Elevate your research: Academic publishing with impactful visuals (edition 1)

In this workshop by Luk Cox and Idoya Lahortiga (somersault 18:24) you will learn how to design high-quality figures for your publication, PhD thesis or presentation. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, we will discuss common pitfalls and challenges while providing useful tips to help you avoid them. You will gain insights into best practices that enable you to work more efficiently and with fewer errors.

The following topics will be dealt with during the workshop:

• Technical aspects of quality figures:
  • Introduction to basic concepts: resolution, pixels, color modes, bitmaps, vector graphics, etc..
  • How to read instructions to authors (figures only).
• Introduction to the design process of a scientific figure.
• Graphical design principles and how to apply them to scientific communication and visualization.
• Figures for papers: build from scratch with Adobe Illustrator:
  • Importance & relevance of visual communication and the opportunity it offers.
  • Introduction in effective communication principles.
  • Visual storytelling and visual hierarchy.
  • Build color confidence.
  • Annotations, graphs and callouts.
  • Typeface.
• Publication figures versus presentation figures.
• Tips to visually advertise research. How to stand out of the crowd and sell your research.

This workshop equips you with the skills and knowledge needed to create figures that are both visually appealing and scientifically accurate—perfect for those looking to elevate their work to the next level!

Please note: 

• All examples and recommendations in the workshop mainly come from the disciplines Life Sciences, Physics and Chemistry. However the focus of the workshop is on teaching 'principles' that can also be applied in other disciplines. In that case participants might have to make a bigger leap to extend the analogy to their work.
• All participants are required to have Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop installed to take part in the workshop. For more details, see the preparation section below.

Learning outcomes

After attending this workshop, you will be able to...

• prepare high quality, publication-ready figures (graphical abstracts, figures for research articles, reviews and editorials) & visuals for grant applications),
• know how to create designs that stand out and effectively communicate complex scientific information.

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

• academic research competences:
  • publication skills
• intellectual competences:
  • creativity
• personal effectiveness:
  • ethics & research integrity
  • self-development
• interpersonal competences:
  • presentation skills
    
    

For whom

• PhD students & postdocs
• 20 places available per edition

When and where

• May 28, 2025 - 09:00-17:00
  • campus Hasselt, building Old Prison, Green room (OG-B1.1Gr)

Preparation

• Important: please bring your own laptop to this workshop. If this is not possible, please contact us (doctoralschools@uhasselt.be).
  
  

• For the workshop, all participants need Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Installing the software in advance is crucial for a smooth participation in the course! If you don't have these installed yet, please follow the steps below to install the necessary Adobe Creative Cloud software on your laptop. This will ensure you’re ready to participate fully in the session.

• If you have a software center available on your laptop open the Software Center.

  • In the search bar, type "Adobe Creative Cloud Installer" and select it to begin the installation process.

  • When you open Adobe Creative Cloud for the first time, you will need to log in. Use your UHasselt email address to register, but make sure to set a different password than the one used for your UHasselt account.

  • Once logged in, activate the free trial versions of the two programs required for the workshop: Photoshop and Illustrator.

• If you do not have a software center available, you can install Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App using this link.
  

• Important Note: The free trial is limited to approximately 7 days. After the trial period, the software will require a paid license to continue using it.

  1. Discounted license option: as an UHasselt researcher, you can purchase an annual Creative Cloud license at a discounted rate of €39,95/year, which provides access to all Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

  Important Tips

  • Start early: Begin the installation process well in advance of the workshop to ensure everything is working correctly. Keep in mind that the free trial period is limited, so plan your installation timing carefully.
  • UHasselt laptops: Due to updated installation permissions on UHasselt laptops, some users may experience issues. Please don’t wait until the last minute to address these, as they may take extra time to resolve.
  • For assistance, please contact the UHasselt helpdesk timely. They can help with any issues you encounter during installation. If problems persist, please inform the Doctoral Schools without delay.

Registration

• Registration is closed since May 14, 2025.
• As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as

• DS BSH: category 'research management & communication skills' - course/workshop aimed at developing research (management) skills
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - compulsory elective course
• DS ST: category 'scientific & generic communication' - course about scientific and generic communication