From gcb-skills
Guides building figures, tables, and graphical abstracts for Global Change Biology (GCB) manuscripts, emphasizing mechanism-first exhibits with visible uncertainty and accessibility.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/gcb-skills:gcb-figures-and-tablesThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
In GCB, exhibits carry the **mechanism**. The strongest papers show a clear **driver → biological
In GCB, exhibits carry the mechanism. The strongest papers show a clear driver → biological response relationship in the main figures, with uncertainty visible. GCB also requires a graphical abstract that depicts the mechanistic link (not a site map or phylogeny). Verify current figure specs on the live guidelines page before submission.
viridis, Okabe-Ito), legible in grayscale; vector
line art; live-check the current resolution and file-format specifications.Different exhibit types carry different burdens at GCB. Use this as a per-panel design contract before you finalize the figure set.
| Exhibit | Carries | Must show | Common reject note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphical abstract | The driver → response link | A causal arrow from environmental driver to biological response | A site map or phylogeny standing in for mechanism |
| Flux / time-series panel | Trend and its uncertainty | Confidence ribbon and the sampling unit | A bare line with no spread |
| Map | Spatial pattern | Colour-blind-safe ramp, scale bar, projection | Rainbow ramp, no scale, undefined extent |
| Dose-response | Mechanism shape | Fitted curve with interval and the data | Curve drawn through points with no band |
| Forest plot (synthesis) | Pooled effect + heterogeneity | Per-study and pooled effect with CIs | Pooled diamond only, studies hidden |
A remote-sensing study of carbon flux wants one mechanistic main figure. A site map of the eddy-covariance towers is supporting material, not the lead. The lead panel plots gross primary productivity against growing-season temperature with a fitted ribbon: GPP rises then saturates near an illustrative 22 C, with the ensemble spread shaded. The caption states n = 18 site-years (illustrative), the statistic, the units (g C m^-2 d^-1), and reads alone. The graphical abstract distils this to a single arrow: warming → productivity saturation → weakening land carbon sink. Numbers illustrative.
viridis or Okabe-Ito and verify grayscale
legibility.【Graphical abstract】shows driver → response mechanism? [Y/N]
【Main-figure story】mechanism-first sequence? [Y/N]
【Uncertainty shown】ribbons / bars / ensemble spread? [Y/N]
【Self-contained】each caption stands alone (units, n, stat)? [Y/N]
【Accessible】colour-blind-safe + grayscale-legible + resolution? [Y/N]
【Next】gcb-reporting-and-data-policy
../../resources/external_tools.md — plotting/mapping packages and palette tools../../resources/official-source-map.md — graphical-abstract requirement and figure specsnpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin gcb-skillsGuides design of self-contained figures, tables, framework diagrams, and maps for Global Environmental Change manuscripts, plus Highlights formatting. Useful when exhibits need to communicate across disciplines or survive print/grayscale.
Designs figures, tables, and the mandatory TOC/abstract graphic for ES&T manuscripts. Ensures exhibits are self-contained, reproducible, and fit the word budget.
Guides chart type selection by data structure, accessible color palettes like viridis and Okabe-Ito, figure composition, and journal formatting for scientific publications and talks.