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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for BioTechniques.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-01
Check readiness freePrepare this manuscript

Article types

Review
Clinical Trial
Review Article
Editorial
Commentary
Original Article
Protocol
Lectio
Case Report
Systematic Review
Research Article
Letter

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 200 words.
  • Use a structured abstract.
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  • Commentary: Use a structured abstract.
  • References must not be included in the abstract.Read tips on writing your abstract.
  • Trial registration numbers should be included in the abstract, with full details in the methods section.
  • The PLS should be included in the manuscript under its own heading (“Plain Language Summary”) and placed after the Abstract and before the Introduction.
  • In addition, the PLS should: • Be distinct from the abstract and written in easy-to-understand language rather than complex words (see Universal Patient Language).
  • A structured abstract of no more than 200 words.
  • A structured abstract should cover (in the following order): Introduction: Authors are required to describe the significance of the topic under discussion.
  • A structured abstract should cover (in the following order): Areas covered: Authors are required to describe the research discussed and the literature search undertaken.
  • Commentary: A structured abstract should cover (in the following order): Expert Opinion/Commentary: Authors are required to summarise briefly their Expert Opinion/Commentary section.
  • Please note that Graphical PLS cannot be indexed on PubMed. → Graphical PLS & Graphical Abstracts While a Graphical PLS serves a different purpose than a Graphical Abstract, the publication process is the same for both.

Keywords

  • Include or confirm the keywords required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references to the journal's stored style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
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  • If you reply yes, you will be required to provide the DOI, pre-registered DOI, hyperlink, or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
  • They must also include the reference/permit numbers where available, and a statement to confirm informed consent was obtained.
  • Papers or patents of particular interest should be identified using one or two asterisk symbols (* = of interest, ** = of considerable interest), and annotated with a brief sentence explaining why the reference is considered to be of interest.
  • The DAS should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s), or information on how the data can be requested from the authors.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.
  • A statement to confirm this must be included within the manuscript, which must provide details of the name of the ethics committee and reference/permit numbers where available.
  • All studies that include covert research must include the following: A statement within the manuscript providing a full rationale for the covert nature of the research and the name of the ethics committee(s) that approved the study (and include the reference/permit numbers where available).
  • The other graphic will need to be cited as a figure in the manuscript and will then appear in the HTML/typeset articles near the location of the first citation. → Supplementary Material Graphical PLS may also be published as supplementary material, which is published alongside the full- text HTML article under the “Supplemental Material” tab and hosted on Figshare as open access content.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
  • Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour, at the correct size).
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  • Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
  • A maximum of five figures.
  • Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  • A maximum of five tables.
  • Consent to Publish statements must confirm that the details and any images, videos, recordings, etc. can be published, and that the person(s) providing consent have been shown the article contents to be published.
  • Identifying information includes (but is not limited to) written descriptions, photographs, illustrations, recordings, videos, pedigrees and rare diseases, physical traits or disorders.

Funding statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Funding statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].
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  • Non-stigmatizing and non-discriminatory language should be used when describing different groups by race, ethnicity, age, disease, disability, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Human studies categorized by such groupings should include an explanation of the definitions and categories, including whether any rules of human categorization were required by the relevant funding agencies.

Competing interests

  • Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Data availability statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Data availability statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Authors are required to provide a data availability statement, detailing where data associated with a paper can be found and how it can be accessed.
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  • If data cannot be made open, authors should state why in the data availability statement.
  • Authors are required to cite any data sets referenced in the article and provide a Data Availability Statement.

Ethics statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • In settings where ethics approval for non-interventional studies (e.g. surveys) is not required, authors must include a statement to explain this.
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  • Authors should familiarise themselves with our policy on participant/patient privacy and informed consent.
  • Where a study has been granted exemption, the name of the ethics committee which provided this should also be included.
  • Ethical approval for all studies must be obtained before the research is conducted.
  • In studies where verbal informed consent has been obtained rather than written informed consent, this must be explained and stated within the manuscript.
  • As the level of details given in the manuscript can potentially identify the patient, explicit Consent to Publish is required for the publication of the case.
  • Authors must obtain this from the patient (or their guardians if they are not adults or lack capacity to provide informed consent, or next of kin if deceased).
  • Research Article: Authors of any research articles reporting the use of donated organs must include a statement to confirm informed consent was obtained.
  • Authors must be able to verify that all recipients and/or donors of stem cells or tissues (or their next of kin if the donor is deceased) provided full informed consent.
  • Specifically, authors must include a statement within the manuscript to provide details of the name of the ethics committee(s) which approved the study.
  • Written informed consent must be obtained from the parent or guardian of any participants who are not able to provide full informed consent themselves.
  • A statement to confirm informed consent has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
  • In settings where verbal informed consent has been obtained rather than written informed consent, this must be explained and stated within the manuscript.
  • Where required by national law or the researcher’s institution, ethical approval must be obtained prior to conducting the study.
  • In settings where ethics approval for survey studies is not required, authors should include a statement to explain this within the manuscript.
  • When researchers are interacting with individuals or obtaining private information, they should obtain ethical approval prior to conducting the study.
  • Researchers should also ensure appropriate anonymization and obtain informed consent from anyone who could potentially be identified.
  • Review: All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological material, protected or non-public datasets, collections or sites, must include a written statement in the Methods section, confirming ethical approval has been obtained from the appropriate local ethics committee or Institutional Review Board and that where relevant, informed consent has been obtained.
  • Editorial: Consent All authors are required to follow the ICMJE requirements and Taylor & Francis Editorial Policies on privacy and informed consent from patients and study participants.
  • Authors must include a statement to confirm that any patient, service user, or participant (or that person’s parent or legal guardian) in any type of qualitative or quantitative research, has given informed consent to participate in the research.
  • Case Report: a clinical case report detailing their medical history, identifiable images or media content, etc), authors must include a statement to confirm that they have obtained written informed consent to publish the details from the affected individual (or their parents/guardians if the participant in not an adult or unable to give informed consent; or next of kin if the participant is deceased).
  • For non-interventional studies (e.g. surveys), where ethical approval is not required (e.g. because of national laws) or where a study has been granted an exemption by an ethics committee, this should be stated within the manuscript with a full explanation.
  • Review: Prior to starting the study, ethical approval must have been obtained for all protocols from the local institutional review board (IRB) or other appropriate ethics committee to confirm the study meets national and international guidelines for research on humans.
  • Specifically, all studies involving transplantation of donated human organs should be conducted with ethical approval from an appropriate committee, and all sources of donor tissue must be provided in the submitted manuscript.
  • Authors must be particularly attentive to the risks associated with working with vulnerable populations and should be prepared to provide details of the process by which informed consent was obtained.
  • In accordance with the principles outlined in the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report, informed consent must have been given with free will, under no coercion or bribery of any kind.
  • Retrospective studies Researchers must confirm they have obtained ethical approval to conduct the study, as well as permission from the dataset owner to use the information in databases/repositories for the purposes of the research they are conducting.
  • Where participants’ details are not required to be anonymized, authors must be able to provide evidence that written informed consent, including consent to publish, was obtained from participants.
  • Research on indigenous communities Authors should be aware of any specific research ethics approval and informed consent procedures which need to be followed in order to conduct research in communities where special processes for permissions may exist.
  • Taylor & Francis endorses the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which emphasizes that patients and study participants have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent.
  • In accordance with the principles outlined in the Nuremberg Code, the Belmont Report and the American Anthropological Association, informed consent must be voluntarily obtained from the participant who should be fully informed of the study including any of the benefits and risks involved.
  • If only verbal informed consent was obtained, a full explanation for why this was not obtained in written form should be included, along with the name of the IRB/local ethics committee which gave approval for verbal consent.
  • For patients or study participants who are not adults, or are considered to be vulnerable or unable to provide informed consent, this must then be obtained from their legal guardians, or next of kin if the participant is deceased.
  • For any submissions including information which can potentially identify an individual (including by their online alias, social media handles etc.), authors must confirm that they have obtained written informed consent to publish the details from the affected individual (or their parents/guardians if the participant in not an adult or unable to give informed consent; or next of kin if the participant is deceased).
  • Research involving animals Studies involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates (e.g. cephalopods), field studies and other non-experimental research on animals must have been carried out after obtaining approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee or the institutional animal use and care committee.
  • For experimental studies involving client-owned animals, authors must also document informed consent from the client or owner and adherence to best practices of veterinary care.
  • Authors must include a statement within the manuscript to provide details of the name of the ethics committee(s) which approved the study and include the permit or animal license numbers where available.
  • Where a study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethical approval, this should be stated along with the name of the ethics committee which provided the exemption, and the reasons for exemption.
  • All studies that include covert research must include the following: Ideally, researchers should seek informed consent from the study participants after completion of the study.
  • Case Report: For submissions where patients or participants can be potentially identified (e.g.
  • Consent to publish is a journal requirement, and cannot be exempted by an ethics committee.

Cover letter

  • Using third-party material in your paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
  • Field studies should comply with local legislation, and the manuscript should include a statement of appropriate permissions granted and/or licenses.
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  • Review: The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
  • If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.
  • Where permission to use information from a database/repository is not required (e.g. where it is publicly available and unrestricted re-use is permitted via an open license), a statement to explain this must be included within the manuscript.
  • Please note that not all data can be collected as fair use or a copyright exception.Authors must check the social media platform’s user policy or terms of service in the region where the research was conducted to determine whether permission is required from the platform.
  • All studies that include covert research must include the following: If the study takes place on a social-media platform (such as Tinder), researchers should consult the platform’s code of conduct and/or terms of use to determine whether they need the platform’s permission to include user data in their research.
  • In many indigenous communities, additional permissions may need to be sought from community leaders or an Elder.

Author contributions

  • Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process.

Supplementary files

  • Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Editorial: Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
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  • Clinical Trial: Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
  • Clinical Trial / Editorial: Authors must be prepared to provide further supporting information related to their clinical trial (e.g. original data) to the journal editorial office upon request.
  • Editorial: Authors must be prepared to provide further supporting information related to their study (e.g. ethical approval and informed consent forms) to the journal editorial office upon request.

Title page and author information

  • All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript.
  • One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

  • Review: These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • Please note that discounts must be requested at submission by selecting the relevant option when you are asked to acknowledge the Article Publishing Charge.
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  • Formatting Papers should be submitted in Word format.
  • File formatting: Keep all formatting to a minimum.
  • For all NIH/Wellcome-funded papers, the grant number(s) must be included in the disclosure of interest statement.
  • Clinical Trial: Clinical trials should be registered prospectively – i.e. before participant recruitment.
  • Editorial: Authors of retrospectively registered trials must be prepared to provide further information to the journal editorial office if requested.
  • Clinical Trial: The clinical trial registry should be publicly accessible (at no charge), open to all prospective registrants, and managed by a not-for-profit organization.
  • All research studies on humans (individuals, samples, or data) must have been performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Please include all relevant safety precautions; and cite any accepted standard or code of practice.
  • Review: If further re-review is required, this will reset the timeline to start from the submission date of revisions, with re-review prioritised as per the chosen track.
  • Queries Should you have any queries, please visit our Author Services website or contact us here.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Provide answers to the questions: Why was the study done?
  • All human and animal subjects, living and deceased, should be treated with dignity and respect in academic research.
  • Ethical research practices require that researchers are vigilant in ensuring that their work minimizes risk and avoids harm.
  • However, if the researcher is in doubt, they should always seek advice from the relevant department before conducting the study.
  • Editorial: Authors must be prepared to provide further information to the journal editorial office upon request.
  • A statement to confirm this must be included within the manuscript.
  • Editorial: Authors must be prepared to provide dated copies signed by the participants and author(s) to the journal editorial team if requested.
  • The public registry must be open to all prospective registrants and managed by a registry conforming to WHO standards.
  • The trial registration number must be included in the manuscript.
  • Protocol: Any deviation from the original trial protocol must be explained, especially changes concerning primary outcomes.
  • This must be done even if the authors have removed direct identifiers.
  • Authors may use this Consent to Publish form, which should be completed, signed, and saved securely.
  • Editorial: Authors should be prepared to share this with the journal editorial office if requested.
  • A statement to confirm consent to publish has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
  • Consent must have been given with free will, under no coercion or bribery of any kind.
  • Data acquired must be kept anonymized unless otherwise advised by the owners of the content in the database.
  • Their voluntary consent to participate should be recorded and any legal requirements on data protection should be adhered to.
  • Researchers must also consider the emerging legal frameworks surrounding rights to privacy, which vary considerably across the globe.
  • Authors conducting covert research should consult relevant guidelines, such as those outlined in the British Sociological Association’s Statement of Ethical Practice.
  • Authors should also be aware of cultural sensitivities or any restrictions associated with the publication of content, including images included in their manuscripts.
  • Scholars in the field of communication should be aware of any restrictions for using copyrighted content for their work.
  • For all studies involving human participants, informed written consent to take part in the research must have been obtained prior to the commencement of the study.
  • A statement to confirm this must be included in the manuscript.
  • A statement of how this was documented must also be included in the manuscript.
  • A statement to confirm that Consent to Publish has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
  • Authors must also state who granted consent to publish.
  • Editorial: Authors must be prepared to provide copies of signed consent forms to the journal editorial office if requested.
  • Research procedures must be carried out in accordance with applicable national or international guidelines.
  • In field studies authors must have also obtained any necessary permits for access to lands.
  • In submissions describing the sacrifice of experimental animals, details must be provided on humane endpoints.
  • In particular, details about the planned behavioral observations or physiological measurements used to determine the humane endpoint must be described.
  • These procedures must be carried out in accordance with applicable veterinary guidelines, such as the American Veterinary Medical Association.
  • Voucher specimens must be deposited in a public herbarium or other public collection providing access to deposited material.
  • Information on the voucher specimen and who identified it must be included in the manuscript.
  • Authors must include a statement within the manuscript to confirm that all necessary permits were obtained, and must include the name of the authority which provided it.
  • Detailed information must also be provided about the specimens (including numbers and repository information), museum name (if applicable) and geographic location.
  • As required by local authorities, any discoveries from their sites must be reported to the relevant authorities prior to submission of the manuscript.
  • Please use SI units (non-italicized).
  • Clinical Trial: Clinical Trials Registry In order to be published in a Taylor & Francis journal, all clinical trials must have been registered in a public repository, ideally at the beginning of the research process (prior to participant recruitment).
  • The process of obtaining consent to publish should include sharing the article with the individual (or whoever is consenting on their behalf), so that they are fully aware of the content of the article before it is published.
  • Please note that data should only be shared if it is ethically correct to do so, where this does not violate the protection of human subjects, or other valid ethical, privacy, or security concerns.
  • Use the active voice rather than the passive voice (for example, “Dr Smith’s team report several improvements” rather than “Several improvements were reported by Dr Smith’s team”).
  • Clinical Trial: Prospective studies on humans Especially where the research involves an intervention (e.g. a clinical trial), participants must provide informed written consent to be part of the study.
  • Clinical Trial: Clinical trials In addition to the required informed written consent (as stated above), clinical trial protocols must also be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to participant recruitment.
  • Clinical Trial: We follow the WHO and ICMJE description of the clinical trial, which is described as: Purely observational studies (those in which the assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator) will not require registration.
  • Human embryos and human stem cells Authors of research reporting the use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells (including clinical applications of stem cells) and related materials, must include a statement within the manuscript to confirm that all experiments were performed in accordance with all safety considerations, ethical guidelines and applicable regulations.
  • Researchers must ensure they have informed all participants why the research is being conducted, whether or not anonymity is assured, and how the data they are collecting is being stored.
  • The participant’s right to confidentiality should always be considered and they should be fully informed about the aims of the research and if there are any risks associated.
  • Social media research Scholars using data gathered from social media platforms (e.g., X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, etc.) should be aware of national laws and ethical guidance on the gathering of and publication of such information.
  • Where participant data have been anonymized, this should be clearly stated within the manuscript with a note to confirm that such alterations have not distorted the scholarly meaning.
  • Specifically, submissions of research involving laboratory-based animals (vertebrates or regulated invertebrates) must include details on housing, husbandry and steps taken to reduce suffering.
  • Research involving plants Research on plants (cultivated or wild), including the collection of plant material must be carried out in accordance with guidelines provided by the authors’ institution(s) and national or international regulations.
  • Research involving protected heritage sites Researchers working on protected heritage sites must comply with all necessary ethical guidelines (including process of data collection, deposition and handling specimens) and obtain all necessary permits from relevant authorities for access to sites and/or specimens prior to conducting the work.
  • If according to national or international regulations any permits are required for the research and/or the publication of the work, this must be obtained from the relevant authority.
  • Authors reporting archaeological work involving human remains must comply with all necessary ethical guidelines (including observing best practice in data collection, recording and deposition) and obtain all necessary permits from relevant authorities for access to sites and handling of the human remains prior to conducting the work.
  • Taylor and Francis journals will only consider research which has been carried out in compliance with institutional biosafety and biosecurity policies, which in turn should be informed by national or international recommendations.
  • Researchers should be aware of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) related to their work, which according to the NIH Office of Science Policy “can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products or technologies that could be directly misapplied to pose a significant threat with broad potential consequences to public health and safety, agricultural crops and other plants, animals, the environment, material, or national security”.
  • Researchers of relevant work are advised to be aware of the WHO recommendations of responsible life sciences research, and should take steps to mitigate any risks contributed by their research.
  • Editorial: Where concerns are raised about potential risk, we may seek expert advice to assess this, so authors should be prepared to provide any further information requested by the journal editorial office.
  • All studies that include covert research must include the following: The use of aliases or online personas should be declared.
  • Request may not be considered after submission.
  • If you haven't submitted a paper to this journal before, you will need to create an account in the submission centre.
  • Keep statements factual and avoid providing opinions or speculation on the study’s findings and significance.
  • Given the vast number of academic journals in existence, you need to have a few ways to narrow down the field to a shortlist of potential candidates.
  • Please note, some journals may not accept retrospectively registered trials, and so authors are advised to consult with the Editor of the journal prior to submission.
  • Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.
  • Clinical Trial: However, for clinical trials that have not been registered prospectively, Taylor & Francis journals may consider clinical trials which have been registered at least prior to data analysis.
  • Covert observational research Covert observational research requires particular ethical and legal considerations but may be acceptable in rare cases with a strong justification.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Preprints and prior publication

  • If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server or registered your study with a registry (e.g. ClinicalTrials.gov), please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Blinded manuscript

  • peer-reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees, each delivering at least one report.

Authorship and originality

  • Preparing your paper All authors submitting to medicine, biomedicine, health sciences, allied and public health journals should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Manuscript structure

  • Please use numbers (Arabic numerals) to indicate a hierarchy of headings/sub-headings (i.e., 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and so on).
  • Spacing and headings: Headings, sub-headings and title paragraphs should be used to divide the text.
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  • They should find it interesting and be able to understand the study, its conclusions, and the potential impact of the research.
  • Note that for interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research, researchers should decide which guidelines are relevant based on the type of research they are conducting.
  • Any euthanasia or anesthesia methods must be described in detail, including information about the agents used.
  • Authors must ensure they have provided detailed information about the methods used for the research work and the analysis (including phylogenies).
  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
  • Do not assign ‘styles' to headings, extracts or paragraphs.
  • Clinical Trial: However, for clinical trials that have not been registered prospectively, Taylor & Francis journals requires retrospective registration to ensure the transparent and complete dissemination of all clinical trial results which ultimately impact human health.

Study reporting guidelines

  • For animal studies, approval must have been obtained from the local or institutional animal use and care committee.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).

Language and text style

  • If you need to use a technical term or abbreviation, explain it the first time you use it. 2 Once your PLS is complete (or during the writing process), ask someone who doesn’t have any knowledge of the subject to read the PLS and provide feedback.
  • Author Instructions To facilitate indexing on PubMed, the plain language summary should be written in English and submitted in plain text, continuous prose format.
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  • Use short, clear sentences and phrase sentences in neutral language, remaining as objective as possible.
  • Use person-centered language rather than focusing on the condition/illness or disability.
  • Graphical Plain Language Summaries As mentioned previously, plain language summaries must be submitted in a plain text, continuous prose format; this is important to ensure that the PLS can be indexed on PubMed.
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What your package checks

Abstract: 200 words
Declarations: Data availability, Funding, Ethics, Artificial intelligence

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source