Top 10 ways to delay your paper
These are the most frequently encountered issues that arise during the pre-acceptance process, along with some suggested solutions.
- Figures are too tall or wide: Be mindful of figure height and width; they should adhere to our specified dimensions. Refer to our guidelines on figure dimensions.
- Layers have been merged or figure flattened: The process of merging elements onto a single layer, often referred to as rasterization or flattening, involves consolidating entire figures or sub-panels into a unified representation. Find out more about how to export vector graphics.
- Text is too small: Ensure that text meets our requirements, with a minimum size of 5 pt.
- Text is corrupting or can’t be edited: Be cautious of text corruption through outlining or the wrong truetype settings, which converts text into shapes, making it uneditable. Learn more about outlined text and find useful exporting guidelines.
- Figures aren’t optimized for the visually impaired: Prioritize accessibility to ensure figures are legible for visually impaired individuals, considering factors such as colorblindness and the use of coloured text. Discover more about accessibility guidelines.
- Images are blurry or pixelated: Avoid low-resolution images and charts. Learn more about image resolution considerations.
- Panels are missing: Ensure that all images or graphics are properly embedded or linked before saving your work.
- There are problems with images or western blots: Address any issues by referring to our dedicated section on image integrity.
- Chemical structures are the wrong size or not editable: Ensure chemical structures are neither too small nor too large and adhere to our style guide. Refer to our chemical structure guide (pdf).
- Figures are in the wrong format: Verify that your format complies with our accepted standards. You can review the list of accepted formats.