Chemistry and medical formats · Reviewed October 28, 2026
TOC graphic and visual abstract maker
Chemistry journals call it a table of contents graphic; medical journals call it a visual abstract; most others say graphical abstract. All three are one picture that tells a reader what the paper found. Paste your abstract, approve the story, and draw it at the size your journal asks for.
TOC graphic
The small image shown next to a paper’s title in a chemistry journal’s table of contents and abstract page. ACS, RSC and Wiley chemistry journals require one with every manuscript. It is a schematic, structure, scheme or drawing, not a figure copied from the paper, with little or no text beyond labels.
Visual abstract
A one-slide summary used by medical and surgical journals and shared on social media: the study question, two or three key findings with icons and numbers, and the conclusion with the citation. The format comes from Andrew Ibrahim’s work with Annals of Surgery and is now used by JAMA Network, JGME and many others.
Graphical abstract
The general term, used by Elsevier, Cell Press, Springer Nature and most life-science journals: a single image, usually wide, that shows context, approach and finding from left to right. The graphical abstract maker on this site covers it in depth.
Before you draw: ACS journals do not accept AI-generated TOC graphics, and the graphic must be a coauthor’s original artwork. Use this page for the size and layout there, and draw the final graphic yourself. Wiley allows AI drafts with disclosure; Elsevier and Cell Press want a dedicated illustration tool named in the caption. The table below gives each publisher’s rule with its source.
PDFs are read in your browser and never uploaded. Only the abstract above is sent.
- Plan approved before you spend
- 1 figure per 1K draft
- 3 free figures to start
- No watermark
How to make a TOC graphic or visual abstract with AI
- 01
Paste your abstract
Or choose the PDF; it is read in your browser and never uploaded. The agent writes the context, approach and finding in one sentence each and lists the short labels it will draw, all taken from your abstract.
- 02
Pick the shape for your journal
Landscape (16:9) for ACS, RSC and visual abstracts, Square for Wiley’s 5.5 × 5.0 cm box and Cell Press, Wide for Elsevier. The table below says what to crop to afterwards.
- 03
Approve, draw, then trim
Nothing is generated until you approve the plan and the credit cost. Mark any label or arrow to change it, export a PNG at 1K or 2K, upscale 2× for 300 dpi at print size, and crop to the exact box in any image editor or in the editable PowerPoint export.
TOC graphic and visual abstract size by publisher
Read from each publisher’s own author page on October 28, 2026. Journals add rules of their own and change them without notice; confirm the current author guide before you submit.
| Publisher | Size and file | Text | Choose here | AI-drawn graphic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACS journals TOC/Abstract graphicACS author guidelines (TOC/abstract graphics, February 2017 text) | No larger than 3.25 × 1.75 inches (about 8.25 × 4.45 cm), submitted at actual size; TIFF at 300 dpi for colour, 1200 dpi for black and white. | Text limited to labels of compounds, arrows and diagrams; sans-serif such as Helvetica at 8 pt, never below 6 pt; no photographs of people, no logos or trademarked items; must be original artwork by a coauthor and not a graphic already in the paper. | Landscape (16:9), then crop to 1.86:1. | Not allowed. ACS’s AI policy (December 2024) bars AI-generated images in TOC graphics, and the graphic must be created by a coauthor. Use this page for the size and layout, and draw the final graphic yourself. |
| RSC journals Table of contents entryRSC figures, graphics and images | A maximum of 8 cm wide × 4 cm high, and RSC recommends using the full space. | A one- or two-sentence description is entered in the submission system, not drawn into the image. | Landscape (16:9), then crop to 2:1. | RSC publishes an AI policy for authors; check it before submitting an AI-drawn entry, and disclose any AI use as it asks. |
| Wiley-VCH (Angewandte Chemie) Table of Contents graphicAngewandte Chemie notice to authors | 5.5 × 5.0 cm or 11.5 × 2.5 cm (maximum width × height), 300 dpi, embedded in the manuscript file at the right position. | Accompanying text up to 50 words (450 characters with spaces); minimum font size 6–7 points. | Square (1:1) for the 5.5 × 5.0 cm box, cropped to 1.1:1; Wide (21:9) for the 11.5 × 2.5 cm strip, cropped to one row. | Wiley allows AI-generated explanatory images with disclosure; the Angewandte notice treats AI tools as not capable of authorship and requires their use to be declared. |
| Elsevier journals Graphical abstractElsevier graphical abstract page | At least 1328 × 531 pixels (width × height) at 300 dpi; a larger image should keep a 500 × 200 ratio. TIFF, EPS, PDF or Office files, submitted as a separate file. | No additional text, outline or synopsis; any label sits inside the image; fonts Times, Arial, Courier or Symbol, large enough to read at table-of-contents size. | Wide (21:9), then pad or trim the sides to 5:2. | Allowed for explanatory images with disclosure in the caption and the AI statement, but Elsevier’s June 2026 policy wants graphical abstracts made with a dedicated scientific illustration tool, not a general-purpose image generator. |
| Cell Press journals Graphical abstractCell Press CrossTalk guidance | One square panel; guides commonly cite 1200 × 1200 pixels at 300 dpi. Confirm the size in the journal’s guide. | A take-home message at a glance; no data panels. | Square (1:1). | Cell Press follows Elsevier’s policy: a dedicated illustration tool, named in the caption. |
| Medical journals (JGME, JAMA Network, Annals of Surgery) Visual abstractJGME visual abstract guidelines | No shared standard. Journals supply their own templates; a 16:9 image fits X, LinkedIn and slides, and the journal re-sets it in its template and fonts (JGME: Lato and Baskerville). | A title line with the study question, two or three findings with a number and an icon each, the conclusion, and the citation. | Landscape (16:9). | Each journal reviews the visual abstract before posting it; JAMA Network and most medical publishers require AI use to be disclosed. Numbers must be the ones in the paper. |
The visual abstract layout
The slide format that surgical and medical journals share on social media. Three regions, read top to bottom; every number comes from the paper.
- 01
Header: the question
The study question or the paper’s title in plain words, with the study design and population in a line beneath: “Randomised trial, 412 patients with …”.
- 02
Three findings
Two or three columns, each with one icon, one number taken from the paper, and a label of a few words: “30% fewer readmissions”, “No change in mortality”. No charts; the number is the result.
- 03
Footer: conclusion and citation
One sentence that says what the finding means, then the journal, year, DOI and the authors’ or journal’s social handles.
What makes a good TOC graphic
- One idea. A TOC graphic is read at the size of a postage stamp next to the title.
- Few words in large type: labels, not sentences. ACS wants 8 pt at print size.
- A structure, scheme or drawing, not a figure or data panel lifted from the paper.
- High contrast and colour that prints; check it in greyscale.
- Crop to the journal’s box before you submit; the submission system checks the size.
What the AI will not do
- It uses only claims stated in your abstract and draws no charts, plots or axes; a number appears only exactly as you wrote it.
- It cannot satisfy ACS’s rule that the TOC graphic be original artwork by a coauthor; for ACS journals draw the final graphic yourself.
- It exports 21:9, 1:1 or 16:9; the exact journal box is a crop you make afterwards.
TOC graphic and visual abstract FAQ
Keep going
Graphical abstract maker
The Elsevier and Cell Press format in depth: formats, sizes and what the AI will not do.
Graphical abstract examples
Eight examples by field, each with its layout pattern and prompt.
How to make a graphical abstract
Reduce a paper to one visual story, step by step.
Citing AI-generated figures
Disclosure wording and the rules of ten publishers, with sources.
One picture of the paper, at your journal’s size.
Paste the abstract above, approve the plan, then crop to the box the table gives.
Make a TOC graphic