- Be drawn in a sharp pencil for clear, smooth lines.
- Be large so that all structures can be clearly seen (at least 10 lines of paper).
- Be drawn in the middle of the page.
- Be two dimensional (no shading)!
- Have a heading or caption.
- Specify the section in which the specimen was sliced, i.e. transverse section (T/S),
cross section (C/S), or longitudinal section (L/S). - State the source of the drawing or diagram, i.e. From a biological specimen, a micro-
graph or a slide. - Indicate the magnification or scale of the drawing, either in the caption or in the corner
of the drawing. - Label lines should be drawn and they must:
- be parallel to the top of the page and drawn with a ruler.
- not cross each other or have an arrow at the end.
- clearly indicate the structure which is being named.
- be aligned neatly, one below the other and preferably on one side of the page,
unless there are many labels in which both sides can be used.
Activity: Identifying the key aspects of producing biological drawings
Instructions:
Make a list of what makes the above drawings good and bad.
Figure 1.2: Identify the features of the images that make each one good or bad.Chapter 1. Introduction to Life Sciences 13