Figure Planner

Overview

Use this skill when the bottleneck is no longer sentence writing but figure logic. The goal is to make each figure carry a defensible scientific job, keep the panel set coherent, and ensure that the legend and Results text tell the same story.

This skill is narrower than manuscript-optimizer. Use manuscript-optimizer when the whole paper structure is unstable. Use figure-planner when the central issue is what each figure should prove and how each panel should function.

When To Use

Use this skill when:

• a figure feels overloaded, fragmented, or hard to summarize
• the paper has too many Results subsections driven by panel count
• it is unclear what belongs in the main figure versus the supplement
• legends, panel letters, and Results text may have drifted apart
• you need to redesign figure titles or panel grouping around claims rather than around plotting convenience

Do not use this skill for:

• low-level visual styling only
• final proofreading without figure changes
• manuscript-wide claim restructuring that exceeds the figures themselves

Core Rule

Each main figure should earn its place by carrying one dominant claim.

If a figure cannot be summarized by one clean sentence, either:

• split it,
• demote part of it to the supplement,
• or rewrite the figure around a clearer claim.

Panel Roles

Assign each panel one primary role before writing the legend or Results paragraph:

• claim-supporting evidence
• methodological bridge or definition
• validation under a new regime
• ranking or benchmark comparison
• translational or practical consequence
• case illustration
• null or negative result, stated as a finding

Do not let one panel pretend to do three jobs at once.

Planning Order