Scientific Reports figure & submission guidelines
Scientific Reports is the unusual case in the Nature Portfolio: it publishes a blanket 300 DPI rule and strict format rules, but no column widths anywhere. Here is what it actually specifies — and the defaults the studio presets use.
| Column widths | Not published — the journal's guidelines state no single/double column widths. The presets use the Nature Portfolio standard (89 / 183 mm) as a practical default |
|---|---|
| Maximum height | Not stated |
| Resolution | 300 DPI for all digitized images at final revision ('should be 300 DPI if possible') — one blanket figure, no separate line-art tier; line art is specified by format instead |
| Panel labels | Lowercase a, b, c — bold, in the same type size as used elsewhere in the figure |
| Other text | No point sizes stated — one clear sans-serif (e.g. Helvetica) at the same size across all figures; the thinnest lines should be at least 1 pt |
| File formats | Line art: EPS or AI (vector). Photographs/bitmaps: TIFF, JPG or PSD. Word/PowerPoint files with placed images are not accepted |
| Colour | RGB or CMYK — the journal will not convert between them, so supply the mode you want |
| Multi-part figures | Must be supplied as a single image file — do not upload panels individually (assembling them is exactly what the studio does) |
| Display items | Figures and tables together are limited to 8 per article |
The buttons open the studio with the Nature Portfolio standard widths, 300 dpi export and lowercase bold labels already set.
The trap is borrowing the family numbers: most summaries lend Scientific Reports the widths and DPI ladder of other Nature journals. Its own guidelines state neither — just 300 DPI, vector line art, and one file per figure. The widths in the presets are labelled as defaults for exactly that reason.
How it works
- Add your panels — drop in images or PDF pages; white margins are trimmed automatically.
- Arrange & label — the width, DPI and label style are already set for Scientific Reports; drag panels into order.
- Export — free PNG at 100 DPI to check the layout; high-res PNG / SVG / PDF (300–1200 DPI) with a figure credit.
Pricing: free preview · Manuscript pack $7 (12 figures) · Researcher annual $79 · Lab annual $249. One credit exports one figure in any format, and re-exports of the same figure are free for 24 hours — built for revision rounds.
Specs summarised from the official source: Scientific Reports — submission guidelines. Journals update their rules — always confirm against the current official guidelines before you submit.
More guides: All journal figure guides · How to combine graphs into one figure · Figure resolution & DPI, explained · Back to the studio