Manuscript Format
Required preparation standards
Text and Layout
- Use Times New Roman, Georgia, or an equivalent serif font.
- Use 12-point font size for main text and 10-point font size for footnotes, figure legends, and table notes.
- Use 1.5 line spacing throughout the manuscript, including references.
- Use 1-inch margins on all sides and continuous page numbering.
- Keep headings clearly separated using a consistent hierarchy.
Manuscript Structure
- Title page with manuscript title, author names, affiliations, and corresponding author email.
- Abstract of up to 250 words, followed by 4 to 6 keywords.
- Main sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Data Availability, Ethics Statement, Conflicts of Interest, Funding, and References.
- Include a reproducibility checklist when applicable.
Figures and Tables
- Submit figures as separate high-resolution files at 300 DPI minimum.
- Acceptable figure formats include TIFF, PNG, JPEG, and PDF.
- Tables should be editable, numbered consecutively, and cited in the text.
- Figure legends and table notes should explain abbreviations and statistical annotations.
References and Files
- Use a consistent reference style and include DOI links where available.
- Accepted manuscript formats are DOCX, PDF, and LaTeX ZIP files.
- Name files clearly, such as Manuscript, Figures, Tables, Supplementary_Data, and Cover_Letter.
- Supplementary materials should be cited in the main manuscript.