Instructions for authors

BioMed Central’s online submission system makes the process of publishing research in BioMed Central's journals simple and efficient. To help, there is a quick instructions guide outlining the key aspects of the online submission process, including tips and advice, plus links out to additional pages for more information.

For full detailed instructions for authors for each journal use the drop down menu below to choose the relevant journal and then click the 'Instructions for Authors' button.

Submit a manuscript

Quick instructions guide

Online submission | Manuscript preparation | Illustration/figure preparation | Submitting your article

Online submission

BioMed Central journals use online submission. The submission process is compatible with all major web browsers and can be used from PC, Mac, or Unix platforms.

Files can be submitted as a batch, or one by one. The submission process can be interrupted at any time: when users return to the site, they can carry on where they left off.

Manuscript preparation

Word processing formats

The following word processor file formats are acceptable for the main manuscript document for all of BioMed Central journals:

Please visit My BioMed Central for instructions for uploading files.

Please note that figures and additional files must be submitted as separate files, not as part of the main manuscript file. See the Additional Files Quick Reference for more information.

Illustration/figure preparation

Each figure should be submitted as a separate graphics file. If a figure consists of separate parts, it is important that a single composite illustration file is submitted that contains all parts of the figure.

Illustration file formats

All of BioMed Central's journals accept the following formats for figure files:

  • EPS (preferred format for diagrams)
  • PDF (also especially suitable for diagrams)
  • TIFF (for photographs and screen dumps, 300 dpi if possible)

Text within figures should usually be either Arial or Helvetica fonts; Courier may be used if a monospaced font is required. Text should be designed to be legible when the illustration is scaled to a width of 600 pixels.

Submitting your article

When a manuscript is ready to be submitted please go to the Submit a manuscript page and choose one of the peer-reviewed journals for the research article. Then follow the step by step process to submit the article.