Use to finalize Cell Press display items — column-width sizing, minimum fonts, RGB, show-the-data with defined error bars/n/replicate type, scale bars, colorblind-safe palettes, multi-panel discipline, stand-alone legends, and image integrity.
SkillScore86Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/31/2026
What it changes
Passed 19 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 14 of 22 without it.
Without skill64%
With skill86%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Concludes the report with 【Next】 cell-star-methods.
Flags software screenshots as unacceptable display items.
Includes section headers matching the requested bracketed format.
and 2 more in the full report
5 fixed14 passed either way3 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+23 pp
Tokens
+51%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-11%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/31/2026v119 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 5 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 5
Prompt
Our full-page summary figure for a Cell manuscript is currently exported at 210 mm wide (A4 width). What is the standard full-width (2-column) specification for Cell Press figures?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
States that the full 2-column figure width standard for Cell Press is approximately 174 mm.
Missed
Passed
case-06 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/31/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md93 linessingle file
Display Items (cell-figures)
When to trigger
Figures will not render legibly at Cell Press print widths.
Bar charts hide the underlying data (no points, no n, no defined error bars).
Panels are raw software screenshots; blots are cropped without disclosure.
Color is the sole encoding, or rainbow/jet maps are used for continuous data.
Sizing for Cell Press columns
Design figures to render at final print width without rescaling text:
1 column ≈ 85 mm wide
1.5 column ≈ 114 mm wide
2 columns (full width) ≈ 174 mm wide
Minimum font in the final figure: ~6–7 pt (sans-serif, e.g., Helvetica/Arial), legible after reduction.
RGB color mode (Cell is online-first); line weights heavy enough to survive reduction.
Confirm exact widths, resolution, and file formats against the current Cell Press figure/digital-image guidelines.
Show the data, not just the summary
Replace bar-of-means with dot plots / box+points / violins+points, especially for small n.
State n and what n is in every legend: cells? animals? independent biological replicates? technical replicates?
Error bars must be defined (SD vs SEM vs 95% CI) — never undefined — and the replicate type stated.
For images (blots, micrographs): show scale bars; present full, uncropped key blots in the supplement.
Color and accessibility
Use a colorblind-safe palette; avoid red/green as the only contrast.
Do not encode meaning by color alone — add shape/pattern/labels.
No rainbow/jet colormaps for continuous data — use perceptually uniform maps (viridis, etc.).
Ensure adequate contrast; check the figure in grayscale.
Multi-panel discipline
Group panels by the claim they support; one message per figure.
Consistent axis scales across comparable panels.
Label panels A, B, C…; the legend title states the figure's message.