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Journal Formatting Requirements

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Journal Formatting Requirements

Comprehensive formatting requirements and submission guidelines for major scientific journals across disciplines.

Last Updated: 2024

Nature Portfolio

Nature

Journal Type: Top-tier multidisciplinary science journal
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Impact Factor: ~64 (varies by year)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Articles ~3,000 words (excluding Methods, References, Figure Legends)
  • Structure: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract (≤200 words), Main text, Methods, References, Acknowledgements, Author Contributions, Competing Interests, Figure Legends
  • Format: Single column for submission (final published version is two-column)
  • Font: Any standard font (Times, Arial, Helvetica), 12pt
  • Line spacing: Double-spaced
  • Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) all sides
  • Page numbers: Required on all pages
  • Citations: Numbered sequentially in superscript¹'²'³
  • References: Nature style (abbreviated journal names)
    • Format: Author, A. A., Author, B. B. & Author, C. C. Article title. Journal Abbrev. vol, pages (year).
    • Example: Watson, J. D. & Crick, F. H. C. Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature 171, 737–738 (1953).
  • Figures:
    • Format: TIFF, EPS, PDF (vector preferred)
    • Resolution: 300-600 dpi for photos, 1000 dpi for line art
    • Color: RGB or CMYK
    • Size: Fit to single column (89 mm) or double column (183 mm)
    • Legends: Provided separately, not embedded in figure
  • Tables: Editable format (Word, Excel), not as images
  • Supplementary Info: Unlimited, PDF format preferred

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/nature_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.nature.com/nature/for-authors

Nature Communications

Journal Type: Open-access multidisciplinary journal
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: No strict limit (typically 5,000-8,000 words)
  • Structure: Same as Nature (Title, Abstract, Main text, Methods, References, etc.)
  • Format: Single column
  • Font: Times New Roman, Arial, or similar, 12pt
  • Line spacing: Double-spaced
  • Margins: 2.5 cm all sides
  • Citations: Numbered sequentially in superscript
  • References: Nature style (same as Nature)
  • Figures: Same requirements as Nature
  • Tables: Same requirements as Nature
  • Open Access: All articles are open access (APC applies)

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/nature_communications.tex

Nature Methods, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Machine Intelligence

Formatting: Same as Nature Communications (Nature family journals share similar formatting)

Discipline-Specific Notes:

  • Nature Methods: Emphasize methodological innovation and validation
  • Nature Biotechnology: Focus on biotechnology applications and translation
  • Nature Machine Intelligence: AI/ML applications across disciplines

Science Family

Science

Journal Type: Top-tier multidisciplinary science journal
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length:
    • Research Articles: 2,500 words (text only, excluding refs/figs)
    • Reports: 2,500 words maximum
  • Structure: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract (≤125 words), Main text, Materials and Methods, References, Acknowledgments, Supplementary Materials
  • Format: Single column for submission
  • Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
  • Line spacing: Double-spaced
  • Margins: 1 inch all sides
  • Citations: Numbered sequentially in parentheses (1, 2, 3)
  • References: Science style (no article titles in main refs, moved to supplementary)
    • Format: A. Author, B. Author, Journal Abbrev. vol, pages (year).
    • Example: J. D. Watson, F. H. C. Crick, Nature 171, 737 (1953).
  • Figures:
    • Format: PDF, EPS, TIFF
    • Resolution: 300 dpi minimum
    • Color: RGB
    • Size: Maximum width 9 cm (single column) or 18.3 cm (double column)
    • Figures count toward page limit
  • Tables: Include in main text or as separate files
  • Supplementary Materials: Extensive materials allowed

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/science_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.science.org/content/page/instructions-authors

Science Advances

Journal Type: Open-access multidisciplinary journal
Publisher: AAAS

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: No strict word limit (but concise writing encouraged)
  • Structure: Similar to Science (more flexible)
  • Format: Single column
  • Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
  • Citations: Numbered in parentheses
  • References: Science style
  • Figures: Same as Science
  • Open Access: All articles open access

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/science_advances.tex

PLOS (Public Library of Science)

PLOS ONE

Journal Type: Open-access multidisciplinary journal
Publisher: Public Library of Science

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: No maximum length
  • Structure: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions (optional), References, Supporting Information
  • Format: Editable file (LaTeX, Word, RTF)
  • Font: Times, Arial, or Helvetica, 10-12pt
  • Line spacing: Double-spaced
  • Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) all sides
  • Page numbers: Required
  • Citations: Vancouver style, numbered in brackets [1], [2], [3]
  • References: Vancouver/NLM format
    • Format: Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Article title. Journal Abbrev. Year;vol(issue):pages. doi:xx.xxxx
    • Example: Watson JD, Crick FHC. Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature. 1953;171(4356):737-738.
  • Figures:
    • Format: TIFF, EPS, PDF, PNG
    • Resolution: 300-600 dpi
    • Color: RGB
    • Legends: Provided in main text after references
  • Tables: Editable format, one per page
  • Data Availability: Statement required
  • Open Access: All articles open access (APC applies)

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/plos_one.tex

Author Guidelines: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines

PLOS Biology, PLOS Computational Biology, etc.

Formatting: Similar to PLOS ONE with discipline-specific variations

Key Differences:

  • PLOS Biology: More selective, emphasizes broad significance
  • PLOS Comp Bio: Focus on computational methods and models

Cell Press

Cell

Journal Type: Top-tier biology journal
Publisher: Cell Press (Elsevier)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length:
    • Articles: ~5,000 words (excluding Methods, References)
    • Short Articles: ~2,500 words
  • Structure: Summary (≤150 words), Keywords, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Experimental Procedures, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, References
  • Format: Double-spaced
  • Font: 12pt
  • Margins: 1 inch all sides
  • Citations: Author-year format (Smith et al., 2023)
  • References: Cell style
    • Format: Author, A.A., and Author, B.B. (Year). Title. Journal vol, pages.
    • Example: Watson, J.D., and Crick, F.H. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature 171, 737-738.
  • Figures:
    • Format: TIFF, EPS preferred
    • Resolution: 300 dpi photos, 1000 dpi line art
    • Color: RGB or CMYK
    • Multipanel figures common
  • Tables: Editable format
  • eTOC Blurb: 30-50 word summary required
  • Graphical Abstract: Required

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/cell_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.cell.com/cell/authors

Neuron, Immunity, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell

Formatting: Similar to Cell with discipline-specific expectations

IEEE Transactions

IEEE Transactions on [Various Topics]

Journal Type: Engineering and computer science journals
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Varies by transaction (typically 8-12 pages in final format)
  • Structure: Abstract, Index Terms, Introduction, [Body sections], Conclusion, Acknowledgment, References, Biographies
  • Format: Two-column
  • Font: Times New Roman, 10pt
  • Column spacing: 0.17 inch (4.23 mm)
  • Margins:
    • Top: 19 mm (0.75 in)
    • Bottom: 25 mm (1 in)
    • Side: 17 mm (0.67 in)
  • Citations: Numbered in square brackets [1], [2], [3]
  • References: IEEE style
    • Format: [1] A. A. Author, "Title of paper," Journal Abbrev., vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx-xxx, Mon. Year.
    • Example: [1] J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick, "Molecular structure of nucleic acids," Nature, vol. 171, pp. 737-738, Apr. 1953.
  • Figures:
    • Format: EPS, PDF (vector), TIFF (raster)
    • Resolution: 600-1200 dpi line art, 300 dpi grayscale/color
    • Color: RGB for online, CMYK for print if needed
    • Position: Top or bottom of column
  • Tables: LaTeX table environment, positioned at top/bottom
  • Equations: Numbered consecutively

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/ieee_trans.tex

Author Guidelines: https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/

IEEE Access

Journal Type: Open-access multidisciplinary engineering journal
Publisher: IEEE

Formatting: Similar to IEEE Transactions

  • Length: No page limits
  • Open Access: All articles open access
  • Rapid publication: Faster review than Transactions

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/ieee_access.tex

ACM Publications

ACM Transactions

Journal Type: Computer science transactions
Publisher: Association for Computing Machinery

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: No strict limit
  • Structure: Abstract, CCS Concepts, Keywords, ACM Reference Format, Introduction, [Body], Conclusion, Acknowledgments, References
  • Format: Two-column (final), single-column for submission OK
  • Font: Depends on template (usually 9-10pt)
  • Class: Use acmart LaTeX document class
  • Citations: Numbered [1] or author-year depending on venue
  • References: ACM style
    • Format: Author. Year. Title. Journal vol, issue (Year), pages. DOI
    • Example: James D. Watson and Francis H. C. Crick. 1953. Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature 171, 4356 (1953), 737-738. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0
  • Figures: EPS, PDF (vector preferred), high-resolution raster
  • CCS Concepts: Required (ACM Computing Classification System)
  • Keywords: Required

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/acm_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.acm.org/publications/authors

Springer Journals

General Springer Journals

Publisher: Springer Nature

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Varies by journal (check specific journal)
  • Format: Single column for submission (LaTeX or Word)
  • Font: 10-12pt
  • Line spacing: Double or 1.5
  • Citations: Numbered or author-year (varies by journal)
  • References: Springer style (similar to Vancouver or author-year)
    • Numbered: Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title. Journal vol:pages
    • Author-year: Author AA, Author BB (Year) Title. Journal vol:pages
  • Figures: TIFF, EPS, PDF; 300+ dpi
  • Tables: Editable format
  • Document Class: svjour3 for many Springer journals

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/springer_article.tex

Author Guidelines: Varies by specific journal

Elsevier Journals

General Elsevier Journals

Publisher: Elsevier

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Varies widely by journal
  • Format: Single column (preprint) or two-column typeset (twocolumn); also 1p / 3p / 5p layout options
  • Font: 10–12pt (set via \documentclass[12pt]{elsarticle})
  • Line spacing: Double-spaced for submission (\usepackage{setspace}\doublespacing)
  • Citations: Numbered or author-year — Elsevier ships three matched bib styles (see below)
  • References: Style varies by journal (Harvard, Vancouver, numbered)
    • Check specific journal's "Guide for Authors"
  • Figures: TIFF, EPS; 300+ dpi line art / halftone
  • Tables: Editable format (booktabs recommended)
  • Document Class: elsarticle LaTeX class (replaces deprecated elsart)

LaTeX Templates (pick by citation style required by the target journal):

Template filenatbib optionMatching .bstCitation looks like
assets/journals/elsarticle-template-num.texnumberselsarticle-num.bst[1], [2,3]
assets/journals/elsarticle-template-num-names.texnumbers,sort&compresselsarticle-num-names.bstJones et al. [21]
assets/journals/elsarticle-template-harv.texauthoryearelsarticle-harv.bst(Jones, 2023) / Jones (2023)

All three .bst files are bundled alongside the templates in assets/journals/.

Common documentclass options:

  • preprint (default, single column, double spaced — use for submission)
  • review (double spaced, large margins, for reviewing)
  • 1p / 3p / 5p (1-, 3-, 5-column typeset layouts — mainly for final camera-ready)
  • times (Times-like font)
  • twocolumn, final, authoryear, number

Front-matter macros (specific to elsarticle):

  • \title{...} \author[label]{...} \affiliation[label]{...} \ead{email} \ead[url]{...}
  • \cortext[cor1]{Corresponding author} paired with \author[...]{... \corref{cor1}}
  • \begin{abstract}...\end{abstract} and \begin{keyword}...\end{keyword} inside \begin{frontmatter}...\end{frontmatter}

Author Guidelines: https://www.elsevier.com/authors (select specific journal — many sub-journals override defaults, especially word limits, abstract structure, and highlights / graphical abstract requirements)

Class documentation: CTAN elsarticle package → elsdoc.pdf for the full reference.

BMC Journals

BMC Biology, BMC Bioinformatics, etc.

Publisher: BioMed Central (Springer Nature)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: No maximum length
  • Structure: Abstract (structured), Keywords, Background, [Methods/Results/Discussion], Conclusions, Abbreviations, Declarations (Ethics, Consent, Availability, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, Acknowledgements), References
  • Format: Single column
  • Font: Arial or Times, 12pt
  • Line spacing: Double
  • Citations: Vancouver style, numbered in brackets [1]
  • References: Vancouver/NLM format
  • Figures: TIFF, EPS, PNG; 300+ dpi
  • Tables: Editable
  • Open Access: All BMC journals are open access
  • Data Availability: Statement required

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/bmc_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.biomedcentral.com/getpublished

Frontiers Journals

Frontiers in [Various Topics]

Publisher: Frontiers Media

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Varies by article type (Research Article ~12 pages, Brief Research Report ~4 pages)
  • Structure: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Data Availability Statement, Ethics Statement, Author Contributions, Funding, Acknowledgments, Conflict of Interest, References
  • Format: Single column
  • Font: Times New Roman, 12pt
  • Line spacing: Double
  • Citations: Numbered (Frontiers style)
  • References: Frontiers format
    • Format: Author A., Author B., Author C. (Year). Title. Journal Abbrev. vol:pages. doi
    • Example: Watson J. D., Crick F. H. C. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids. Nature 171:737-738. doi:10.1038/171737a0
  • Figures: TIFF, EPS; 300 dpi minimum
  • Tables: Editable
  • Open Access: All Frontiers journals are open access
  • Figure Legends: Detailed, 350 words max per figure

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/frontiers_article.tex

Author Guidelines: https://www.frontiersin.org/guidelines/author-guidelines

Specialized Journals

PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: 6 pages (text, figures, tables combined)
  • Abstract: 250 words max
  • Significance Statement: 120 words max (required)
  • Structure: Abstract, Significance, Main text, Materials and Methods, Acknowledgments, References
  • Format: Single column
  • Citations: Numbered
  • References: PNAS style
  • LaTeX Class: pnas-new

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/pnas_article.tex

Physical Review Letters (PRL)

Publisher: American Physical Society

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: 4 pages (including figures and references)
  • Format: Two-column (REVTeX 4.2)
  • Abstract: No more than 600 characters
  • Citations: Numbered
  • References: APS style
  • Document Class: revtex4-2

LaTeX Template: assets/journals/prl_article.tex

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Original Articles ~3,000 words
  • Structure: Abstract (structured, 250 words), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References
  • Format: Double-spaced
  • Citations: Numbered
  • References: NEJM style (modified Vancouver)
  • Figures: High resolution, professional quality
  • Word submission preferred (LaTeX less common)

The Lancet

Formatting Requirements:

  • Length: Articles ~3,000 words
  • Abstract: Structured, 300 words
  • Structure: Panel (summary box), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References
  • Citations: Numbered
  • References: Lancet style (modified Vancouver)
  • Word preferred for submission

Quick Reference Table

JournalMax LengthFormatCitationsTemplate
Nature~3,000 wordsSingle colSuperscriptnature_article.tex
Science2,500 wordsSingle col(1) bracketsscience_article.tex
PLOS ONEUnlimitedSingle col[1] Vancouverplos_one.tex
Cell~5,000 wordsDouble sp(Author, year)cell_article.tex
IEEE Trans8-12 pagesTwo col[1] IEEEieee_trans.tex
ACM TransVariableTwo col[1] or author-yracm_article.tex
SpringerVariableSingle colNumbered/author-yrspringer_article.tex
BMCUnlimitedSingle col[1] Vancouverbmc_article.tex
Frontiers~12 pagesSingle colNumberedfrontiers_article.tex

Notes

  1. Always check official guidelines: Journal requirements change; verify before submission
  2. Template currency: These templates are updated regularly but may lag official changes
  3. Supplementary materials: Most journals allow extensive supplementary materials
  4. Preprint policies: Check journal's preprint policy (most allow arXiv, bioRxiv)
  5. Open access options: Many subscription journals offer open access for a fee
  6. LaTeX vs. Word: Most journals accept both; LaTeX preferred for math-heavy content

Getting Official Templates

Many journals provide official LaTeX templates:

  • Nature: Download from journal website
  • IEEE: IEEEtran class (widely available)
  • ACM: acmart class (CTAN)
  • Elsevier: elsarticle class (CTAN)
  • Springer: svjour3 class (journal website)

Check journal's "For Authors" or "Submit" page for the most current templates.