Q: Why do researchers need graphical abstracts?
In 2016, 1.9 million papers were published. By 2022, that number had already jumped to 2.8 million, and it is increasing every year. In such a landscape, it is difficult to make an impact and have your paper stand out. That is where a graphical abstract can help. It can help catch the attention of readers through eye-catching graphics and easy-to-understand text. Graphical abstracts are also helpful for sharing information in interdisciplinary settings or with non-academic audiences because there is less text to be read and our brains graphics can process graphics more easily and quickly. All these factors together ensure that a graphical abstract sets a research paper apart from the rest.
Additionally, an increasing number of journals and publishers have made graphical abstracts a mandatory requirement for submission. Publishers have started adopting graphical abstracts for the same reason mentioned above, which is to make it easier for their readers to quickly grasp the essence of the study through an engaging visual.
