Frontiers in Education figures and tables: a final file check

Preparing figures and tables for a *Frontiers in Education* submission is less about making them look like a finished journal article and more about making every display item easy to find, read, and review.

Frontiers publishes detailed requirements for figures, tables, captions, image files, and accessibility. The safest preparation pass is therefore a connected one: check the manuscript callout, the item number, the caption, and the uploaded file together rather than treating each as a separate task.

This guide distinguishes the publisher's stated requirements from a conservative final-check workflow. Always confirm the current Frontiers author guidelines and the selected article type before uploading.

Start with the manuscript-wide review format

Frontiers states that the manuscript should be single-spaced and include page and line numbers to support review. It also says manuscripts should be prepared in Word or LaTeX.

That makes the first check broader than the figures themselves. Open the exact review file and confirm that:

• page and line numbering are visible and continuous;
• figure and table callouts can be located without searching across multiple versions;
• captions are in the positions described by the guidance; and
• the document does not contain unresolved comments, tracked changes, or private editing notes.

The last item is a practical preparation check, not an additional Frontiers rule. It protects authors from submitting editorial residue that does not belong in the review copy.

Connect every figure to its first callout

Frontiers requires figures to be submitted individually and in the same order in which they are referred to in the manuscript. Each figure should be mentioned in the text and appear in numerical order.

Do not verify those requirements from a figure folder alone. Read through the manuscript and build a simple sequence:

1. Find the first callout to Figure 1.
2. Confirm that the uploaded Figure 1 file contains the intended image.
3. Match it to the Figure 1 caption.
4. Repeat the same check for every later figure.

This catches common packaging failures such as a renamed file paired with an older caption, a deleted figure that still has a callout, or a Figure 3 file that actually contains the material described as Figure 4.

Formatting software should not guess how to repair a scientific mismatch. If the content, numbering, or interpretation is uncertain, return the issue to the responsible author.

Check multi-panel figures without embedding replacement labels

For a figure with multiple panels, Frontiers asks authors to indicate panels with labels such as (A), (B), (C), and (D). The guidance also says not to embed those part labels over any portion of the image because they will be replaced during typesetting.

Inspect the relationship among three places:

• the panel labels visible in the figure;
• the panel references in the caption; and
• any panel-specific callouts in the manuscript.

The sequence should agree. A caption that discusses panel B before panel A may be scientifically intentional, but a missing or duplicated label needs author review. For graphs, Frontiers also requires self-explanatory axis labels, including units. Check those at ordinary reading size, not only while zoomed in.

Put figure captions where the guidance expects them

Frontiers says figure captions should be placed at the end of the manuscript and should begin with the relevant label, such as “Figure 1.” It describes panel references in captions using bold capital letters in brackets.

Run a caption-only pass after checking the figures. Confirm that every figure has one caption, every caption has one matching figure, and the numbering is continuous. Look for copied captions that retain an outdated sample size, panel letter, or abbreviation after a figure revision.

This pass is about consistency and placement. Articlo does not verify the scientific accuracy of a caption or rewrite the author's interpretation of a result.

Verify image size, resolution, and accepted format

Frontiers says individual figures should be prepared for a one-column width of 85 mm or a two-column width of 180 mm and should not exceed one page. Images should be 300 dpi at final size, and the smallest visible text should be at least eight points high at actual size.

The publisher lists TIF/TIFF, JPEG, and EPS as accepted image formats upon acceptance, with images submitted in RGB color mode. For LaTeX submissions, figures should be present in the supplied PDF; the production office may request high-resolution EPS, JPEG, or TIF/TIFF files after acceptance.

Before upload, inspect every raster image at 100% and at the final intended dimensions. A file can report 300 dpi while still being visually poor if it was enlarged from a small source. Frontiers suggests enlarging the image to 150% as a practical blur and jagged-edge check.

Keep the editable or highest-quality source files in a controlled folder. Do not repeatedly resave JPEGs or flatten working files merely to make the folder look tidy.

Build tables as editable tables

Frontiers requires tables to be inserted at the end of the manuscript in an editable format. Word users should build tables in Word, while LaTeX users should build them in LaTeX. The guidance calls for an empty line before and after each table.

It also says each table should be mentioned in the text and numbered in order. Table captions belong immediately before the table, start with the appropriate label such as “Table 1,” and use a single paragraph.

A table screenshot is not an editable table. Converting a table to an image may make it harder to review, typeset, or make accessible. Check that copied tables remain real table structures and that symbols, footnotes, and alignment survive the move into the manuscript.

Separate oversized tables from the main PDF

Frontiers says tables that span several pages cannot be included in the final PDF for formatting reasons and will be published as supplementary material.

If a table is unusually large, do not solve the problem by shrinking text until it becomes unreadable. Confirm whether the table belongs in supplementary material and make that decision with the author. Then check that the manuscript callout, supplementary-file label, caption, and file name all point to the same item.

Supplementary material is not typeset, so it needs its own clean presentation. The author remains responsible for deciding which evidence belongs in the main manuscript and which belongs in a supplement.

Add useful alt text for figures and images

Frontiers asks authors to include alternative text with figures or images. Its guidance distinguishes alt text from a caption: alt text is a concise visual description that helps a reader understand the image when it cannot be seen.

Check that alt text describes the visual information rather than merely repeating “Figure 2” or copying the caption word for word. Include essential visible data or text that would otherwise be lost, but avoid turning alt text into a second discussion section.

Because alt text can affect how research is understood, author review matters. A preparation tool can identify missing alt text and format the field, but it should not invent an interpretation of the data.

Run one final connected checklist

Before opening the submission system, inspect the exact manuscript and figure files that will be uploaded. Confirm that:

• the manuscript is Word or LaTeX, single-spaced, with page and line numbers;
• every figure and table is cited in the text in numerical order;
• each uploaded figure matches its number and caption;
• multi-panel labels and caption references agree;
• graph axes have clear labels and units;
• figure captions are at the end of the manuscript;
• table captions appear immediately before editable tables;
• image dimensions, resolution, file format, and color mode follow the current guidance;
• oversized tables are handled as supplementary material when appropriate; and
• every figure or image has author-reviewed alt text.

This is a packaging and consistency check, not a scientific review. Authors should resolve any uncertainty about data, interpretation, rights, or required declarations before submission.

Prepare a reviewable package, not a typeset imitation

The practical goal is a manuscript package in which every figure and table can be traced from callout to caption to file. That reduces avoidable submission friction while preserving the author's responsibility for research content and submission decisions.

Articlo formats author-provided manuscripts and checks them against stored journal requirements. It does not write research, verify references, make submission decisions, or guarantee acceptance.

You can review the Frontiers in Education preparation path or run a free readiness check before upload.