PLOS ONE Manuscript Formatting Guidelines: The Word Submission Guide

As the world's foremost multidisciplinary open-access mega-journal, PLOS ONE evaluates research based on scientific and methodological rigor rather than perceived subjective novelty. However, PLOS editorial screening teams apply strict technical checks before manuscripts reach academic editors.

A high percentage of initial submissions are returned to authors due to avoidable layout and compliance defects: non-compliant Data Availability declarations, missing continuous line numbers, embedded raster figures instead of separate vector/TIFF uploads, or malformed Vancouver reference lists. This guide provides the complete 2026 technical specification for preparing submission-ready PLOS ONE manuscripts in Microsoft Word.

2. General Document Geometry & Typography

PLOS ONE manuscripts are processed through automated XML extraction pipelines. To prevent text parsing corruption, formatting must follow standardized Word settings:

3. Enabling Continuous Line Numbers in Word

PLOS ONE reviewers require continuous line numbering to cite specific claims during peer review (e.g., "Line 184 contains an unsupported assertion regarding sample purity").

1. Select the Layout ribbon tab in Microsoft Word.
2. In the Page Setup section, click the Line Numbers dropdown.
3. Select Continuous.
4. Verify that line numbers run uninterrupted across all pages, including the Title Page, Abstract, and Reference list.

Peer Review Setup

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1Line Numbers control on the Layout ribbon

2Continuous option selected with active checkmark

Figure 1: Microsoft Word Layout ribbon showing Line Numbers set to ContinuousClose

Figure 1: Enabling Continuous Line Numbers from Word's Layout ribbon, ensuring continuous numbering across the entire PLOS ONE submission.

1Line Numbers control on the Layout ribbon

2Continuous option selected with active checkmark

4. Mandatory Document Structure & Heading Hierarchy

PLOS ONE requires manuscripts to follow standard scientific structure. Sections must appear in this exact sequence:

1. Title Page:
   • Title: Specific, descriptive, concise, and comprehensible to non-specialists. Maximum 150 characters recommended; title case; no punctuation or symbols.
   • Author List: First name, middle initial(s), and last name for all co-authors.
   • Affiliations: Department, institution, city, state/province (if applicable), and country. Affiliations are linked to author names using numeric superscripts (1, 2, 3).
   • Corresponding Author: Identified with an asterisk (*); must provide an active institutional email address.
2. Abstract: Unstructured single paragraph of maximum 300 words. Must not cite references, figures, or tables. Summarizes the background, primary methodology, principal results, and main scientific conclusions.
3. Introduction: Puts the work into scientific context and states the hypothesis/research objective.
4. Materials and Methods: Thorough, reproducible protocols. Must contain complete details of ethical approvals (institutional review board, approval number) if human subjects, vertebrate animals, or cell lines were studied.
5. Results: Clear presentation of experimental findings, supported by statistical analysis and figure/table citations.
6. Discussion: Interprets the findings, contextualizes results against published literature, and discusses study limitations.
7. Conclusions: (Optional) Brief standalone summary of study implications.
8. Supporting Information Captions: Detailed legends for supplementary figures, tables, datasets, and protocols.
9. Acknowledgments: Formal recognition of individuals who contributed technical assistance or materials but do not qualify for authorship.
10. References: Vancouver-style numeric bibliography.

5. The PLOS Zero-Exception Data Availability Policy

PLOS maintains one of the strictest research data policies in academic publishing. Editorial staff verify compliance before assigning an Academic Editor.

Your manuscript must include a dedicated Data Availability Statement providing one of the following compliant disclosures:

6. Display Items: 3-Line Word Tables & The PACE Figure Pipeline

PLOS ONE handles tables and figures using fundamentally different submission pipelines:

Editable 3-Line Tables in Word

Tables must be created using native Word table tools and embedded directly into the manuscript text immediately following the paragraph where they are first cited. Never submit tables as pasted images:

• Pagination Controls: Prevent multi-row tables from splitting awkwardly across page breaks. Open Table Properties > Row, uncheck Allow row to break across pages, and check Repeat as header row at the top of each page.
• Border Styling: Apply the academic 3-line format: 1.0 pt top border, 0.5 pt rule beneath the header row, and 1.0 pt bottom border. Strip all vertical borders.
• Table Legend: Place the table title above the table (e.g., Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study cohort.). Explanatory footnotes belong immediately beneath the table base.

Table Pagination

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1Prevent row from breaking across page splits

2Repeat as header row at top of each page

Figure 2: Word Table Properties Row tab showing pagination controls for academic tablesClose

Figure 2: Configuring Table Properties in Word to repeat the header row across pages and prevent awkward row splits across page breaks.

1Prevent row from breaking across page splits

2Repeat as header row at top of each page

Table Borders

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1Borders dropdown menu

2Remove all vertical borders

3Apply top, bottom, and header dividing rules

Figure 3: Word Table Design ribbon stripping interior borders for 3-line table layoutClose

Figure 3: Stripping all interior vertical gridlines from the Table Design ribbon and applying top, bottom, and header divider rules.

1Borders dropdown menu

2Remove all vertical borders

3Apply top, bottom, and header dividing rules

The PACE Figure Submission Pipeline

PLOS does not accept figure images embedded inside Word documents:

• Separate Upload: Each figure must be uploaded as an independent TIFF or EPS file during submission.
• Figure Legends in Word: Figure captions must be typed directly into the Word document on a new line immediately following the paragraph where the figure is first cited. Format as Fig 1. Title of figure in bold. followed by panel descriptions. Note that PLOS uses "Fig 1" without a period after "Fig".
• PACE Evaluation: Prior to submission, upload all image files to PLOS's free PACE (PLOS Artwork Creation & Evaluation) tool. PACE verifies resolution (300 to 600 DPI), color space (RGB or Grayscale; no CMYK), dimensions (maximum width: 17.35 cm / 6.83 in), and vector font embedding.

7. Vancouver Reference Style & In-Text Citations

PLOS ONE utilizes the Vancouver reference system, which is numeric and sequential:

In-Text Citation Syntax

• Square Brackets: Citations are indicated by numbers enclosed in square brackets: [1], [2].
• Placement: Bracketed numbers must be placed inside sentence punctuation: ...as described in recent epidemiological trials [4, 5]. (never after the period).
• Multiple Sources: Separate non-consecutive sources with commas: [1, 3, 7]. For ranges of three or more consecutive sources, use an en-dash: [2–5].

Bibliography Formatting Rules

The reference list appears at the end of the manuscript under the heading References:

• Unitalicized Journal Names: Unlike APA or Chicago, Vancouver style formats journal abbreviations in plain text without italics: PLOS ONE, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
• Author Listing Rules: List up to six authors by their last name and initials without periods: Smith JK, Taylor RB, Adams CM. If a publication has more than six authors, list the first six authors followed by "et al."
• DOIs: Mandatory for all references where a DOI exists. Format as a canonical link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123456.

The screenshot below illustrates how these four representative citations look directly in Microsoft Word, featuring consecutive in-text callouts ([1] to [4]), 0.35" hanging indents, unitalicized plain-text publication titles, canonical DOIs, and continuous line numbering:

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Figure 4: Microsoft Word document showing PLOS ONE Vancouver numbered reference list with hanging indent, plain text titles, and continuous line numbersClose

Figure 4: PLOS ONE Vancouver reference list in Microsoft Word matching the four publication types above: numbered consecutively in order of in-text citation ([1] through [4]), formatted with a hanging indent, unitalicized plain-text journal and book titles, canonical HTTPS DOIs, and continuous line numbers.

8. Supporting Information Files & Legends

PLOS ONE allows extensive supplementary materials, which must be clearly organized at the end of the manuscript:

• Naming Conventions: Name files consistently: S1 Fig.tif, S2 Fig.tif, S1 Table.xlsx, S1 Text.docx, S1 Dataset.zip.
• Captions in Manuscript: List all Supporting Information captions in a dedicated section immediately preceding the References:
  S1 Fig. Western blot validation across human cell lines. Full-length uncropped blots demonstrating specific binding of monoclonal antibody mAb-42.

9. Pre-Submission Verification Checklist

Ensure your Word `.docx` file passes PLOS ONE editorial screening on the first submission:

1. Continuous Line Numbers: Confirm line numbers run uninterrupted from page 1 to the end of the document.
2. Data Availability Statement: Verify that a non-trivial statement is present and does NOT state "data available on request."
3. Abstract Length: Confirm abstract is 300 words or fewer and contains no literature citations.
4. Figure Legends: Check that figure captions are placed immediately after their first in-text callout and that image files are removed from the Word text for separate upload.
5. PACE Compliance: Ensure all figure TIFF/EPS files have passed inspection in the PACE validation tool.
6. 3-Line Tables: Confirm all tables have zero vertical gridlines and repeated header rows across page breaks.
7. Vancouver Citations: Check that in-text citations use square brackets [1] and that the bibliography uses plain text without italics for journal abbreviations.
8. Ethical Declarations: If research involved human or animal subjects, confirm that the ethics board name and approval number are explicitly stated in Materials and Methods.

Looking for more guidance on academic manuscript formatting? Read our deep-dive tutorials on building 3-line academic tables, inserting continuous line numbers in Word, and recovering from a journal desk rejection.