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Scientific figure legend generator

Fill in a short form (the main finding, what each panel shows, how data are summarised, the sample size, the statistical test, significance levels and scale bars) and get a complete figure legend formatted in Nature, Cell Press or a generic style, ready to copy into your manuscript.

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What it does

  • Nature (“Fig. 1 |”, bold a,) and Cell ((A)) styles

  • Panels, statistics, n and scale bars in the right order

  • Copy as formatted text or plain text

  • Word and character count

  • Nothing is invented: only what you type

How to use the figure legend generator

  1. State the findingWrite the title as one sentence that tells the reader what the figure shows.
  2. Describe the panelsAdd one line per panel; letters are added in the journal’s style.
  3. Add statistics and detailsChoose how data are shown (mean ± SD, SEM, median…), the sample size, the test and the significance levels, plus scale bars and abbreviations. Then copy the legend.

How it works

A good legend lets the figure stand alone. The generator orders the elements the way most journals expect: a bold title stating the result, then each panel, then how the data are summarised and what n means, the statistical test with any multiple-comparison correction, the significance thresholds, scale bars and abbreviations. Error bars are always defined (SD and SEM are not interchangeable), and replicates are described as biological or technical.

Frequently asked questions

What should a figure legend include?

A title that states the main finding, a description of each panel, what the error bars represent, the sample size and what it counts, the statistical test, the significance thresholds, scale bars and any abbreviations.

Should I use SD or SEM for error bars?

Use SD to show the spread of the data and SEM (or a confidence interval) to show the precision of the mean. Whichever you use, say so in the legend.

How long should a figure legend be?

Long enough to understand the figure without the main text; many journals also set a word limit, so check the author guidelines. The tool shows the word count.

Does the tool use AI?

No. It assembles the legend only from what you enter, so nothing is invented. Always check it against your methods.

Figure panel maker

Combine images into a multi-panel scientific figure at Nature, Cell, PNAS or Elsevier column width, with panel letters, and export a 300–1200 dpi PNG.

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LaTeX equation to PNG

Type LaTeX, see it typeset live and download a transparent PNG at 300–1200 dpi or a vector SVG.

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Colour-blindness checker

Upload a figure or chart and see it with protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia and monochrome vision.

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Make the whole figure in LabCanvas

Vector figure editor, slides, 3D models, protein structures and Prism-style graphs, in your browser.

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