Conservar Património figure files: a pre-upload checklist

Figure preparation for a conservation journal is not finished when the images look right inside Word. For *Conservar Património*, authors also need a consistent set of in-text references, captions, separate graphic files, file names, resolution checks, and—when third-party material is involved—permission documentation.

This guide answers one narrow question: what should an author verify before uploading figure files to Conservar Património? The requirements below come from the journal’s current author instructions. The folder and reconciliation sequence are practical preparation suggestions, not extra journal rules.

Authors can first review the Conservar Património preparation page and confirm that its stored requirements still match the current journal instructions.

Begin with the manuscript and the separate files

Conservar Património asks authors to include figures in the Word manuscript, with sufficient resolution for evaluation, and to send the figures as individual graphic files as well. Those are two related deliverables, not interchangeable copies.

The manuscript version helps an editor or reviewer read the figure in context. The separate file preserves the material needed for publication. Extracting an image from a compressed Word or PDF export later may not recover the original quality, so keep the author-approved graphic file beside the submission manuscript from the start.

A practical working folder might contain:

• One author-approved Word manuscript
• One folder containing the final individual figure files
• One permissions folder for third-party figure records and the journal statement, when applicable
• One archive folder outside the upload package for superseded exports

This folder structure is not prescribed by the journal. Its purpose is to keep draft images from being confused with the actual submission files.

Check every citation, number, and caption together

The journal says all figures must be referenced in the text by their respective numbers. Figures should be identified as figures—not as photos, photographs, illustrations, schemes, or other labels—and each should carry its own legend.

Run this check in manuscript reading order. At the first mention of Figure 1, confirm that the visible figure, its legend, and the separate file named for Figure 1 all refer to the same item. Repeat the process for Figure 2 and continue without skipping ahead.

Late revisions often create mismatches. A removed image may leave a stale citation. A combined multi-panel figure may retain an older caption. An inserted figure may shift the numbering without updating every text reference. Reading only the figure list is not enough; the cross-check has to move between the text, the placed figure, the legend, and the separate file.

The authors remain responsible for labels, values, interpretation, and scientific or scholarly meaning. A preparation check can find inconsistent presentation, but it cannot decide whether a figure accurately represents the research.

Name individual files by figure number

Conservar Património instructs authors to name each graphic file with its respective figure number. The journal lists TIFF, JPEG, PSD, and PDF among acceptable examples, while also allowing other graphic formats.

Use a plain, predictable name such as Figure1.tif rather than a production history such as final_revised_use-this-one2.tif. The official instruction is about the figure number; the simplified naming pattern is a practical way to make the relationship visible to both the author and the editorial team.

When a figure contains different parts—such as a, b, and c—the journal says each part should correspond to a different file. Before upload, reconcile those part files with the combined figure shown in the manuscript. Confirm that no panel is missing, duplicated, or swapped and that the legend describes the same order the reader sees.

Do not rename a file without reopening it. A tidy filename attached to the wrong image is harder to catch than an untidy but honest working name.

Verify dimensions and resolution from the source file

The journal’s figure guidance says graphic files should have resolution appropriate for publication, normally 300 dpi. Its submission checklist also asks for figures to be at least about 1,000 pixels wide at original resolution, without magnification.

Both checks matter. A file can report 300 dpi while still having too few pixels for its intended printed size. Conversely, a wide image can be degraded by compression or enlargement. Inspect the original file’s pixel dimensions and resolution rather than judging only by how sharp it appears on a large monitor.

Avoid increasing the displayed pixel count of a small image and treating that as recovered detail. The checklist explicitly refers to original resolution without magnification. If the source is inadequate, return to the author-approved source or capture workflow rather than manufacturing apparent resolution during export.

Then inspect the placed manuscript version. It should remain readable at ordinary page-viewing size, with complete panels and legible visual elements. The separate file and the placed version need to agree even though they serve different purposes.

Keep constructed figures out of Word drawing tools

For constructed images or schemes, Conservar Património says the author should create and send one individual graphic file. It specifically notes that images constructed in Word are not adequate. The guidance also asks for coherent use of colours and symbols and suggests Arial or a similar font within figures.

Preserve the original source used to make a chart, diagram, or scheme, then export the author-approved publication file. Do not silently redraw a figure during submission preparation. A visual change can alter emphasis, labels, relationships, or meaning, so authors should approve any corrective export.

After export, compare the separate file with the version in the manuscript. Look for missing lines, changed colours, substituted fonts, clipped labels, or panel shifts. If they differ, correct the editable source and export again rather than patching only one copy.

Separate permission questions from image-quality questions

Image quality does not establish permission to publish an image. Conservar Património states that authors must obtain the necessary permission for figures or other copyright material that they did not create. The journal provides figure-statement templates for single-author and multiple-author manuscripts.

Create a separate permissions pass for every figure. For each item, determine whether it is entirely author-created or includes third-party material. If third-party material is present, verify that the necessary permission record exists and that the appropriate journal statement is ready.

Do not infer rights from a web download, a citation, institutional access, or the fact that an image appeared in an earlier presentation. Permission and attribution questions belong to the authors and, when needed, their institution or rights adviser. Articlo does not make legal or rights determinations.

Reopen the final upload package

Conservar Património asks authors to submit the manuscript as a Microsoft Word file using its template, together with original figure files and a third-party figure statement when needed. Before entering the submission portal, build the package, then reopen every file from that package—not from the working folder.

Use a final six-point review:

1. Every figure has an in-text reference using the same number.
2. Every figure has a matching legend in the manuscript.
3. Every final figure or figure part has its own correctly numbered file.
4. Pixel dimensions and resolution were checked from the original file.
5. The manuscript placement matches the separate graphic file.
6. Any third-party material has the required permission record and journal statement.

Also keep the broader manuscript limits in view. The current author page recommends a 5,000-word main-text limit excluding abstract and references, a 150-word abstract, no more than 50 references, and no more than 10 tables and figures, with flexibility noted for review and note articles. It also provides language, keyword, reference, and submission requirements that sit outside this figure-focused checklist.

Prepare the figures without changing the research

The cleanest figure-file workflow is to preserve original sources, keep placed and separate versions aligned, name files by figure number, verify the actual dimensions, and treat permissions as their own author-owned check.

Articlo formats author-provided manuscripts and checks them against stored journal requirements. It does not create or interpret research figures, verify research content, obtain permissions, make rights determinations, submit on an author’s behalf, or guarantee acceptance. Authors remain responsible for the manuscript, figure meaning, source files, permissions, and submission decisions.

Run a free Conservar Património readiness check or revisit the journal-specific preparation page before upload.