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# Figure Interpretation Guide
A scientific figure is incomplete until the text answers:
1. why the figure exists,
2. what the reader should notice,
3. why that observation matters.
## Minimal interpretation block
For each figure, provide:
- **Purpose**: the research question this figure addresses
- **Observation**: the concrete pattern seen in the plot
- **Interpretation**: the mechanism or explanation supported by the evidence
- **Implication**: what decision, next experiment, or claim changes because of it
## Caption checklist
A usable caption should specify:
- what is plotted,
- what each axis means,
- sample size,
- what error bars / ribbons represent,
- any normalization or smoothing,
- any significance marker convention.
## Anti-patterns
- restating the axis labels as “interpretation”
- giving only aesthetic comments
- making causal claims unsupported by the plot
- repeating the caption without adding insight
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