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    • MRS Communications Article Types
    • MRS Communications - Manuscript Submission Requirements
    • MRS Communications Instructions - Figures
    • MRS Communications Instructions - Format
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MRS Communications Instructions - Figures

Format | Resolution | File Size | Labels and Appearance | Captions
Color | Figure Display in Abstract | Supplementary Material 

 Format:  

High-resolution figures must be uploaded during manuscript submission.  The preferred format for figure submission is .tif or .eps format.  Figures submitted in pdf format must be saved in separate files.

 Resolution:  

Line drawings and graphs must have a resolution of at least 1200 dpi and a minimum width of 3 inches.  Photographs and micrographs must have resolution of at least 350 dpi and a minimum width of 3 inches.  For all figures the maximum width is 6 inches.  Lower-resolution images will not reproduce properly and will not be accepted. The Editorial Office will provide instructions for ftp of electronic figure submission on an as-needed basis.

 File size:  

There is a 60 MB file upload size limit in MRS Communications Manuscripts.  Please use LZW compression (which does not affect resolution) when saving figure files.

 Labels and appearance:

• Figure numbers are Arabic: 1, 2, 3. Do not use Roman numerals for figures.  Figure parts are labeled with letters: (a), (b), (c).
• Figure part labels appear lowercase (a), (b), etc., in the lower left corner outside of figure area.  Do not include figure labels within the figures.  Do not use capital letters. See sample figure below. 
• Multi-part figures, which should be submitted as one electronic file, should read horizontally rather than vertically.  See sample figure below.
   
• All extraneous machine-generated information in SEM and TEM micrographs must be removed prior to submission and professional quality scale markers placed on the figure (see samples)
• Presenting x-ray and neutron diffraction patterns:
  • X-ray or neutron powder diffraction data should be presented with the diffraction peaks identified to the fullest extent possible.  For data from materials with known unit cells, the diffraction peaks should be indexed as shown below.   For Miller indices with a value of 10 or higher, an underline is used to more clearly indicate that there are two digits in the index.
  • Note: by convention the Miller indices of the reflection plane hkl, written without parentheses, represent the diffracted beam from plane (hkl). See sample figure below.
     
   
• For those diffraction patterns where the phases have unknown unit cells, simply labeling the peaks using a legend is acceptable, as illustrated below:
   
• For diffraction data that have been fitted using a model of some kind, the measured XRD pattern must be shown, along with the difference pattern and the diffraction peak locations.  The figure caption will identify the measured and difference patterns as well as all of the phase associated with each set of peak location markers.  (see sample of a typical full-pattern or Rietveld fit)
   

 Captions: 

Every figure must be referred to in the main text in consecutive numerical order. A caption (legend) must be provided for each figure. Captions must be placed on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.  If a figure part such as (a) or (b) is referred to in a caption, that figure part must be labeled.

• Figure captions are numbered FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, etc.  Example:  FIG. 1. Concentration dependence of the critical indentation depth, hc.
• Labels appear before what they describe. Example: (a) SEM micrograph, (b) TEM micrograph, and (c) XRD micrograph

 Color:   

• MRS Communications is a full-color journal.  Authors are strongly encouraged to submit color figures. 
• Color figures must be submitted before the paper is accepted for publication, and cannot be received later in the process.
• Submit a color graphic in Tagged Image File Format (.tif).
• Submit color graphics with a resolution of at least 300 dpi (600 dpi if there is text or line art in the figure).
• Submit color graphics in CMYK format.
• Submit figures sized to fit the actual column or page width of the journal so that reduction or enlargement is not necessary.
• Submit multipart figures in one single electronic file.

 Figure display in abstract: 

Please identify the figure or figure part that best represents your paper for display in the online abstract. A color figure that is visually interesting and tells the reader at a glance what the paper is about is recommended. Please be specific [i.e., Fig. 3(a) or Fig. 3(b)].

 Supplementary Material: 

MRS Communications allows the submission of supplemental material for online publication.  Supplementary Material is defined as any content that supports, but is not key to, the understanding of a published item’s message. Given that Supplementary Material is exclusively published online, it may include file types (video, audio) that are incompatible with a print format.

Supplementary Material is subject to the same peer review process and copyright requirements as all primary content. It will be neither copy-edited nor typeset, but will be published as approved by the Editor-in-Chief. Common types of Supplementary Material include audio and video files and large datasets or tables. Datasets, tables, and other textual material are commonly submitted as PDF, Excel, or Word files. the author should ensure that an in-text citation to each Supplementary file has been made in the article. Preferably, in-text cites will appear in a separate section at the end of the article, following the text and preceding the traditional “References” or “Notes” section. Supplementary figures and tables should be labeled as FIG. S1, FIG. S2., etc.  and TABLE SI, TABLE SII, etc.

The author will be able to check in page proofs to be certain that the in-text citation appears properly; however, the Supplementary Material files themselves will not be circulated with the page proofs. When an article is published online, either as a FirstView article or as part of an issue, the Supplementary Material will be published online with the article.

Files should be in final, publishable format upon submission. MRS Communications will not edit or typeset Supplementary Material, nor will it modify audio or video files in any substantive way. The author will be notified if a submitted file does not meet quality and size requirements.

Some Supplementary Material may not be able to be submitted through our online peer review systems, due to file size or compatibility problems. In such cases, and for all other questions regarding supplementary material, contact the MRC Editorial Office.