Nature Guide To Authors: Manuscript Formatting - Information Sheets (Page 3 of 3) in pdf

Data sets should be summarized with descriptive

Amino-acid sequences should be in Courier (or other

statistics, which should include the n for each data set,

monospaced) font using the one-letter code in lines of

a clearly labelled measure of centre (such as the mean

50 or 100 characters.

or the median), and a clearly labelled measure of

variability (such as the standard deviation or range).

Lettering in figures should be in lower-case type, with

the first letter capitalized and no full stop. Units

Graphs should include clearly labelled error bars as

should have a single space between the number and

part of the figure legend. Authors must state

the unit, and follow SI nomenclature or the

whether a number that follows the ± sign is a standard

nomenclature common to a particular field. Thousands

error (s.e.m.) or a standard deviation (s.d.).

should be separated by commas (1,000). Unusual

units or abbreviations are defined in the legend. Scale

bars should be used rather than magnification factors.

Authors should be aware that all referees are asked to

review any statistical analysis present.

Layering type directly over shaded or textured areas

and using reversed type (white lettering on a coloured

5.7 Tables.

background) should be avoided where possible.

Tables should be presented on separate pages,

Text, including keys to symbols, should be provided in

portrait orientation, and upright on the page.

the legend rather than on the figure itself.

Tables have a short, one-line title in bold text and

Costs: We charge £700 for the first colour figure and

should be as small as possible. Symbols and

£250 for each additional one. Nature bears the

abbreviations are defined immediately below the table,

remaining reproduction costs. Inability to pay this fee

followed by essential descriptive material as briefly as

will not prevent publication of essential colour figures.

possible, in double-spaced text.

5.10 Production-quality figures.

5.8 Figure legends.

When a manuscript is accepted in principle for

Figure legends should be listed one after the other, as

publication, the editor will ask for high-resolution

part of the text document, separate from the figure

figures. Do not submit publication-quality figures until

files. Please do not write a legend below each figure.

asked to do so by an editor. See guidelines at

Each figure legend should begin with a brief title for

the whole figure and continue with a short description

5.11 Supplementary Information

of each panel and the symbols used. For contributions

with methods sections, legends should not contain

details of methods, or exceed 100 words (fewer than

This is online-only, peer-reviewed material that is

500 words for the whole paper). In contributions

essential background to the Article or Letter, but which

without methods sections, legends should be less than

is too large or impractical to be included in the printed

300 words (less than 800 words in total).

version. See

5.9 Figures

Nature strongly encourages authors to include a

simple schematic in their SI that summarises the main

finding of the paper, where appropriate (for example,

Nature requires electronic figures that are as small and

to assist understanding of complex detail in cell,

simple as is compatible with clarity. At submission

structural and molecular biology disciplines). Authors

these should be good enough quality to be assessed

including a schematic in their SI should refer to it

by referees, ideally as JPEGs, but should not be at the

explicitly in the summary paragraph of their main

high resolution necessary for publication quality. See

article, and elsewhere in the text where it would assist

the reader’s understanding.

Figures should not contain more than one panel

6. Submission

unless the parts are logically connected; each panel of

a multipart figure should be sized so that the whole

figure can be reduced by the same amount and

Articles and Letters should be submitted online or, if

reproduced on the printed page at the smallest size at

this is not possible, by post. E-mailed submissions

which essential details are visible. For guidance, a

will not be considered. See

Nature page is 183mm wide and 247mm deep.

for details.

Nature encourages authors to submit with their

Before submitting, all coauthors must have read and

manuscripts a scanned pdf of any composite figures

agreed to all Nature's publication policies, as outlined

with the panels arranged and the whole reduced to the

size the author envisages on a printed page.

Nature guide to authors: Manuscript formatting

Information sheets 3a

Nature Guide To Authors: Manuscript Formatting - Information Sheets Page 3

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