PLOS

Prepare your manuscript for PLOS ONE.

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

Checked 2026-07-24

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Article types

Research Article

Systematic Review

Registered Report

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 300 words.
The Abstract should: Not exceed 300 words.

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The Abstract should: Describe the main objective(s) of the study.
The Abstract should: Explain how the study was done, including any model organisms used, without methodological detail.
The Abstract should: Summarize the most important results and their significance.
Before the paper can enter peer review, authors must: The name of the registry and the registration number must be included in the Abstract.
The name of the registry and the registry number must be provided in the Abstract.
Authors should always state the organism(s) studied in the Abstract.
Additional prerequisites apply for these study types: Clinical trials: The name of the registry and the trial or study registration number must be included in the Abstract.
Systematic Review: Authors must also state in their “Methods” section whether a protocol exists for their systematic review, and if so, provide a copy of the protocol as supporting information and provide the registry number in the abstract.
Beginning section The following elements are required, in order: Abstract.

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.
Match the label of your figure with the name of the file uploaded at submission (e.g. a figure citation of “Fig 1” must refer to a figure file named “Fig1.tif”).

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Effective January 2013, all papers describing new fungal species must reference the identifier issued by a recognized repository in the protologue in order to be considered effectively published.
In-text citations We recommend that you cite supporting information in the manuscript text, but this is not a requirement.
If you cite supporting information in the text, citations do not need to be in numerical order.
Accession numbers or a citation to the DOI should also be provided when the data set is mentioned within the manuscript.
For established cell lines, the Methods section should include: A reference to the published article that first described the cell line; AND/OR.
Abstracts should not include: Citations.
If materials, methods, and protocols are well established, authors may cite articles where those protocols are described in detail, but the submission should include sufficient information to be understood independent of these references.
Include the DOI link in the Methods section of your manuscript using the following format: http://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.[PROTOCOL DOI].
Do not include citations in abstracts.
Do not provide a shortened DOI or the URL.
In some cases authors may not be able to obtain accession numbers of DOIs until the manuscript is accepted; in these cases, the authors must provide these numbers at acceptance.
If Mendelian randomization studies replicate previously published work, authors must provide a sound scientific rationale for the submitted work and clearly reference and discuss the existing literature.
The electronic version of this article in Portable Document Format (PDF) in a work with an ISSN or ISBN will represent a published work according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, and hence the new names contained in the electronic publication of a PLOS article are effectively published under that Code from the electronic edition alone, so there is no longer any need to provide printed copies.
Ending section The following elements are required, in order: References.
Do not cite the following sources in the reference list: Submitted research should not rely upon retracted research.
The manuscript should also report the following experimental details: A reference to the validation study if the antibody was previously validated.
Do not cite the following sources in the reference list: Unavailable and unpublished work, including manuscripts that have been submitted but not yet accepted (e.g., “unpublished work,” “data not shown”).
Do not cite the following sources in the reference list: Personal communications (these should be supported by a letter from the relevant authors but not included in the reference list).
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: If the submitted manuscript is very similar to previous work, authors must provide a sound scientific rationale for the submitted work and clearly reference and discuss the existing literature.
Repositories may be subject-specific (e.g., GenBank for sequences and PDB for structures), general, or institutional, as long as DOIs or accession numbers are provided and the data are at least as open as CC BY.

Figure and table rules

Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
Tables require a label (e.g., “Table 1”) and brief descriptive title to be placed above the table.

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Additional prerequisites apply for these study types: Clinical trials: A SPIRIT schedule of enrollment, interventions, and assessments must be included as the manuscript’s Figure 1, and a completed SPIRIT checklist must be uploaded as Supporting Information file S1.
The file number and name are required in a caption, and we highly recommend including a one-line title as well.
You may also include a legend in your caption, but it is not required.
Figures and tables Figures Do not include figures in the main manuscript file.
Each figure must be prepared and submitted as an individual file.
Cite figures in ascending numeric order at first appearance in the manuscript file.
Do not include captions as part of the figure files themselves or submit them in a separate document.
At a minimum, include the following in your figure captions: A figure label with Arabic numerals, and “Figure” abbreviated to “Fig” (e.g. Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3, etc).
The striking image must be derived from a figure or supporting information file from the submission, i.e., a cropped portion of an image or the entire image.
Do not submit captions in a separate file.
Do not submit your tables in separate files.
Examples of qualitative data sources include, but are not limited to, interviews, text documents, audio/video recordings, and free-form answers to questionnaires and surveys.
Ending section The following elements are required, in order: Supporting information captions (if applicable).
Figure captions Figure captions must be inserted in the text of the manuscript, immediately following the paragraph in which the figure is first cited (read order).
At a minimum, include the following in your figure captions: A concise, descriptive title.
Place each table in your manuscript file directly after the paragraph in which it is first cited (read order).
Place legends, footnotes, and other text below the table.

Funding statement

Add or confirm the author-written Funding statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Do not include funding sources in the Acknowledgments or anywhere else in the manuscript file.

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Financial Disclosure Statement This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work.
The statement should include: Initials of authors who received salary or other funding from commercial companies.
The statement should include: URLs to sponsors’ websites.
For studies involving humans categorized by race/ethnicity, age, disease/disabilities, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, or other socially constructed groupings, authors should: Justify their choices of definitions and categories, including for example whether any rules of human categorization were required by their funding agency.
Funding information should only be entered in the financial disclosure section of the submission system.
The proof of external funding and approval (or waiver) letters are used for internal purposes and do not form part of the published Study Protocol.

Competing interests

Add or confirm the author-written Competing interests statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
All potential competing interests must be declared in full.

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If the disputed author chooses to submit a review, it must be returned in a timely fashion and contain a full declaration of all competing interests.
Competing interests This information should not be in your manuscript file; you will provide it via our submission system.

Data availability statement

Add or confirm the author-written Data availability statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Accession numbers (and version numbers, if appropriate) should be provided in the Data Availability Statement.

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If study conclusions depend on specimens that do not fit these criteria, the article will be rejected under PLOS One 's data availability criterion.

Ethics statement

Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Authors should be able to submit, upon request, a statement from the IRB or ethics committee indicating approval of the research.

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Subjects must have been properly instructed and have indicated that they consent to participate by signing the appropriate informed consent paperwork.
All efforts should be made to protect patient privacy and anonymity.
Methods sections of papers on research using human subjects or samples must include ethics statements that specify: Whether informed consent was written or oral.
If informed consent was oral, it must be stated in the manuscript: Why written consent could not be obtained.
If informed consent was oral, it must be stated in the manuscript: That the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved use of oral consent.
If informed consent was oral, it must be stated in the manuscript: How oral consent was documented.
Examples: “Caucasian” should be changed to “white” or “of [Western] European descent” (as appropriate); “cancer victims” should be changed to “patients with cancer.”.
Authors must explicitly discuss informed consent in their paper, and we reserve the right to ask for a copy of the patient consent form.
Research Article: In addition, the protocol must: Meet the same standards for ethics of experimentation and research integrity as are expected for Research Articles.
You may be able to expedite editorial assessment by providing: proof of ethics approval (if required).
If data were anonymized and/or aggregated before access and analysis, informed consent is generally not required.
Note that Terms of Use contracts do not qualify as informed consent, even if they address the use of personal data for research.
The ethics statement must include: Details of institutional review board or ethics committee approval; AND.
The ethics statement must include: For human cells, confirmation of written informed consent from the donor, guardian, or next of kin.
Human subjects research All research involving human participants must have been approved by the authors’ Institutional Review Board (IRB) or by equivalent ethics committee(s), and must have been conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki.
If consent was verbal instead of written, or if consent could not be obtained, the authors must explain the reason in the manuscript, and the use of verbal consent or the lack of consent must have been approved by the IRB or ethics committee.
Methods sections of papers on research using human subjects or samples must include ethics statements that specify: The name of the approving institutional review board or equivalent committee(s).
The signed consent form should not be submitted with the manuscript, but authors should securely file it in the individual's case notes and the methods section of the manuscript should explicitly state that consent authorization for publication is on file, using wording like: The individual in this manuscript has given written informed consent (as outlined in PLOS consent form) to publish these case details.
If it involves human or animal subjects, cell lines or field sampling, or has potential biosafety implications, prior approval from all relevant ethics bodies must be obtained prior to submission.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the characteristics of participants e.g., inclusion and exclusion criteria, sample selection criteria, variables to be measured, randomization and blinding criteria (where applicable), and how informed consent will be obtained.
Animal research All research involving vertebrates or cephalopods must have approval from the authors' Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics committee(s), and must have been conducted according to applicable national and international guidelines.
Manuscripts reporting animal research must state in the Methods section: The full name of the relevant ethics committee that approved the work, and the associated permit number(s).
Manuscripts reporting animal research must state in the Methods section: Where ethical approval is not required, the manuscript should include a clear statement of this and the reason why.
Unacceptable euthanasia methods and anesthetic agents Manuscripts reporting use of a euthanasia method(s) classified as unacceptable by the American Veterinary Medical Association or use of an anesthesia method(s) that is widely prohibited (e.g., chloral hydrate, ether, chloroform) must include at the time of initial submission, scientific justification for use in the specific study design, as well as confirmation of approval for specific use from their animal research ethics committee.
If humane endpoints were not used, the manuscript should report: Whether the institutional animal ethics committee specifically reviewed and approved the anticipated mortality in the study design.
Observational and field studies Methods sections for submissions reporting on any type of field study must include ethics statements that specify: Permits and approvals obtained for the work, including the full name of the authority that approved the study; if none were required, authors should explain why.
Observational and field studies Methods sections for submissions reporting on any type of field study must include ethics statements that specify: Whether the land accessed is privately owned or protected.
Observational and field studies Methods sections for submissions reporting on any type of field study must include ethics statements that specify: Whether any protected species were sampled.
Observational and field studies Methods sections for submissions reporting on any type of field study must include ethics statements that specify: Full details of animal husbandry, experimentation, and care/welfare, where relevant.
In the Ethics Statement, authors should declare any potential risks to individuals or individual privacy, or affirm that in their assessment, the study posed no such risks.
For interventional studies, which impact participants’ experiences or data, the study design must have been prospectively approved by an Ethics Committee, and informed consent is required.
In addition, the following Ethics and Data Protection requirements must be met.
Additional requirements apply in the following circumstances: If information used could threaten personal privacy or damage the reputation of individuals whose data are used, an Ethics Committee should be consulted and informed consent obtained or specifically addressed.
Additional requirements apply in the following circumstances: If authors accessed any personal identifying information, an Ethics or Data Protection Committee should oversee data anonymization.

Blinded manuscript

Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and other direct identifiers from the blinded manuscript file.

Cover letter

Provide the claims and editor-specific context for the cover letter; Articlo creates an editable companion without inventing content.
IMPORTANT: Do not include requests to reduce or waive publication fees in the cover letter.

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Systematic Review: If your article is a systematic review or a meta-analysis you should: State this in your cover letter.
Authors submitting manuscripts disputing previous work should explain the relationship between the manuscripts in their cover letter, and will be required to confirm that they accept the conditions of this review policy before the manuscript is considered further.
For papers that include identifying, or potentially identifying, information, authors must download the Consent Form for Publication in a PLOS Journal, which the individual, parent, or guardian must sign once they have read the paper and been informed about the terms of PLOS open-access license.
Personal data from third-party sources For all studies using personal data from internet-based and other third-party sources (e.g., social media, blogs, other internet sources, mobile phone companies), data must be collected and used according to company/website Terms and Conditions, with appropriate permissions.
If the primary focus of a manuscript is the presentation of a new tool, such as a newly developed or modified questionnaire or scale, it should be openly available under a license no more restrictive than CC BY.
Do not add it to the author list in the submission system.
The cover letter should include the following information: Summarize the study’s contribution to the scientific literature.
Research Article / Systematic Review: The cover letter should include the following information: Specify the type of article (for example, research article, systematic review, meta-analysis, clinical trial).
The cover letter should include the following information: Describe any prior interactions with PLOS regarding the submitted manuscript.
The cover letter should include the following information: Suggest appropriate Academic Editors to handle your manuscript ( see the full list of Academic Editors).
The cover letter should include the following information: List any opposed reviewers.

Author contributions

Add or confirm the author-written Author contributions statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Use the CRediT taxonomy to describe each contribution.

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Author contributions Provide at minimum one contribution for each author in the submission system.

Supplementary files

Research Article: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Registered Report: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.

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Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
In addition, the PLOS One article component should: Provide the step-by-step protocol as a supporting information (S1) file.
If you prefer to submit your manuscript to PLOS ONE before posting your protocol to protocols.io, then you must still provide your step-by-step protocol as a supporting information (S1) file in a format of your choosing.
Include the full results of any regression analysis performed as a supplementary file.
Submissions must also include the study protocol as supporting information, which will be published with the manuscript if accepted.
Systematic Review: If your article is a systematic review or a meta-analysis you should: Include the PRISMA checklist as supporting information.
This checklist should be provided as supporting information alongside the submitted manuscript.
Before the paper can enter peer review, authors must: Provide a copy of the trial protocol as approved by the ethics committee and a completed CONSORT checklist as supporting information (which will be published alongside the paper, if accepted).
Additional prerequisites apply for these study types: Clinical trials: A copy of the protocol that was approved by the ethics committee must be submitted as a supplementary information file.
Additional prerequisites apply for these study types: Systematic/scoping reviews and meta-analyses: A completed PRISMA-P checklist must be provided as a supporting information (SI) file.

Title page and author information

Provide the author, affiliation, and correspondence details for the separate title page; Articlo creates the editable companion file.
Each author on the list must have an affiliation.

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Include an email address for each corresponding author listed on the title page of the manuscript.
Title page The title, authors, and affiliations should all be included on a title page as the first page of the manuscript file.
If your corresponding author is affiliated with a participating institution, they must follow the instructions below to demonstrate eligibility.
Beginning section The following elements are required, in order: Title page: List title, authors, and affiliations as first page of the manuscript.
The corresponding author must provide an ORCID iD at the time of submission by entering it in the user profile in the submission system.
If your corresponding author is not from a participating institution and requires assistance paying publishing fees, please consider applying for a fee waiver at submission.

Article structure and word limits

All file types can be submitted, but files must be smaller than 20 MB in size.
Submit Your Manuscript Discover a faster, simpler path to publishing in a high-quality journal.

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Microsoft Word documents should not be locked or protected.
Layout and spacing Manuscript text should be double-spaced.
Use continuous line numbers (do not restart the numbering on each page).
Do not use MathType, Equation Editor, or the Insert→Equation function for only a portion of an equation.
Equations should not contain a mix of different equation tools.
If you do not use these exclusively, provide the SI value in parentheses after each value.
Gene prefixes such as those used for oncogenes or cellular localization should be shown in roman typeface (e.g., v-fes, c-MYC).
Obtaining this service is the responsibility of the author, and should be done before initial submission.
Manuscript Organization Manuscripts should be organized as follows.
Titles should be written in sentence case (only the first word of the text, proper nouns, and genus names are capitalized).
Systematic Review: For clinical trials, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses, the subtitle should include the study design.
Contributions will be published with the final article, and they should accurately reflect contributions to the work.
To ensure equitable recognition and avoid any appearance of partiality, do not include editors or peer reviewers—named or unnamed—in the Acknowledgments.
You should avoid citing retracted articles unless you need to discuss retracted work to provide historical context for your submitted research.
Include details of the type of t-test conducted (e.g. one sample, within-/between-subjects).
Markov chain Monte Carlo settings should be reported.
Include all estimated regression coefficients, their standard error, p-values, and confidence intervals, as well as the measures of goodness of fit.
Effect sizes and confidence intervals should be reported where appropriate.
If percentages are provided, the numerator and denominator should also be given.
Accession numbers All appropriate data sets, images, and information should be deposited in an appropriate public repository.
In all other cases, these numbers must be provided at full submission.
Identifiers should be provided in parentheses after the entity on first use.
Striking images should not contain potentially identifying images of people.
The statement should include: Specific grant numbers.
The statement should include: Initials of authors who received each award.
The statement should include: Full names of commercial companies that funded the study or authors.
Related manuscripts Upon submission, authors must confirm that the manuscript, or any related manuscript, is not currently under consideration or accepted elsewhere.
If related work has been submitted to PLOS One or elsewhere, authors must include a copy with the submitted article.
If approval was not obtained, the authors must provide a detailed statement explaining why it was not needed.
In addition, outmoded terms and potentially stigmatizing labels should be changed to more current, acceptable terminology.
All clinical trials must be registered in one of the publicly-accessible registries approved by the WHO or ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).
Authors must provide the trial registration number.
The intervention should be described according to the requirements of the TIDieR checklist and guide.
Any deviation from the trial protocol must be explained in the paper.
The PLOS One article component must comply with the general PLOS One submission guidelines (detailed above) and criteria for publication.
In addition, the PLOS One article component should: Describe the value that the protocol adds to the published literature.
Study Protocols must comply with the PLOS One general submission guidelines (detailed above in this page) and any guidelines specific to the related research study type.
Study Protocols must also comply with general PLOS One criteria for publication and in addition you should: include the word “Protocol” in your Title.
This should provide sufficient methodological detail for the protocol to be reproducible and replicable.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the aim, design, and setting.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the sample size calculation.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: how data saturation will be determined (for qualitative studies).
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the data management plan.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: safety considerations.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: where and when the data will be made available.
Approval must be received prior to beginning research.
Provide any relevant regulations under which the study is exempt from the requirement for approval.
Where the study may be confused as pertaining to clinical research, authors should also state the animal model in the title.
Specimen numbers and complete repository information, including museum name and geographic location, are required for publication.
If permits were required for any aspect of the work, details should be given of all permits that were obtained, including the full name of the issuing authority.
Meta-analyses that replicate published studies will be rejected if the authors do not provide adequate justification.
All novel structures must have been deposited in a community endorsed database prior to submission (please see our list of recommended repositories ).
The tool must be of use to the community and must present a proven advantage over existing alternatives, where applicable.
For software, databases, and online tools, the long-term utility should also be discussed, as relevant.
If similar options already exist, the submitted manuscript must demonstrate that the new tool is an improvement over existing options in some way.
If relevant, databases should be open for appropriate deposition of additional data.
In these cases, authors should provide a direct link to the deposited software or the database hosting site from within the paper.
Software submissions Manuscripts whose primary purpose is the description of new software must provide full details of the algorithms designed.
Include details of the supplied test data and explain how to install and run the software.
Authors should provide a direct link to the deposited software from within the paper.
Authors should provide a direct link to the database hosting site from within the paper.
For proper registration of a new zoological taxon, we require two specific statements to be included in your manuscript.
For proper registration of the new taxon, we require two specific statements to be included in your manuscript.
LaTeX manuscripts must be submitted as PDFs.
Use the recommended name by consulting the appropriate genetic nomenclature database (e.g., HGNC for human genes; we strongly recommend using this tool to check against previously approved names).
Allergens The systematic allergen nomenclature of the World Health Organization/International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-committee should be used for manuscripts that include the description or use of allergenic proteins.
For manuscripts describing new allergens, the systematic name of the allergen should be approved by the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee prior to manuscript publication.
The current address should be listed in the byline and clearly labeled “current address.” At a minimum, the address must include the author’s current institution, city, and country.
It should be clear from the text which measures of variance (standard deviation, standard error of the mean, confidence intervals) and central tendency (mean, median) are being presented.
Data reporting All data and related metadata underlying the findings reported in a submitted manuscript should be deposited in an appropriate public repository, unless already provided as part of the submitted article.
Striking images should ideally be high resolution, eye-catching, single panel images, and should ideally avoid containing added details such as text, scale bars, and arrows.
Do not include it in your manuscript file.
If the submission is related to any patents, patent applications, or products in development or for market, these details, including patent numbers and titles, must be disclosed in full.
We strongly discourage the unnecessary division of related work into separate manuscripts, and we will not consider manuscripts that are divided into “parts.” Each submission to PLOS One must be written as an independent unit and should not rely on any work that has not already been accepted for publication.
Registered Report: If data need to be collected, modified or processed specifically for your study, or if participants need to be recruited specifically for your study, then it should occur only after your Registered Report Protocol is accepted for publication.
Identifying information, including photos, should not be included in the manuscript unless the information is crucial and the individual has provided written consent by completing the Consent Form for Publication in a PLOS Journal (PDF).
For studies involving humans categorized by race/ethnicity, age, disease/disabilities, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, or other socially constructed groupings, authors should: Define categories in as much detail as the study protocol allows.
For studies involving humans categorized by race/ethnicity, age, disease/disabilities, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, or other socially constructed groupings, authors should: Explain whether (and if so, how) they controlled for confounding variables such as socioeconomic status, nutrition, environmental exposures, or similar factors in their analysis.
In addition, the protocol must: Be submitted before recruitment of participants is complete, or if no participant recruitment is to take place, before collection of data for the study is complete.
Additional prerequisites apply for these study types: Clinical trials: The trial must be registered prior to submission of your protocol in one of the publicly accessible registries approved by the WHO or ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: how materials will be selected and used e.g., where and how they will be sourced, the processes, interventions, or comparisons to be used, the outcomes to be measured, and when and how they will be measured.
Non-human primates Manuscripts describing research involving non-human primates must report details of husbandry and animal welfare in accordance with the recommendations of the Weatherall report, The use of non-human primates in research, including: Information about housing, feeding, and environmental enrichment.
Humane endpoints Manuscripts reporting studies in which death of a regulated animal (vertebrate, cephalopod) is a likely outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, must comprehensively report details of study design, rationale for the approach, and methodology, including consideration of humane endpoints.
Locality information should be provided in the manuscript as legally allowable, or a statement should be included giving details of the availability of such information to qualified researchers.
Any specimen that is erected as a new species, described, or figured must be deposited in an accessible, permanent repository (i.e., public museum or similar institution).
Cell lines Authors reporting research using cell lines should state when and where they obtained the cells, giving the date and the name of the researcher, cell line repository, or commercial source (company) who provided the cells, as appropriate.
Authors should check established cell lines using the ICLAC Database of Cross-contaminated or Misidentified Cell Lines to confirm they are not misidentified or contaminated.
Small and macromolecule crystal data Manuscripts reporting new and unpublished three-dimensional structures must include sufficient supporting data and detailed descriptions of the methodologies used to allow the reproduction and validation of the structures.
Small molecule single crystal data Authors reporting X-Ray crystallographic structures of small organic, metal-organic, and inorganic molecules must deposit their data with the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD), or similar community databases providing a recognized validation functionality.
Macromolecular structures Authors reporting novel macromolecular structures must have deposited their data prior to initial submission with the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB), the Biological Magnetic Resonance Data Bank (BMRB), the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB), or other community databases providing a recognized validation functionality.
If the manuscript’s primary purpose is the description of new software or a new software package, this software must be open source, deposited in an appropriate archive, and conform to the Open Source Definition.
If the manuscript mainly describes a database, this database must be open-access and hosted somewhere publicly accessible, and any software used to generate a database should also be open source.
Therefore the new names contained in the electronic publication of PLOS article are effectively published under that Code from the electronic edition alone, so there is no longer any need to provide printed copies.
Qualitative research studies should be reported in accordance to the Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) checklist or Standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR) checklist.
Manuscripts should conform to the following reporting guidelines: Microarray experiments: MIAME.
This should be accompanied by the following statement: All necessary permits were obtained for the described study, which complied with all relevant regulations.
If no permits were required, please include the following statement: No permits were required for the described study, which complied with all relevant regulations.
Antibodies Manuscripts reporting experiments using antibodies should include the following information: The commercial supplier or source laboratory.
Antibodies Manuscripts reporting experiments using antibodies should include the following information: The catalogue or clone number and, if known, the batch number.
Antibodies Manuscripts reporting experiments using antibodies should include the following information: The antigen(s) used to raise the antibody.
The manuscript should also report the following experimental details: The final antibody concentration or dilution.
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: The sampling strategy and eligibility criteria of enrolled subjects should be described in sufficient detail.
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: Sample size calculations should be justified with relevant inputs defined.
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: The validity and reliability testing of self-developed data collection tools should be reported.
Authors must also include the following information for each cell line: For de novo (new) cell lines, including those given to the researchers as a gift, authors must follow our policies for human subjects research or animal research, as appropriate.
Antibodies Manuscripts reporting experiments using antibodies should include the following information: The name of each antibody, a description of whether it is monoclonal or polyclonal, and the host species.
Antibodies Manuscripts reporting experiments using antibodies should include the following information: For established antibodies, a stable public identifier from the Antibody Registry.
You will need to contact Zoobank to obtain a GUID (LSID).
You will need to contact either Mycobank or Index Fungorum to obtain the GUID (LSID).
Do not format text in multiple columns.
It is important to gather these details prior to submission because your financial disclosure statement cannot be changed after initial submission without journal approval.
Combining data and/or functionalities from other sources may be acceptable, but simpler instances (i.e. presenting a subset of an already existing database) may not be considered.

Reporting guidelines

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

Statistical reporting

Reporting of statistical results Results must be rigorously and appropriately reported, in keeping with community standards.
Test statistics (F/t/r) and associated degrees of freedom should be provided.

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Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the type of data and statistical analyses to be used.
Data sets supporting statistical and phylogenetic analyses should be provided, preferably in a format that allows easy re-use.
The analysis methods are explicit, systematic, and reproducible, but the results do not involve numerical values or use statistics.
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: Independent and dependent variables considered for statistical analysis should be clearly defined and justified.
Statistical methods (meta-analysis) may or may not be used to analyze and summarize the results of the included studies.

Preprints and prior publication

The cover letter should include the following information: Relate the study to previously published work.

Submission forms

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

Language and text style

Language Manuscripts must be submitted in English.
Do not use non-standard abbreviations unless they appear at least three times in the text.

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Abstracts should not include: Abbreviations, if possible.
Journal name abbreviations should be those found in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) databases.
Please provide an additional English translation if the original document is not in English.
Keep abbreviations to a minimum.
Include an English translation if needed.
Submissions that do not meet the PLOS One publication criterion for language standards may be rejected.

Manuscript structure

In the Results section, the globally unique identifier (GUID), currently in the form of a Life Science Identifier (LSID), should be listed under the new species name, for example: Anochetus boltoni Fisher sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B6C072CF-1CA6-40C7-8396-534E91EF7FBB.
In the Results section, the globally unique identifier (GUID), currently in the form of a Life Science Identifier (LSID), should be listed under the new species name, for example: Solanum aspersum S.Knapp, sp. nov. [urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77103633-1] Type: Colombia.

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Introduction The introduction should: Define the problem addressed and why it is important.
Introduction The introduction should: Include a brief review of the key literature.
Introduction The introduction should: Note any relevant controversies or disagreements in the field.
Introduction The introduction should: Conclude with a brief statement of the overall aim of the work and a comment about whether that aim was achieved.
Materials and Methods The Materials and Methods section should provide enough detail to allow suitably skilled investigators to fully replicate your study.
Specific information and/or protocols for new methods should be included in detail.
Together, these sections should describe the results of the experiments, the interpretation of these results, and the conclusions that can be drawn.
PLOS One editorial decisions do not rely on perceived significance or impact, so authors should avoid overstating their conclusions.
In this section: Describe technical details or procedures required to reproduce the analysis.
In addition, the protocol must: Relate to a research study that has not yet generated results.
Manuscripts reporting animal research must state in the Methods section: Relevant details of steps taken to ameliorate animal suffering.
Full details of humane endpoints use must be reported for a study to be reproducible and for the results to be accurately interpreted.
All data sources must be acknowledged clearly in the Materials and Methods section.
Submissions presenting methods, software, databases, or tools must demonstrate that the new tool achieves its intended purpose.
Introduction The introduction should: Provide background that puts the manuscript into context and allows readers outside the field to understand the purpose and significance of the study.
Authors should explain how the results relate to the hypothesis presented as the basis of the study and provide a succinct explanation of the implications of the findings, particularly in relation to previous related studies and potential future directions for research.
For studies involving humans categorized by race/ethnicity, age, disease/disabilities, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, or other socially constructed groupings, authors should: Explicitly describe their methods of categorizing human populations.
Where trials were not publicly registered before participant recruitment began, authors must: Register all related clinical trials and confirm they have done so in the Methods section.
Where trials were not publicly registered before participant recruitment began, authors must: Explain in the Methods the reason for failing to register before participant recruitment.
In addition, the PLOS One article component should: Provide evidence that the protocol works, by either: Linking, in the Introduction section, to at least one supporting peer-reviewed publication in which the protocol was applied to generate data.
In addition, the PLOS One article component should: Provide evidence that the protocol works, by either: Providing validation or benchmarking data, which demonstrates that the underlying method achieves its intended purpose.
Study Protocols must also comply with general PLOS One criteria for publication and in addition you should: include a detailed description of the planned study in the Materials and Methods section.
Your description should cover all relevant and applicable facts and hypothesis, including: the status and timeline of the study, including an estimate of when participant recruitment or data extraction/collection will be completed, and when results are expected.
Non-human primates Manuscripts describing research involving non-human primates must report details of husbandry and animal welfare in accordance with the recommendations of the Weatherall report, The use of non-human primates in research, including: Steps taken to minimize suffering, including use of anesthesia and method of sacrifice, if appropriate.
If humane endpoints were not used, the manuscript should report: A scientific justification for the study design, including the reasons why humane endpoints could not be used, and discussion of alternatives that were considered.
Paleontology and archaeology research Manuscripts reporting paleontology and archaeology research must include descriptions of methods and specimens in sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced.
Systematic Review: Meta-analysis of genetic association studies Manuscripts reporting a meta-analysis of genetic association studies must report results of value to the field and should be reported according to the guidelines presented in Systematic Reviews of Genetic Association Studies by Sagoo et al.
For established cell lines, the Methods section should include: The cell line repository or company the cell line was obtained from, the catalogue number, and whether the cell line was obtained directly from the repository/company or from another laboratory.
In the Results section, the globally unique identifier (GUID), currently in the form of a Life Science Identifier (LSID), should be listed under the new species name, for example: Hymenogaster huthii.
Qualitative research Qualitative research studies use non-quantitative methods to address a defined research question that may not be accessible by quantitative methods, such as people's interpretations, experiences, and perspectives.
Beginning section The following elements are required, in order: Introduction.
Ending section The following elements are required, in order: Acknowledgments.
Furthermore, authors submitting work of this nature should pay special attention to the following requirements: Conclusions should be appropriate for the study design, with indications on how the study results will contribute to the base of academic knowledge.
For studies in which death of an animal is an outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, authors should include the following information in the Methods section of the manuscript: The specific criteria (i.e. humane endpoints) used to determine when animals should be euthanized.
For studies in which death of an animal is an outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, authors should include the following information in the Methods section of the manuscript: The duration of the experiment.
For studies in which death of an animal is an outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, authors should include the following information in the Methods section of the manuscript: The numbers of animals used, euthanized, and found dead (if any); the cause of death for all animals.
For studies in which death of an animal is an outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, authors should include the following information in the Methods section of the manuscript: How frequently animal health and behavior were monitored.
For studies in which death of an animal is an outcome or a planned experimental endpoint, authors should include the following information in the Methods section of the manuscript: All animal welfare considerations taken, including efforts to minimize suffering and distress, use of analgesics or anaesthetics, or special housing conditions.

Authorship and originality

All authors must meet the criteria for authorship as outlined in the authorship policy.
If included, these individuals must qualify for authorship according to our criteria.

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Acknowledgments Those who contributed to the work but do not meet our authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments with a description of the contribution.
Those who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship can be mentioned in the Acknowledgments.

Article type and manuscript length

These sections have no word limit, but the language should be clear and concise.
Research Article / Systematic Review: If your article is a systematic review or a meta-analysis you should: Select “Research Article” as your article type when submitting.

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Authors must include the structure reference numbers within the main text and submit as Supplementary Information the official validation reports from these databases.
Systematic Review: Reports of systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include a completed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist and flow diagram to accompany the main text.
Authors are also required to include the relevant structure reference numbers within the main text (e.g. the CCDC ID number), as well as the crystallographic information files (.cif format) as Supplementary Information, along with the checkCIF validation reports that can be obtained via the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr).

Study reporting guidelines

Before the paper can enter peer review, authors must: Include the CONSORT flow diagram as the manuscript's “Fig 1”.
Systematic Review: If your article is a systematic review or a meta-analysis you should: Include the PRISMA flow diagram as Fig 1 (required where applicable).

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This should be named S1 CONSORT Checklist.
Reports of Mendelian randomization studies must include a STROBE-MR checklist completed with page number and relevant text.
Clinical trials must be reported according to the relevant reporting guidelines, i.e. CONSORT for randomized controlled trials, TREND for non-randomized trials, and other specialized guidelines as appropriate.
Authors of manuscripts describing the results of clinical trials must adhere to the CONSORT reporting guidelines appropriate to their trial design, available on the CONSORT Statement web site.
Mendelian randomization studies Manuscripts reporting a Mendelian randomization study must report results of value to the field and should be reported according to STROBE-MR (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology using Mendelian Randomization) guidelines.
Manuscripts should conform to the following reporting guidelines: Studies of diagnostic accuracy: STARD.
Manuscripts should conform to the following reporting guidelines: Observational studies: STROBE.
Manuscripts should conform to the following reporting guidelines: Other types of health-related research: Consult the EQUATOR web site for appropriate reporting guidelines.

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What your package checks

Abstract: 300 words

Title page: separate file

Cover letter: requested

Declarations: Data availability, Funding, Competing interests, Ethics, Author contributions

Format: double spacing

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