with the statement “(data not shown)”. However, only the least important or peripheral findings should be described in this way, and all findings that support your hypothesis need to be shown. Thus, you may need to consider an alternative journal if your first choice will not allow you to present all of your important data. By contrast, if a journal allows more display items than is necessary to show your findings, do not add redundant or unnecessary display items simply because you can. All display items must have a clear and necessary purpose.

Second, the data shown in figures and tables needs to be easy to interpret. Consider how much data you wish to show in a given display item and how it can be organized to convey the important message. Therefore, rather than combining multiple parameters or treatments into a single graphic, consider splitting the data across multiple simpler graphics that can be grouped together in a single figure. Remember to clearly label any graph axes, table columns and rows, and components of diagrams if appropriate. Trendlines, scale bars and the results of any statistical tests should be also shown, where relevant, for example by using an asterisk to indicate significance, or a variety of symbols to indicate different levels of significance. With large samples, report the % change or % difference as well as absolute values.
Third, the legends accompanying display items need to be able to stand alone such that the display items are entirely understandable without the need to read the entire manuscript. That means abbreviations should not be used or need to be defined, and technical terms should be avoided. It should be clear exactly what was done and what was seen. Statistical tests should be briefly described in the legends, with p values given and any symbols used defined. Legends, including their headings, should be written in the present tense with the exception of any methods described within them. For example, use “Western blot showing an increase in the levels of p53 after…” rather than “Western blotting showed that the levels of p53 increased after…”.

Finally, as mentioned in the chapter on writing the results section, there should be no redundancies between the display items and the text. Therefore, do not produce a display item to show information that can easily and briefly be stated in the text, and do not duplicate information among tables and figures, for example, by making a table to show the same information already conveyed in a figure. Do not embed figures and their legends within the text of the manuscript you plan to submit. The publisher will put your text and display items into a template ‘proof’ that will be specific to the target journal. What they usually require from authors is a separate file containing display items (occasionally these can be placed at the end of a manuscript files) and a text file that includes figure and table legends listed together at the end (usually following the references). Check the instructions for authors of your intended target journal for their specific requirements.

By preparing good quality, clear display items before writing the results section, this section will practically write itself. The display items can be grouped in a logical order that progresses your argument or progressively strengthens your hypothesis. With one subsection and one display item for each of the major findings, the subsection headings will be similar to the relevant legend headings, and the text in each subsection will provide a brief description of the findings shown in each display item, complete with the results of statistical analyses, with the reader being referred to the display items for more detail.

Examples

Tables are a great way to present large amounts of necessary data with minimal description required. The table shown above is a truncated version of a table in a paper published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation (doi:10.1172/JCI37622; reproduced with permission). The data presented clearly and economically in this table would have required a considerable amount of word space to describe in the text, but the use of a table makes the information available without the need for a wordy description. All that was required to describe this in the main text was the following statement: “Clinical characteristics of all patients and tumor samples are summarized in Table 1”. The figure below, taken from the same paper, contains many of the elements of a successful display item described in this chapter and listed in the checklist below.

Checklist

1. ‘Stand alone’ legends
2. Comply with the allowable number of display items
3. Avoid redundancy among display items or between display items and text
4. Divide data showing different effects or parameters among different panels within the same display item
5. Use scale bars, trend lines and clear labels, and show the results of statistical tests
6. Avoid or define all symbols and abbreviations
7. With large samples, show % changes/differences as well as absolute values
8. Submit figures in a separate file or at the end of the manuscript file rather than embedded in the main text
9. Check the instructions for authors for any specific requirements regarding format, size, color, number of items and any other parameters.
Dr. Daniel McGowan 曾任 Nature Reviews Neuroscience 副編輯，負(fù)責(zé)約稿，管理和撰寫期刊內(nèi)容。于2006年加入理文編輯（Edanz Group） 并從2008年起擔(dān)任學(xué)術(shù)總監(jiān)。Dr. Daniel McGowan 有超過十年的博士后和研究生階段實(shí)驗(yàn)室研究經(jīng)驗(yàn)，主要致力于神經(jīng)退化疾病、分子及細(xì)胞生物學(xué)、蛋白質(zhì)生物化學(xué)、蛋白質(zhì)組學(xué)和基因組學(xué)。

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  本文關(guān)鍵詞：The Journal of Clinical Investigation，由筆耕文化傳播整理發(fā)布。

本文編號(hào)：136328