MDPI Manuscript Formatting Guidelines in Word

As the world's largest Open Access academic publisher, MDPI publishes over 400 peer-reviewed journals—including flagship titles such as Sensors, Molecules, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS), Sustainability, Energies, Nutrients, Diagnostics, Applied Sciences, and Materials. Known for rapid editorial turnaround times through its proprietary submission system (SuSy), MDPI processes hundreds of thousands of submissions annually.

However, researchers attempting to prepare their manuscripts in Microsoft Word frequently hit a notorious obstacle: the MDPI two-column Word template crash trap. Complex multi-column section breaks, wide figures, and overflowing equations frequently corrupt Word documents, causing hours of formatting frustration.

This 2026 guide covers everything you need to format an MDPI manuscript cleanly in Word: navigating the single-column vs. two-column choice, Palatino Linotype typography, 3-line tables, bounded equations, and the strict 14-role CRediT taxonomy required in your back matter.

2. The 2-Column Word Template Crash Trap & How to Avoid It

MDPI provides a downloadable Microsoft Word template (mdpi_template.dot). While visually appealing, this template forces a two-column layout with 0.8 cm column spacing.

Why the Template Breaks in Word

Microsoft Word is not a desktop publishing tool like Adobe InDesign or LaTeX. In Word, placing a wide table or a large multi-panel figure across both columns requires inserting two Continuous Section Breaks: one before the figure (switching from 2 columns to 1 column) and one after the figure (switching from 1 column back to 2 columns).

This section-break structure creates acute layout instability:

• Orphan Blank Pages: Word frequently inserts un-deletable blank pages or trailing section gaps before wide figures.
• Column Inversion: Adding a sentence on page 3 can cause text on page 4 to jump from the left column to the right column, leaving large empty gaps at the bottom of the page.
• Header / Footer Page Number Resets: Continuous section breaks often decouple Word's “Link to Previous” header setting, resetting page numbers to 1 midway through the paper.
• Equation Margins: Numbered equations frequently overflow the 8.1 cm column width, colliding with adjacent column text.

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Figure 1: Microsoft Word Columns dialog showing single column vs multi-column section setupClose

Figure 1: Avoid multi-column section break corruption in Word by selecting One column for initial review drafts.

The Official Single-Column Strategy

To avoid these technical traps, follow MDPI's recommended initial submission path:

1. Format your manuscript as a standard single-column document.
2. Use 1.5× or double (2.0×) line spacing so peer reviewers can read comfortably on tablets and monitors.
3. Enable continuous line numbering down the left margin.
4. Embed figures and tables directly within the body text immediately following their first citation.

Reviewers consistently rate single-column manuscripts higher for ease of reading and commenting. Once your paper receives final acceptance, MDPI's internal layout department will typeset your text into the final publication layout automatically.

3. Continuous Line Numbering in MDPI Manuscripts

MDPI editors will return your submission during initial technical screening if your draft lacks continuous line numbers. Reviewers rely on line numbers to formulate specific critique points:

1. Select the Layout tab in Word.
2. Click Line Numbers in the Page Setup group.
3. Select Continuous from the dropdown list.

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Figure 2: Microsoft Word Layout tab showing continuous line numbering enabledClose

Figure 2: Ensure Line Numbers is set to Continuous across your entire MDPI submission draft.

For advanced settings or troubleshooting line number gaps, review our tutorial on how to insert continuous line numbers in Word.

4. MDPI Typography & Heading Hierarchy

MDPI's house style utilizes Palatino Linotype as its primary typeface. If Palatino Linotype is not installed on your system, use Book Antiqua or Georgia as a compatible fallback.

5. 3-Line Academic Tables & Equation Numbering

Tables in MDPI papers must adhere strictly to academic standards. Avoid default Word gridlines or colored column headers.

3-Line Table Specifications

• Top Border: Solid horizontal rule (1.0 pt).
• Header Border: Thin horizontal rule (0.5 pt) beneath column titles.
• Bottom Border: Solid horizontal rule (1.0 pt) beneath the last data row.
• Zero Vertical Rules: No vertical borders between columns.
• Table Caption Above: Captions must sit directly above the table (e.g., Table 1. Optimization of reaction parameters.).

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Figure 3: Microsoft Word Table Design ribbon displaying 3-line table formattingClose

Figure 3: Apply top, header-bottom, and table-bottom rules while eliminating all vertical lines for clean MDPI tables.

Learn more in our complete guide to formatting 3-line academic tables in Word.

Equation Formatting & Alignment Bounds

Mathematical expressions must be composed using Microsoft Word's native Equation editor (Alt + = on Windows,Ctrl + = on Mac). Do not insert equations as raster screenshots or low-res bitmaps.

In MDPI style, equations are centered horizontally on the page, while the equation number is formatted in parentheses and right-aligned against the margin:

E = mc²(1)

Best Word Practice: Insert a 1-row, 2-column table with 0 pt borders. In the left cell (90% width), center your equation. In the right cell (10% width), right-align your equation number (1). This prevents alignment shifts when fonts or margins change.

6. Mandatory 14 CRediT Taxonomy Roles in Author Contributions

MDPI strictly enforces the international CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) standard. Your manuscript must include an “Author Contributions” section in the back matter detailing each co-author's specific contribution. Generic statements like “All authors contributed equally” will be rejected by MDPI managing editors.

Verbatim MDPI Author Contributions Template

Copy and adapt this standard verbatim template for your manuscript:

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, J.S. and M.L.; methodology, J.S.; software, A.K.; validation, J.S., M.L. and A.K.; formal analysis, M.L.; investigation, J.S.; resources, M.L.; data curation, A.K.; writing—original draft preparation, J.S.; writing—review and editing, M.L.; visualization, A.K.; supervision, M.L.; project administration, M.L.; funding acquisition, M.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

7. Strict MDPI Back-Matter Section Sequence

MDPI requires back-matter sections to appear in a precise, standardized sequence immediately following the Discussion or Conclusions and preceding the References. Omitting required headings or altering the sequence leads to editorial queries in SuSy:

1. Supplementary Materials: Describe available supplements or state: “The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/xxxxx/s1, Figure S1: ..., Table S1: ...”
2. Author Contributions: The 14-role CRediT statement as detailed above.
3. Funding: Provide agency names and grant IDs: “This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant number 12345678.” If no funding was received, write: “This research received no external funding.”
4. Institutional Review Board Statement: State ethics approval details and protocol number, or state: “Not applicable” for studies not involving humans or animals.
5. Informed Consent Statement: Required for all studies involving humans: “Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.” Otherwise, state: “Not applicable.”
6. Data Availability Statement: State where data can be accessed: “The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.” or link to a repository DOI.
7. Acknowledgments: Acknowledge technical assistance, colleagues, or administrative support not covered under CRediT.
8. Conflicts of Interest: State: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.” or disclose any financial/commercial affiliations.
9. References: Vancouver-style numbered bibliography in square brackets [1], [2].

8. MDPI Reference Style Rules

MDPI utilizes a Vancouver numerical citation system. In the body text, cite references sequentially in square brackets: “Previous investigations [1,2] and recent clinical trials [3–5] have demonstrated...”

In the References section, format entries according to these strict typographic conventions (note the bold year and italic volume):

• Journal Article: Author, A.A.; Author, B.B. Title of the article. Journal Name 2026, 15, 123–145. https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx.
• Book: Author, A.A.; Author, B.B. Book Title, 3rd ed.; Publisher: City, Country, 2025; pp. 100–120.
• Conference Paper: Author, A.A. Title of the presentation. In Proceedings of the Conference Name, City, Country, Date; Volume, pp. 10–25.

9. SuSy Portal Pre-Submission Checklist

Before uploading your manuscript files to MDPI's SuSy portal, complete this final compliance audit:

Related publisher guides: PLOS ONE manuscript formatting · Elsevier manuscript formatting · Pre-submission checklist