Atlas standard
Methodology
A publication standard for AI-assisted medical illustration that keeps anatomy, clinical meaning, provenance, and limitations visible.
- Figures
- 1 cover + 3–5 explanatory plates
- Copy
- 900–1,500 English words
- Evidence
- 5–12 primary references
Scope & boundaries
Illustrate the concept, never fabricate evidence.
Atlas figures are explanatory schematics. They must not imitate a patient scan, claim quantitative accuracy they do not possess, or be used for diagnosis, measurement, navigation, or operative planning.
Label every figure.
Use the standard disclosure beneath each image and record the model, generation date, human edits, and review status in the source log.
Separate schematic from evidence.
An illustration may explain a mechanism. It cannot substitute for clinical imaging, histology, operative findings, or outcome data.
No patient-specific inference.
Do not upload identifiable patient data. Any future clinical image must be rights-cleared, deidentified, and labeled separately from AI-generated artwork.
Editorial limits
A repeatable page, not an endless essay.
Standard limits keep each Atlas entry useful for clinicians, readable for informed patients, and maintainable as evidence changes.
| Element | Standard | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical question | One sentence | Defines the exact uncertainty. |
| Core takeaway | Up to 35 words | States what the reader should retain. |
| Illustrations | 1 cover + 3–5 figures | Builds one visual chain without repetition. |
| English narrative | 900–1,500 words | Covers mechanism, evidence, relevance, and limits. |
| Chinese summary | 300–500 Chinese characters | Provides a concise bilingual access layer. |
| References | 5–12 sources | Prioritizes guidelines, reviews, and primary evidence. |
| Review record | Version + last-reviewed date | Makes corrections and staleness visible. |
Image delivery
Keep originals, web files, and versions separate.
Source files remain outside the public deployment. Only reviewed web derivatives enter the site, and a published filename is never overwritten.
source-media/atlas/<slug>/
Preserve the highest-resolution original, prompt or generation notes, model and date, editable labels, reference list, and review log here. This directory is never deployed.
assets/atlas/<slug>/
Publish reviewed WebP display files and PNG only when labels or transparency require it. Use a 1,600-pixel long edge where practical, descriptive alt text, and no embedded patient information.
fig-01-neurovascular-conflict-v1.webp
Lowercase, hyphenated, descriptive, and versioned. Because public
assets are cached for one year, corrections create -v2
rather than replacing -v1.
Publication workflow
Six gates before publication.
An attractive figure is not publication-ready until anatomy, clinical interpretation, sources, language, accessibility, and version metadata have all been checked.
- 01Draft
Question, outline, sources, and figure plan.
- 02Anatomical review
Relationships, laterality, scale, and labels.
- 03Clinical review
Mechanism, relevance, uncertainty, and decision boundary.
- 04Editorial review
Claims, references, disclosure, language, and accessibility.
- 05Preview
Desktop, mobile, image clarity, links, and metadata.
- 06Publish & recheck
Version the page; review at least annually or when evidence changes.