GMERJ submission files: manuscript, tables, figures, and supplements

A manuscript can look finished in Word and still be unprepared for the submission portal. The Graduate Medical Education Research Journal (GMERJ) asks authors to provide a main manuscript, editable source files, separate tables and figures, a cover letter, and any supplemental material in specific places and formats. The work is not simply saving one final document.

This guide answers one narrow question: which files should a GMERJ author prepare separately before submission? The requirements below come from the journal's current Instructions for Authors. The organizational suggestions are conservative preparation steps, not additional journal rules.

Start with the author-approved submission version

GMERJ asks authors to prepare the manuscript in Microsoft Word and confirms that all authors should approve the final version before submission. The submitting author is responsible for the manuscript during submission and peer review, and all eligible coauthors must be entered in the electronic submission system.

Before splitting anything into upload files, freeze the version that every author has reviewed. A practical package can use one working folder containing only that version and its intended supporting files. Remove abandoned exports, duplicate figures, and earlier drafts so the portal package cannot accidentally mix versions.

This is also the right time to reconcile author names, affiliations, corresponding-author details, and available ORCID identifiers between the title page and the submission form. Formatting can surface inconsistencies, but the authors remain responsible for approving the byline and contact information.

Build the main manuscript as a Word file

The journal's accepted-file guidance says the manuscript text should be submitted in Microsoft Word. Its manuscript-formatting section calls for a single file containing the title page, abstract, keywords, main text, references, acknowledgment, and figure legends. The broader preparation checklist also identifies funding, conflict of interest, data availability, ethics, and author contribution statements as parts of the manuscript package.

GMERJ specifies double-spaced, single-column text in 12-point Times New Roman on 8.5-by-11-inch pages with one-inch margins. It says not to add page numbers or headers. Figures and tables should not be embedded in this main manuscript file.

A useful final check is to scroll from the title page through the figure legends and confirm that every section is present in the intended order. Authors should decide the scientific content and disclosure wording; a preparation pass should not invent missing statements or infer what an author meant.

Keep the title-page inventory in sync with the files

GMERJ's title-page instructions ask for more than the title and byline. They include the corresponding author's contact information, a short title of no more than 40 characters, acknowledgments, conflict and funding statements, ethics information where applicable, data and materials availability, any required declaration of AI-assisted technologies, author contributions, the main-text word count, and the total numbers of figures and tables.

The figure and table totals provide a simple reconciliation point. If the title page says there are four figures and three tables, the upload folder should contain exactly four intended figure files and three intended table files, and the manuscript should cite them consistently.

Do not change a total merely to make the folder balance. If the counts disagree, resolve whether a file is missing, duplicated, combined, or no longer cited.

Put every table in its own editable Word file

GMERJ says each table must be supplied in a separate Microsoft Word file. Tables should be true editable tables built from rows, columns, and cells—not images, PDFs, Excel files, or text aligned with tabs and spaces.

The journal asks authors to number tables sequentially as Table 1, Table 2, and so on. Each table should have a concise explanatory title above it, with additional notes below. Every data point should occupy its own cell.

Before upload, compare each table file with its first citation in the manuscript. Check the number, title, abbreviations, notes, and reference numbers. This is a mechanical consistency review; authors remain responsible for the data and its interpretation.

Export each figure as a separate image file

Figures also belong outside the main manuscript. The instructions accept JPEG, TIF, EPS, or PNG and set different minimum resolutions for line art, halftone images, and combination artwork. The journal warns against low-resolution web graphics and asks for clear, consistent, legible labels.

Each complete figure should be one separately uploaded file named in numerical order. When a figure contains panels, GMERJ asks authors to combine them into the complete figure rather than uploading each panel independently. The figure legend belongs in the main manuscript file, not inside the figure file.

Check the complete figure at full size. Confirm that its number matches the manuscript callout, its panels are present, and its labels remain legible. Previously published material and identifiable human-subject images may require permissions or consent under the journal's policies; those decisions and records remain the authors' responsibility.

Treat figure legends as the bridge between files

Because figures are separate while their legends remain in the manuscript, the legend block connects the two sides of the package. GMERJ asks legends to describe the figure and define abbreviations and acronyms. Any needed permission statement should also appear there.

Review the figures and legends side by side. A reliable sequence is:

• Confirm that Figure 1 in the manuscript matches the file intended as Figure 1.
• Check that every panel named in the legend is visible in the combined figure.
• Define abbreviations consistently between the image, legend, and main text.
• Verify that figures are cited in ascending numerical order at first appearance.
• Keep supplemental numbering distinct, such as Supplementary Figure S1.

This pass catches package mismatches without changing the research or the meaning of the figure.

Prepare supplemental material as a separate set

GMERJ accepts supplemental files in multiple formats and prefers common, nonproprietary formats where possible. Its examples include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, JPEG, and TIFF. Supplemental files should be clearly labeled, and the journal says authors are responsible for accessibility, including alt text for image files.

Keep supplements separate from the main figure and table sequence. Confirm that each intended supplement is cited where necessary and that its filename, manuscript citation, and portal description refer to the same item. Remove hidden comments, drafts, credentials, private storage paths, or unintended personal information before upload.

Optional does not mean unreviewed. Authors should decide whether each supplement belongs in the submission and whether its contents can be shared with reviewers.

Add the cover letter as its own file

GMERJ requires a cover letter with every submission. The instructions say it should explain the paper's significance and fit with the journal's scope. It should not list proposed or excluded reviewers. It must also state that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere and that all authors have approved and agreed to the submission.

Treat the cover letter as a separate author-approved document, not as a paragraph copied into the manuscript. Check that the journal name, manuscript title, author group, and submission status agree with the rest of the package. Authors remain responsible for the truth and completeness of every statement.

Reconcile the complete upload package

Before opening the portal, compare the folder with a simple inventory:

• One final Microsoft Word manuscript with the title page, main sections, references, and figure legends.
• One separate editable Word file for each table.
• One separate complete image file for each figure.
• One cover-letter file approved for this submission.
• Only the intended supplemental files, with safe filenames and matching manuscript citations.
• Any other editable source files required for the article and revision stage.

Then compare the inventory with the title-page counts and the manuscript's citations. The goal is not to create more files. It is to ensure that every required item exists once, has the right role, and matches the author-approved manuscript.

Prepare the files without rewriting the paper

Articlo formats author-provided manuscripts and checks them against stored journal requirements. It does not write research, verify references, decide disclosure content, obtain permissions, or guarantee acceptance. Authors remain responsible for the research, ethics, statements, files, and submission decisions.

Review the Graduate Medical Education Research Journal preparation path or run a free readiness check to identify structural and formatting gaps before upload.