Preparing Supplementary Information

You can include Supplementary Information with your article to enhance and increase the impact of your work, for example by including 3D molecular models and movies. Authors can also improve the readability of their articles by placing appropriate material in the Supplementary Information, such as repetitive experimental details. All information published as Supplementary Information is fully archived and permanently linked to the article using CrossMark.

When preparing your Supplementary Information data files, you should keep in mind the following points:

• Supplementary data is peer-reviewed and should therefore be included with the original submission
• Supplementary Information files are published 'as is' which means editorial staff will not edit the data for style or content
• Data files are useful only if readers can access them. Use common, widely known and machine-readable file formats where possible
• Large files may prove difficult for users to download and access
• References cited in the Supplementary Information should be included in a separate references list within the Supplementary Information document

Where deposition in a subject-specific, institutional or general repository is not possible, we encourage the submission of supporting information for compounds and spectra. For compounds, please supply mol files (exported from your chemical drawing package) as unique compounds, without R-groups or variable attachments. Spectral data such as NMR, IR, Raman, ESR should be supplied in the standard JCAMP-DX format (.jdx files). 

We offer a service that enables the 3D visualisation of complex molecules. You can use the FirstGlance in Jmol tool to prepare these.

← View all guidelines for preparing and formatting your article

Multimedia files & video abstracts

We welcome the use of multimedia files (including videos and animations) as these can be an excellent medium to present elements of your work. Any videos of general interest can also be shared with the wider community through social media – an effective way to attract new audience groups to your work. 

Video abstracts offer an exciting opportunity to highlight the importance of a paper to the reader in a new and engaging way. Please notify the editorial team if you prefer for your video(s) not to be promoted in this way.

If you submit a multimedia file alongside your paper, please refer to it within your paper to draw it to the reader’s attention. Please also provide a short descriptive title for the video.

Content

• Start by introducing the conclusion of your article and concentrate on the main results
• Focus the video on why the article is relevant to the reader
• Introduce relevant co-workers and mix in images/footage of your laboratory, experiment and equipment to make it more engaging
• Videos should be approximately two-three minutes in length (no longer than four minutes)
• On screen text should be used sparingly and be large enough to read clearly

Technical

• Resolution/aspect ratio: 720p, 1080p or 4k.
• Frames per second: 25 to 30.
• Formats accepted: MPG, MOV, AVI, WMV, MP4.

Notes

• You should ensure that you have copyright permission for any images, stock footage or background music used.
• Please also submit a transcript of the video abstract that we can upload to make it more accessible.