ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

ACS AMI's abstract requirements are standard for ACS journals.

• Word limit: 150-250 words (the ACS standard range)
• Structure: Unstructured (single paragraph)
• Citations: Not allowed
• Content: Problem statement, approach, key results (with numbers), and significance

The abstract should be self-contained and informative. ACS editors want to see specific results. "We developed a high-performance electrode material" is too vague. "The composite electrode delivered a specific capacitance of 450 F/g at 1 A/g with 95% retention after 10,000 cycles" tells the reader what you actually found.

Keywords: ACS AMI doesn't require author-submitted keywords. The ACS production team assigns indexing terms internally. This is different from Elsevier and MDPI journals that require keyword lists from authors.

TOC/Abstract graphic: Mandatory. This is the visual that appears in the table of contents and alongside the abstract on the ACS Publications website.

TOC graphic specifications:

• Dimensions: 3.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches tall
• Resolution: 300 dpi minimum
• Format: TIFF, EPS, or high-resolution JPEG
• Minimal text; the image should communicate the key concept visually
• No multi-panel layouts; single cohesive image preferred

The TOC graphic is often the first thing readers see. In a journal that publishes thousands of papers annually, your TOC graphic determines whether someone clicks on your paper or scrolls past it. Invest time in making it clean and visually clear.

ACS AMI papers are typically figure-heavy, with extensive characterization data (XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, electrochemical measurements) forming the core of most studies.

Figure specifications:

Figure count: There's no strict maximum, but most ACS AMI Research Articles have 5-8 figures in the main text, with additional figures in the Supporting Information. If you have more than 10 figures in the main text, consider whether some could move to SI.

Multi-panel figures: Very common at ACS AMI. A single figure might contain panels (a) through (h) showing different characterization techniques or measurement conditions. Label panels clearly and explain each panel in the caption. Keep font sizes consistent across panels.

Table formatting:

• Headers required for every column
• Horizontal rules only (top, below header, bottom)
• Title above the table
• Footnotes using superscript lowercase letters
• Editable format (Word table or LaTeX tabular), not images

Color figures are free at ACS AMI for both online and print. Don't waste time creating grayscale versions.

ACS AMI uses the standard ACS reference style, consistent across all ACS journals.

In-text citations: Superscript numbers, e.g., "as reported previously^{1,2}" or with parentheses (1,2) depending on style variant. ACS AMI uses the superscript format.

Reference list format:

(1) Author, A. B.; Author, C. D. Title of Article. J. Abbrev. Name Year, Volume, Pages.

Key formatting details:

• Author names: Last name, initials (Smith, A. B.)
• Semicolons between authors
• Abbreviated journal titles per CAS conventions
• Year in bold
• Volume in italics
• DOIs required for all references that have them
• For books: Author, A. B. Title; Publisher: City, Year; pp Pages.
• For patents: Inventor, A. B. Patent Number, Year.

There's no formal reference cap. Most ACS AMI Research Articles cite 40-60 references. Letters cite 20-30. Don't pad the reference list with marginally relevant citations, but don't artificially limit yourself either.

Use the achemso BibTeX style or the ACS style file in your citation manager. With 50+ references, manual formatting is error-prone and time-consuming.

Supporting Information (SI) is expected for virtually every ACS AMI paper. It's where the detailed experimental work lives, and reviewers check it carefully.

What goes in Supporting Information:

• Detailed experimental procedures (synthesis conditions, characterization parameters)
• Additional characterization data (full spectra, additional SEM/TEM images)
• Control experiments and reproducibility data
• Computational details (DFT parameters, convergence criteria)
• Video files (in situ measurements, dynamic processes)

SI format requirements:

• Submit as a single PDF for text, figures, and tables
• Video and data files submitted separately
• Number items sequentially (Figure S1, Table S1)
• Include a brief table of contents listing all SI items
• Every SI item must be cited in the main text

SI scope at ACS AMI: The SI for a typical ACS AMI paper is substantial, often 15-30 pages. This is normal and expected. The main manuscript presents the story and key results; the SI provides the evidence that supports the story.

ACS requires a Supporting Information paragraph in the main manuscript. This appears before the Author Information section and briefly describes what's included in the SI file. For example: "Supporting Information: Additional TEM images, XPS survey spectra, CV curves at varying scan rates, and computational details (PDF)."

A common mistake: placing critical results only in the SI. If a result is essential to your main argument, it should be in the main text. The SI supplements the paper; it doesn't replace parts of it.

ACS AMI uses the ACS Paragon Plus submission system.

Cover letter: Required. Should include:

• Statement of novelty (what's new and why it matters)
• Confirmation that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere
• Identification of the article type
• Any relevant editorial communications (e.g., if an editor encouraged submission)

Additional requirements:

• TOC/Abstract graphic (mandatory)
• ORCID iD for the corresponding author (required by ACS)
• Conflict of interest disclosure
• Funding information (in Acknowledgments section)
• Data availability statement (encouraged)

Reviewer suggestions: ACS AMI asks for suggested and excluded reviewers during submission. Provide 4-6 suggestions with institutional affiliations and email addresses. Avoid suggesting collaborators, co-authors from the past 3 years, or colleagues at your own institution.

ORCID requirement: ACS requires the corresponding author to have an ORCID iD linked to their ACS Paragon Plus account. Co-authors are encouraged to provide ORCIDs as well.

These are the details that regular ACS AMI authors know:

TOC graphic is non-negotiable. You can't complete the submission without one. Plan for it early. The editorial office won't process a manuscript missing the TOC graphic.

SI is essentially mandatory. While technically optional, submitting a Research Article without Supporting Information will raise reviewer eyebrows. The expectation at ACS AMI is that you have more data than fits in the main text.

No author-submitted keywords. ACS assigns indexing terms. Don't add a keywords section to your manuscript.

Experimental section placement. In Research Articles, the Experimental Section (or Materials and Methods) goes at the end of the paper, after Results and Discussion but before Associated Content and Author Information. In Letters, all experimental details go to the SI.

ACS ActiveView PDF. ACS AMI articles include an "ActiveView" PDF with embedded interactive features. This doesn't change your submission requirements, but it means your figures need to be high quality because readers can zoom in.

Just Accepted manuscripts. ACS posts "Just Accepted" manuscripts online within days of acceptance, before copyediting. This means your submitted formatting is visible to readers temporarily. Make sure your manuscript looks professional even before production edits.

Copyright and Open Access. At acceptance, you'll choose between ACS copyright transfer (subscription access) and ACS Open Access (APC of approximately $2,500-3,500). The formatting requirements are identical regardless of access model.

These catch ACS AMI authors regularly:

1. TOC graphic dimensions. 3.25 x 1.75 inches is strict. Graphics that don't match will be sent back. Create the graphic at exact dimensions, not cropped afterward.

1. Reference DOIs. ACS expects DOIs for all references that have them. Missing DOIs will be flagged during production.

1. SI table of contents. The SI document should start with a brief table of contents listing all supplementary items. This is easy to forget.

1. ORCID linkage. The corresponding author must have an ORCID linked to ACS Paragon Plus before submission. Set this up before you start the submission process.

1. Figure file formats. ACS prefers TIFF and EPS. PNG files are accepted but may lose quality during production. Avoid JPEG for figures with text or line art.

In our pre-submission review work with manuscripts targeting ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, four patterns generate the most consistent desk-rejection outcomes.

TOC graphic wrong dimensions or absent. ACS AMI requires a TOC (Table of Contents) graphic that is exactly 3.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches tall at 300 dpi minimum, submitted as TIFF, EPS, or high-resolution JPEG. The most consistent error is submitting a portrait or square image carried over from a Wiley-formatted draft, or treating the TOC as optional. It is mandatory and reviewed at submission.

Characterization data insufficient for surface or interface claims. ACS AMI's scope centers on materials interfaces and surfaces, and reviewers apply corresponding standards. Papers that characterize bulk material properties (XRD, TGA) without direct surface characterization (XPS, AFM, contact angle, TEM/STEM cross-section) are returned when the central claim is surface-related. The characterization suite must match the scope of the claim.

Application study without a materials interface contribution. Despite "Applied" in the title, ACS AMI requires that the interface or surface phenomenon be the scientific protagonist, not a performance metric recorded on a known material. Manuscripts where a known material is benchmarked in a device context, without new insight into the interface mechanism, are desk-rejected for scope.

Supporting Information absent or too sparse for the characterization claims. ACS AMI reviewers expect SI containing full synthetic protocols, complete characterization datasets, control experiments, and statistical replication data. Papers that compress all supplementary data into 2-3 pages without addressing reviewer-expected controls are flagged before peer review.

A ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces submission readiness check evaluates manuscript structure, surface characterization completeness, and TOC graphic compliance against these desk-rejection patterns before you invest revision time.