In this section: Image size | Automatic renumbering and positioning of figures in the review | Types of figures
RevMan allows for the inclusion of additional figures in the main content of a Cochrane review: these may be items produced in RevMan or be graphs or images from other sources (e.g. photographs). See the Handbook for information about figures and graphs in Cochrane reviews.
Use the guidance provided in the RevMan Knowledge Base to ensure the published figures are appropriate. Please ensure that any figures you insert in the review are legible and clear and have an appropriate and accurate title.
Image size
Images added in RevMan must have a minimum width of 500 pixels. You will see a validation warning if your image does not meet this requirement. There is no set maximum size in pixels. Wiley (Cochrane's publisher) suggest that a maximum width of 2000 pixels will result in a good-quality image when published.
Wiley advise that images should be less than 1650 mm wide. Images wider than this will be resized in the published PDF.
Please note that large images affect the size of submission files, which can cause problems, such as difficulty comparing versions and generating submission files. Large images may also cause problems with publishing the review.
There is no set limit to the number of figures. Around 10 figures should be sufficient for most intervention reviews, although more may be required for complex reviews, network meta-analyses (NMAs) and other review types. If there are multiple figures to import and the size of the review will be very big, please consider using an open online repository instead of adding them to the review (see Author guidelines: External data and files).
Automatic renumbering and positioning of figures in the review
In the read-only views generated using 'View' [a version] and 'Submission preview' (focused review format only), and in the PDF article, figures are renumbered to reflect the position in which they are linked in the review.
In the published review PDF, figures are placed at the end of the paragraph in which the link appears. if a figure is linked more than once in the text, the second and subsequent links will point to the figure at its first appearance in the text. Readers need to use the browser's back button to return to the section they were navigating before being redirected.
The positioning of figures cannot be previewed in RevMan.
Figure types
RevMan gives the option to add the following types of figures.
- Flow diagram
- Forest plot
- Funnel plot
- Risk of bias graph
- Risk of bias summary
- Other figure
| Figure type | Description | How to add/edit in RevMan (Default view) | Style guidance |
Flow diagram
| Mandatory visual representation of the flow of studies in the review
| PRISMA 2009 version PRISMA 2020 version PRISMA-type diagram | Text in Results of the search must match PRISMA diagram. Numbers within the PRISMA diagram must 'flow'. Use:
Complete the caption. For example, 'Study flow diagram' (no full stop at the end). |
Forest plot
| Visual representation of syntheses for an outcome
| Forest plots are created in RevMan in the Analyses for each comparison. Select individual forest plots to display in the text for the review's main outcomes or comparisons (i.e. those in the summary of findings tables). For all other comparisons, link from the text to the Analyses supplementary material, which includes forest plots for all syntheses. Edit in Analyses in RevMan. Forest plots will update automatically. | When you create your analyses, consider how this information will be displayed in the forest plot.
Show risk of bias judgements in the forest plot. Consider switching off totals if there is only one study. |
Funnel plot
| Scatter plot for evaluation of publication bias or heterogeneity (subgroups)
| Created in Revman Analyses section (study names optional) See RevMan Knowledge Base for how to add. | As above
|
Risk of bias graph
| Graph of review authors' risk of bias judgements
| RoB 1 only Figures > Add Figure > Figure type: Risk of bias graph | Add a caption (no full stop at the end), e.g. Review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies
|
Risk of bias summary
| 'Traffic light' display of review authors' risk of bias judgements for each study and each domain.
| RoB 1 only Figures > Add Figure > Figure type: Risk of bias summary | Add a caption (no full stop at the end), e.g. Review authors' judgements about each risk of bias item for each included study
|
Other figure
| Any figure not shown above, e.g. process diagram, illustration, photo
| Figures > Add Figure > Figure type: Other figure
| Make sure any text (graph labels, dates, annotations etc.) follow Cochrane style. Add a caption (no full stop at the end). |