We believe that where possible, all data associated with the research in a manuscript should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), enabling other researchers to replicate and build on that research. We strongly encourage authors to deposit the data underpinning their research in appropriate repositories and make it as openly accessible as possible.
For all submissions to our journals, any data required to understand and verify the research in an article must be made available on submission. To comply, we suggest authors deposit their data in an appropriate repository. Where this isn’t possible, we ask authors to include the data as part of the article Supplementary Information. If necessary data are not made available, authors may be requested to provide these as part of the peer-review process, or in light of any post-publication concerns.
Please see our Data sharing guidance and policy for more details on specific data types and recommended repositories.
Some journals may also have additional subject requirements for both sharing and/or publishing supporting data, so please ensure you check the journal-specific guidelines.
Please note, these guidelines are relevant to all of our journals. Make sure that you check your chosen journal’s web pages for specific guidelines too.
General guidance
These experimental reporting requirements apply to both new compounds and known compounds prepared by a new or modified method.
It is the authors’ responsibility to provide descriptions of the experiments in enough detail to enable other skilled researchers to accurately reproduce the work.
Experimental procedures, compound characterization data, research materials necessary to enable the reproduction of an experiment and references to the associated literature should be provided in the experimental section of the manuscript.
Standard techniques and methods used throughout the work should be stated at the beginning of the experimental section; descriptions of these are not needed.
For known compounds synthesised via a literature procedure, authors should provide a reference to previously published characterization data.
Sources of starting materials obtained need not be identified unless the compound is not widely available, or the source is critical for the experimental result. Only non-standard apparatus should be described and commercially available instruments can be referred to by their stock numbers.
The accuracy of primary measurements should be stated. Figures should include error bars where appropriate, and results should be accompanied by an analysis of experimental uncertainty. Care should be taken to report the correct number of significant figures throughout the manuscript.
Any unusual hazards associated with the chemicals, procedures or equipment should be clearly identified.
For studies that involve the use of live animals or human subjects please refer to our Human and Animal Welfare policy.
Please see the sections below for detailed information about how to present specific types of data.
Post-acquisition processing of data
Authors might be asked during peer review to provide the original unprocessed data to the editors/reviewers of the journal.
All image acquisition and processing tools (including their settings) should be clearly stated in the manuscript. The amount of post-acquisition processing of data should be kept to a minimum. Any type of alteration such as image processing, cropping and groupings should be clearly stated in the figure caption and the Supplementary Information (SI) - clearly describing the process of alteration. Data manipulation (for example, normalisation or handling of missing values) should be noted.
Image processing changes should be applied to the entire image as well as all other images it is compared to. Processed images should still represent all the original data (with no data missing) and touch-up tools should be avoided.
Genuine and relevant signals in spectra should not be lost due to image enhancement.
Microscopy images of cells from multiple fields should not be compared but shown as single images (at least as part of the deposited data or in the SI).
Data Citation
For author-generated datasets that are directly associated with the article, we encourage authors to add data citations as bibliographic references within the article and the Data Availability Statement (DAS). Within the DAS, the citation should be given alongside information on datasets associated with the study and where to find them.
For datasets associated with previous studies, we encourage authors to add data citations as bibliographic references within the main text as they are mentioned. Data citation is encouraged as an alternative to informal references or mentions of local identifiers.
Suggested reference format for data citations:
[A. Name, B. Name and C. Name], [Name of repository / type of dataset], [Deposition number], [Year], [DOI, or URL if not available, of the dataset].
An example:
P. Cui, D. P. McMahon, P. R. Spackman, B. M. Alston, M. A. Little, G. M. Day and A. I. Cooper, 2019, CCDC Experimental Crystal Structure Determination: 1915306, DOI: 10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc22912j
Please also refer to the guidelines from the relevant repository on which information to provide in a citation.
Human and animal welfare
When a study involves the use of live animal subjects, authors should adhere to the When a study involves the use of human subjects, authors should adhere to the general principles set out in .
Authors must include in the "methods/experimental" section of the manuscript a statement that all experiments were performed in compliance with the relevant guidelines. The statement must name the institutional/local ethics committee that has approved the study, and where possible the approval or case number should be provided.
Details of all guidelines followed should be provided. A statement regarding informed consent is required for all studies involving human subjects. Reviewers may be asked to comment specifically on any cases in which concerns arise.
For studies involving the use of animal subjects, authors are encouraged to make the completed ARRIVE 2.0 checklist available during peer review, for example by sharing it as part of the Supplementary Information (SI) or citing the deposited item.
The journals’ editorial teams reserve the right to request additional information in relation to experiments on vertebrates or higher invertebrates as necessary for the evaluation of the manuscript e.g., in the context of appropriate animal welfare or studies that involve death as an experimental endpoint.
Batteries
Authors and referees should note the following guidelines for articles reporting electrochemical data and setup of batteries. It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that the following information is provided in the main manuscript or Supplementary Information as appropriate.
The setup used for electrochemical testing should be clearly specified in the Experimental Information. For example, full or half cells, reference electrode (if used), testing temperature, etc.
When reporting electrochemical performance data, the authors should clearly state how many experimental runs these data are based on. The electrochemical performance value calculations should be clearly explained (including information on using charging or discharging values). All electrochemical data should be reported to an appropriate number of significant figures, along with standard deviation and error bars on graphs.
When reporting electrode performance values, the thickness of the electrode and the mass percentage of all electrode components (active material, additive, binder, etc.), the total mass of the electrode, and the geometric area of the electrode should be provided.
When reporting device-level performance values, the mass percentage of all battery components (active material, additive, binder, casing, current collector, electrolyte, separator, etc.), the total mass of the battery, and the geometric area of the electrode should be reported.
The mass percent and theoretical capacity of the active material should be provided if the theoretical capacity of the studied material is known. The theoretical capacity should be used to calculate C-rate. Alternatively, a rigorous use of A g-1 is recommended.
Pre-cycling and/or first cycle data should be reported.
Calculations of battery capacity should report the capacity obtained (in mAh g-1; if appropriate, volumetric values can be added in the unit of mAh cm-3) with the cycling rate and at what cycle number this capacity was obtained clearly stated. Average capacities for ≥3 cells with standard deviation are preferred.
Catalysts
Where the screening of new catalysts is reported, authors should provide a mass balance for all reactions (using, for example, an internal standard in their analysis technique). Recycling efficiencies should be based on reaction rates measurements and not product yield as a function of cycle. It is highly desirable to report the reaction rate for the catalysts as turnover frequency or mass-specific activity or, for heterogeneous catalysts, as surface-specific activity.
Electrophoretic gels and blots
It is the responsibility of the authors to provide the raw data for all electrophoretic gel and blot data, ensuring sufficient evidence to support their conclusions.
All Western blot and other electrophoresis data should be supported by the underlying raw images. The image of the full gel and blot, uncropped and unprocessed, should be made available on submission. We suggest authors deposit their data in an appropriate repository. Where this isn’t possible, we ask authors to include the data as part of the Supplementary Information. All samples and controls used for a comparative analysis should be run on the same gel or blot.
When illustrating the result, any cropping or rearrangement of lanes within an image should be stated in the figure legend and with lane boundaries clearly delineated. Alterations should be kept to a minimum required for clarity.
Each image should be appropriately labelled, with the closest molecular mass markers and lanes labelled. All details should be visible; over or underexposed gels and blots are not acceptable. Authors should be able to provide raw data for all replicate experiments upon request.
Fluorescence sensors
Studies on fluorescence sensor systems should include titrations covering a full range of analyte concentration, from the absence of analyte to a stoichiometric excess, taking the following factors into account:
- If the analyte shows significant absorption at the excitation or emission frequencies corrections should be carried out for Inner Filter Effects (IFEs). (note: fluorescence probes where the response mechanism is based on the Inner Filter Effect are not suitable for publication in NJC)
- A plateau should be observed at high analyte concentrations for the intensity vs. concentration plot when the sensing mechanism is based on association
- Calculated Limits of Detection (LoD) should be supported by experimental data at similar concentrations
- The intensity vs. concentration relationship should be fitted using suitable software. The Benesi-Hildebrand linearization method for the determination of the association constant should not be used without extensive consideration of the limitations that arise from the method’s assumptions ( for further details.)
Plots reporting the Stern-Volmer relationship (I°/I vs. concentration; the same should be valid for its reciprocal I/I°) should show an intercept of 1. Significant variation from this is not acceptable.
The Stern-Volmer relationship should be justified by reference to an appropriate quenching mechanism, e.g. dynamic quenching should show a linear relationship, while static quenching can present an upward curvature for relatively high association constants (see for further discussion)
The performance of all sensor systems should be compared to the current state-of-the-art sensors for the same analyte, with any differences in requirements (e.g. solvent system) clearly stated; a suitable (and justified) set of interferences should also be tested and discussed.
Inorganic and organometallic compounds
A new chemical substance (molecule or extended solid) should have a homogeneous composition and structure. Where the compound is molecular, authors should provide data to unequivocally establish its homogeneity, purity and identification as described above.
In general, this should include elemental analyses or a justification for the omission of this data.
This is particularly important for 新月直播app下载 silent paramagnetic compounds where 新月直播app下载 data tends to be less useful in establishing purity. In some instances an assigned 1H 新月直播app下载 spectrum of a paramagnetic compound that is demonstrably devoid of impurities may be acceptable.
It may be possible to substitute elemental analyses with high-resolution mass spectrometric molecular weights. This is appropriate, for example, with trivial derivatives of thoroughly characterised substances or routine synthetic intermediates. In all cases, relevant spectroscopic data (新月直播app下载, IR, UV-vis, etc.) should be provided in tabulated form or as reproduced spectra. These may be deposited in an appropriate repository and cited, or provided in the Supplementary Information (SI). However, it should be noted that, in general, mass spectrometric and spectroscopic data do not constitute proof of purity, and, in the absence of elemental analyses, additional evidence of purity should be provided (melting points, PXRD data, etc.).
Where the compound is an extended solid, it is important to unequivocally establish the chemical structure and bulk composition. Single crystal X-ray diffraction does not determine the bulk structure. Reviewers will normally look to see evidence of bulk homogeneity. A fully indexed powder diffraction pattern that agrees with single crystal data may be used as evidence of a bulk homogeneous structure, and chemical analysis may be used to establish purity and homogeneous composition.
Detailed information on the reporting requirements for X-ray crystallography, including small molecule single crystal data and powder diffraction data is available in the section on X-ray crystallography.
Macromolecular structure and sequence data
Novel macromolecular structures and newly reported nucleic acid or protein sequences and microarray data should be deposited in appropriate repositories. It is the responsibility of the authors to provide relevant accession numbers prior to publication.
A Data Availability Statement with suitable links to the deposited data should be included. Please see our Data Sharing policy for more details. For high-throughput studies, we encourage authors to refer to Minimum Information Standards as determined and maintained by the relevant communities. For further details see:
The following should be supplied for macromolecular X-ray structures:
- PDB header information
- Rmerge, completeness, multiplicity and I/sigma(I) - both overall and in the outer resolution shell - for data, and
- Rcryst, Rfree and the bond and angle deviations for coordinates
- a Ramachandran plot, and preferably
- real space R-factor
For 新月直播app下载 structures equivalent data plus resonance assignments should be supplied - number of restraints (NOEs and J-couplings), RMS restraint deviation, etc, plus resonance assignments should be supplied.
All the above information should be included as summary data tables in the manuscript or may be deposited in an appropriate repository and cited, or provided in the Supplementary Information.
Magnetic measurements
If data from magnetic measurements are presented, the authors should provide a thorough description of the experimental details pertaining to how the sample was measured. If the data have been corrected for sample or sample holder diamagnetism, the diamagnetic correction term should be provided and the manner in which it was determined should be stated.
Any fit of magnetic data (for example, χ(T), χ(1/T), χT(T), μ(T), M(H), etc.) to an analytical expression should be accompanied by the Hamiltonian from which the analytical expression is derived, the analytical expression itself, and the fitting parameters. If the expression is lengthy, it may be deposited in an appropriate repository and cited, or relegated to the Supplementary Information to conserve space. When an exchange coupling constant (J) is quoted in the abstract, the form of the Hamiltonian should also be included in the abstract.
Nanomaterials
For nanomaterials (such as quantum dots, nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires), it is the authors’ responsibility not only to provide a detailed characterisation of individual components (see Inorganic and organometallic compounds) but also a comprehensive characterisation of the bulk composition. Characterisation of the bulk sample could require determination of the chemical composition and size distribution over large portions of the sample.
All nanoparticulate materials should have been purified from synthesis by-products and residual parent compounds, ions etc. If they are to be applied in dispersed form (for example, as a nanoparticulate drug carrier), sufficient data on the dispersion state should be provided (for example, by dynamic light scattering, centrifugal analysis, nanoparticle tracking analysis).
SEM or TEM images for hybrid inorganic-organic nanoparticles should be provided in at least three different levels of magnification. Bar scales should be clearly visible. Images may be deposited in an appropriate repository and cited, or provided in the Supplementary Information (SI).
Polymers and macromolecules
For all soluble polymers, an estimation of molecular weight should be provided by size exclusion chromatography, including details of columns, eluents and calibration standards, intrinsic viscosity, MALDI TOF, etc. In addition, full 新月直播app下载 characterisation (1H,13C) as for organic compound characterisation above.
For Gel Permeation Chromatography, molecular weight (Mw), molecular number (Mn) polydispersity index (PDI), and internal standards used should be specified, and associated images/spectra should be made available on submission. We suggest authors deposit their data in an appropriate repository. Where this isn’t possible, we ask authors to include the data as part of the article Supplementary Information (SI).
Synthetic procedures
These should be described in enough detail so that a skilled researcher is able to repeat them. They should include the specific reagents, products and solvents with all of their amounts (g, mmol, for products: %), as well as clearly stating how the percentage yields are calculated.
- Reaction times, temperature and solvent quantities should be reported
- Reactions requiring heating - provide the heat source
- Reactions conducted using microwave heating - information on the type of vessel used and how the temperature was monitored should be given as well as the temperature reached or maintained
- Light-promoted reactions - report the light source and specific conditions
- Describe purification methods in detail
- GC or HPLC traces should be supported with retention times and separation conditions (support, solvent and flow rate)
- Centrifugation - includes rotation speed, centrifugation/dialysis time, solution for resuspension, resuspension time and procedure for each centrifugation step
Synthetic procedures should also include all the characterisation data for the prepared compound or material. For a series of related compounds at least one representative procedure that outlines a specific example that is described in the text or in a table and that is representative of the other cases should be provided. For a multistep synthesis, spectra of key compounds and the final product should be included.
System models
Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a computer-readable format for representing models of biochemical reaction networks. SBML is applicable to metabolic networks, cell-signalling pathways, regulatory networks, and many others.
We encourage authors to prepare models of biochemical reaction networks using SBML and to deposit the model in an open database such as the or .