BMEE equations, tables, and figure files: a submission checklist

A manuscript with equations, tables, and figures is not one formatting problem. It is three related preparation jobs, each with its own source format, page-fit constraints, numbering, captions, and export checks. For Business, Management and Economics Engineering (BMEE), those differences matter before the files reach the submission system.

This guide answers one narrow question: how should BMEE authors prepare equations, tables, and figures so that the manuscript remains editable, readable, and internally consistent? The requirements below come from the journal’s current Guidelines for Authors. The folder structure and cross-checking sequence are practical preparation suggestions, not additional journal rules.

Authors can first review the BMEE journal preparation path and confirm that the current article type matches the manuscript.

Start with three source-of-truth groups

BMEE gives different instructions for equations, tables, and figures. Treating every visual or mathematical element as a pasted image can create avoidable problems: an equation may become difficult to edit, a table may no longer fit a journal page, or a figure may look sharp on screen while failing the journal’s resolution requirement.

A practical submission folder can separate the working material into three groups:

• Editable equations in the manuscript source
• Editable tables created in Word or Excel
• Figure source files plus the manuscript’s placed versions

Keep only the author-approved versions in the submission folder. Draft exports, old charts, and alternate table versions can live in an archive folder outside the upload package. This is a version-control suggestion, not a BMEE requirement, but it makes the final cross-check much easier.

Keep equations editable in Equation Editor

BMEE says formulas, equations, and their components in the text must be written in Equation Editor. The journal specifies 10-point basic symbols, 7-point indexes, and 6-point sub-indexes, with additional detail available in its manuscript template.

The practical implication is simple: do not flatten an equation into a screenshot merely because it looks correct in one export. Keep the equation as an editable object in the manuscript source. That preserves the structure needed for corrections and reduces the chance that symbols become blurry or misaligned when the document is resized.

Before the final export, check equations in context rather than one by one in the editor:

1. Confirm that every equation appears in the intended location.
2. Inspect superscripts, subscripts, brackets, operators, and multi-line alignment.
3. Make sure symbols remain readable at the manuscript’s ordinary viewing size.
4. Compare any equation references in the text with the visible equation order.
5. Reopen the exported file and confirm that the editable source rendered as expected.

Authors remain responsible for the mathematical meaning and correctness. A formatting check can surface broken layout or inconsistent presentation, but it cannot validate the underlying analysis.

Build tables in Word or Excel

BMEE asks authors to create tables in Word or Excel and design them to fit a regular journal page. Tables should be numbered sequentially throughout the article and mentioned in the main text. Each table needs an informative caption, and footnotes may be used when abbreviations or other details need explanation.

That makes an editable table different from a figure that happens to contain rows and columns. If a table has been pasted as a picture, return to the author-approved Word or Excel source before submission rather than trying to repair the image version.

Run a page-fit review at the manuscript’s actual page size. Look for clipped columns, headers separated from the data they describe, crowded notes, and tables that become unreadable after scaling. If a table requires a layout decision, the authors should decide how to reorganize it; preparation should not silently remove rows, round values, or change labels.

Then perform a citation-to-table pass. Starting at the first table mention in the manuscript, follow each citation in order and confirm that it points to the intended table. Check that the number and caption agree with the table itself and that any abbreviations are explained where needed.

Treat figure placement and figure delivery as separate checks

BMEE allows figures to appear within the text file at submission. If the article is accepted, the journal requires figures to be supplied as separate files. Each figure should be numbered sequentially, mentioned in the main text, and accompanied by an informative caption.

For submission preparation, this creates two related checks:

• The placed figure must work inside the manuscript as a readable review copy.
• The underlying figure source should remain available for the later separate-file stage.

Do not assume that extracting a figure from a compressed manuscript export will recreate the original. Preserve the author-approved source file separately, even when the initial submission uses the in-text version.

BMEE lists different resolution targets by figure type: 1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale, and 300 dpi for colour. The journal also provides specific font, line-thickness, and supported-format guidance for diagrams, charts, and schemes. Use the current official instructions and manuscript template when checking a particular figure type.

Resolution is not the only figure check. Open the manuscript export and inspect panel completeness, legend readability, axis and symbol visibility, and the order of first citation. Authors must verify the scientific meaning, labels, values, permissions, and interpretation.

Reconcile numbering across the manuscript

Sequential numbering sounds straightforward until a late revision inserts a new table, combines two figures, or moves an equation into an appendix. A visual scan alone can miss a stale reference in the text.

Use three short reconciliation passes instead:

1. Equations: move through the manuscript in reading order and compare each textual reference with the intended equation.
2. Tables: verify Table 1, Table 2, and so on against the first text mention, caption, and editable source.
3. Figures: verify Figure 1, Figure 2, and so on against the first text mention, placed image, caption, and preserved source file.

The goal is not to redesign the research. It is to ensure that the reader, the manuscript file, and the supporting source materials all point to the same element.

Check captions as working metadata

BMEE requires informative captions for both tables and figures. Captions do more than occupy space above or below an item: they help a reviewer connect the numbered element to the manuscript’s discussion.

Compare each caption with the visible element and its first citation. Confirm that the caption has not been copied from an older version, that numbering matches, and that necessary abbreviation explanations or footnotes are present. Do not add scientific interpretation or rewrite claims without author approval.

For a long manuscript, a simple inventory can help. List each table and figure number, its short caption label, its first citation section, and the location of its editable or source file. Keep that inventory private to the preparation workflow; it does not need to become another submission document unless the journal asks for one.

Run an export check, not just a source-file check

The editable source is essential, but the reviewer sees the rendered manuscript. Export the author-approved Word document to the intended submission format and inspect the result at ordinary reading size.

Check for:

• Equations that shifted, wrapped, or lost symbols
• Tables with clipped columns, broken headings, or detached notes
• Figures that became soft, cropped, or incomplete
• Captions separated from the item they describe
• Duplicate, skipped, or stale numbers
• Text citations that no longer match the final order

If the export reveals a problem, correct the editable source and export again. Avoid patching only the PDF when the source document remains wrong, because that creates two competing versions.

Keep the broader BMEE manuscript limits in view

The journal’s instructions place these elements inside a larger manuscript structure. BMEE asks for an informative title of no more than 20 words, an abstract of approximately 200 words, 6–10 keywords, and a main body within the stated 5,000–7,000-word range. The current guidance also describes the expected main sections and the journal’s APA author–date reference system.

Those rules are outside this guide’s narrow equations-tables-figures focus, but they should still be checked before upload. A technically clean figure package does not compensate for a missing manuscript section or a mismatched submission file.

Prepare the package without changing the research

For BMEE, the cleanest workflow is to preserve editable equations, editable tables, and original figure sources; place the appropriate elements in the manuscript; then reconcile citations, numbering, captions, page fit, and final export quality.

Articlo formats author-provided manuscripts and checks them against stored journal requirements. It does not write research, verify equations or references, change data, obtain permissions, or guarantee acceptance. Authors remain responsible for the manuscript’s content, analysis, labels, disclosures, source files, and submission decisions.

Run a free BMEE readiness check or revisit the journal-specific preparation guide before upload.