Figure, Table, and Data Supplement Guidelines
Figures
General requirements. Figures must be supplied in high resolution in order to maintain the quality in both print and online publications. They must be numbered in the sequence that they are mentioned in the text.
1. Figure labels should be
- sized in proportion to the figure
- in capital letters
- complete for all data presented in the figures
2. Figure legends should be in the manuscript only (after References). All figure legends must be consistent with the manuscript contents. Include all abbreviations of terms found in each figure, as well as their definitions. Please use lowercase alphabets for any superscript legends (eg, a, b, c). Asterisks may be used for legends referring to P values or statistics.
3. Black and white versus color
- Figures are printed in black and white unless color is necessary for proper interpretation (at the Editor’s discretion)
- Authors must bear the costs of color printing ($750/page)
- Black and white TIFF files must be saved as grayscale
- Color figures may be saved as RGB or CMYK
4. Previously published figures must be referenced properly in the figure legend and include written copyright holder permission for reprint upon submission.
If you need further assistance, the publications office at your institution may be able to assist with preparation of artwork intended for publication.
Line art (charts, diagrams, etc.). Avoid the use of solid and shaded backgrounds, as well as fill effects. To aid in clear interpretation of figures (especially for black and white figures), ensure that patterns are clearly distinguished from each other. Our preferred file format for line art is TIFF at 1200 pixels/inch at 42 picas/7 in/17 cm. If you are unable to supply a TIFF file, you may submit the original file (Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) or a PDF (if the figure was created using statistical software).
Half-tone figures (photographs, micrographs, etc.). Please supply the following:
1. For peer review only: Low resolution figures (minimum 72 pixels/inch). We accept low resolution
figures in .jpg, .gif, .tif, and .eps formats.
2. For publication: High resolution figures are required upon acceptance. Our preferred file format
for half-tone figures is TIFF (minimum 300 pixels/inch at 42 picas/7 in/17 cm).
References. References that are cited only in figures and figure legends should follow the numbering of references based on the sequence that it appears in the text.
Uploading figures. All figures should be uploaded as separate files to our online submission system on ScholarOne. In order to ensure that files will be uploaded, please flatten your TIFF files and compress them (save each file as LZW under Image Compression in Photoshop).
For files that are greater than 350 Mb, you may send them though file transfer software from your institution or free software such as WeTransfer (www.wetransfer.com).
Line art example.
Tables
General requirements. Prepare each table on a separate page in one file, double spaced, with a brief title. Number tables consecutively, according to the sequence they appear in the text, and supply a brief legend for each. Previously published tables must be referenced properly in the table legend and include written copyright holder permission for reprint upon submission.
Table data. All table data should be cell based and fully editable. Avoid the use of special formatting within tables, such as tabs, returns (Enter key), and shading (see table examples below). Ensure that all data include units of measurement and a description of how the data is expressed [eg, n (%), mean (SD)].
Table legends. Include explanations of any legends in the table, as well as definitions of all abbreviations found in the table. Please use lowercase alphabets for any superscript legends (eg, a, b, c). Asterisks may be used for legends referring to P values or statistics.
References. References that are cited only in tables should follow the numbering of references based on the sequence that they appear in the text.
Uploading tables. All tables should be uploaded as one file to our online submission system on ScholarOne.
Table examples.
Data Supplement
Content. Supplementary material for online-only publication may contain information that enhances the article but is not essential to the understanding of its conclusions. Data supplements may include more detailed methods, extended data sets/analysis, and/or study protocols that would otherwise be presented in an appendix. Data supplements can comprise text, tables, and figures. Label each accordingly (eg, Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S1, Supplementary Data S1).
File format. Submit the data supplement as a separate file in a PDF document, labeled as "Data Supplement". As data supplements will be published as provided (without copyediting, proofreading, or typesetting), they should be formatted exactly as you would like them to appear. Pay attention to uniform appearance and remove unnecessary spaces or blank pages.
Order. All data must be arranged in the order of first mention in the manuscript and placed in a single document.
Citation. All supplementary material must be cited in the main text of the article.
References. Data supplements are published as self-contained documents. Any references cited in a supplementary table, figure, or text should be listed in an independent reference list either in the respective legend to the table/figure or at the end of the data supplement document. *References cited in the main article should appear in the main reference list. Do not include additional references as a separate data supplement.
Originality. Supplementary data must not be previously published material. Adapted or reproduced tables, figures, and data that are deemed necessary to the article must be included in the main article.
Maximum size. No more than 5 MB per data supplement.
Audio and Video. All audio and video clips should be provided in MP4 format.
Fee. Authors are charged a flat fee of $150 per article.
Disclaimer. The author(s) are responsible for the accuracy of the content in the data supplement. The Journal of Rheumatology is not responsible or liable for the content of the supplementary material, which has been supplied by the author(s) and has not been copyedited. A liability disclaimer from The Journal will be included in the published data supplement.