Abstract

In Spring 2018, as a part of the Writing in Biology Course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, students in the class were given a project to create methods to a multi-panel figure. Following the creation of the methods, and creating our own original figure while keeping the figure private, Professor Brewer shared these methods with a classmate whom was to follow these methods to create a replicate multi-panel figure. Once complete, the replicate figure was uploaded to a course website where the original was then posted to compare the differences between the original and the replicate figure. Observable differences between the original and the replicate of this multi-panel scientific figure was clear. Differences including size of the figure, images, borders and map, labels presence, angle of which the images were taken, orientation of the images, and range map. These differences contributed due to software use, capabilities, knowledge and experience, as well as physical stature and positioning during photography. Unclear methods to be the underlying cause of each of these differences. Together, these differences leading to the clear and observable differences between the original figure and the replicate figure.