eLife Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

eLife's review process is unlike any other major journal, and it directly affects how you format and prepare your submission.

The current model (as of 2023 onward): eLife reviews preprints. Authors must post their paper on a preprint server (bioRxiv, medRxiv, etc.) and then submit to eLife. The journal conducts peer review and publishes its assessment publicly, regardless of whether the paper is ultimately published in eLife.

What gets published for every reviewed paper:

• eLife Assessment: A short editorial summary of the paper's significance and strength of evidence
• Public Reviews: The reviewer comments, published under the reviewers' names (if they choose) or anonymously
• Author Response: Your point-by-point response to the reviewers

This means your responses to reviewers become part of the permanent scientific record. Write them carefully. They're not just for the editor's eyes.

Formatting implication: Because eLife reviews preprints, your initial submission can follow the preprint's formatting. You don't need to reformat for eLife's style until the paper is moving toward publication. This is a significant time-saver. Submit your preprint to bioRxiv in whatever format you used, then submit the bioRxiv DOI to eLife.

eLife uses a short, unstructured abstract.

• Word limit: 150 words maximum
• Structure: Single paragraph, no subheadings
• Citations: Not allowed
• Keywords: eLife doesn't require author-submitted keywords

The 150-word limit is on the tighter side, matching Nature's limit. Focus on the question, the approach, the main finding, and one sentence on broader significance.

Impact statement: eLife also requires a brief "Impact statement" (sometimes called the "digest blurb") of approximately one sentence that summarizes the paper's main finding in plain language. This appears on the article page and is used for social media promotion. Write it for a general audience: no jargon, no abbreviations.

eLife doesn't cap the number of figures, but the journal's style values clarity over volume. A paper with 20 figures would raise questions about focus.

Figure specifications:

Figure supplements: eLife uses "figure supplements" rather than "supplementary figures." These are additional panels or experiments that support a main figure. They're labeled as "Figure 1-figure supplement 1," "Figure 1-figure supplement 2," etc. This is a meaningful structural difference from other journals where supplementary figures are numbered independently (Fig. S1, Fig. S2).

The figure supplement system means each main figure can have multiple supporting figures directly linked to it. This creates a more logical organization than a flat list of supplementary figures. Reviewers appreciate it because they can see the supporting data in context.

Source data: eLife encourages authors to upload source data files linked to specific figures. These are the raw data underlying each figure panel. Source data files appear in the published article as downloadable attachments.

Table requirements:

• Tables should be in the manuscript file, not as separate images
• Every column needs a header
• Standard formatting: minimal horizontal rules, no vertical rules
• Large data tables should be uploaded as source data files in CSV or Excel format

eLife uses an author-date citation system, similar to APA style but with eLife-specific formatting.

In-text citations:

• One author: (Smith, 2024)
• Two authors: (Smith and Jones, 2024)
• Three or more: (Smith et al., 2024)
• Multiple citations: (Smith et al., 2024; Jones et al., 2023), chronological order

Reference list format:

Smith AB, Jones CD, Williams EF. 2024. Title of article in sentence case. eLife 13:e98765. doi:10.7554/eLife.98765

Key formatting details:

• Reference list is alphabetical by first author's last name
• Author names: Last name, initials without periods (e.g., "Smith AB")
• Year follows the author list (not in parentheses in the reference list)
• Journal names are not abbreviated in eLife references (unlike most journals)
• DOIs are required for all references that have them
• No volume or page numbers needed if a DOI is provided

eLife-specific citation quirk: eLife doesn't abbreviate journal names in the reference list. You write "eLife" not "eLife" (it's already short), but you also write "Nature" not "Nature," "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" not "Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A." This is unusual and catches authors who use standard NLM abbreviations out of habit.

eLife's approach to supplementary data is built around transparency and accessibility.

Figure supplements (described above): Linked to specific main figures. Peer-reviewed and published alongside the article.

Source data: Raw data files attached to specific figures or tables. Published as downloadable files.

Source code: Code used for analysis should be deposited in a public repository (GitHub, Zenodo) and linked in the paper. eLife strongly advocates for reproducible research.

Supplementary files: Additional material that doesn't fit as figure supplements or source data. These include extended methods, additional tables, video files, and datasets.

Transparent reporting: eLife requires a transparent reporting form covering key methodological details: sample sizes, statistical tests, blinding, randomization, and data exclusion criteria. This form is submitted with the manuscript and published alongside it.

Data deposition: All sequencing data, structural data, and other large datasets must be deposited in appropriate public repositories. Accession numbers must be cited in the Methods section.

Title page: eLife's submission system captures most metadata, so the title page requirements are minimal:

• Full title
• Author names and affiliations
• Corresponding author email
• Abstract

Cover letter: Include with your submission. It should briefly explain:

• What the paper is about
• Why it fits eLife's scope
• The preprint DOI (if already posted)
• Any related manuscripts under consideration elsewhere

eLife's scope covers all areas of biomedical and life sciences. The journal publishes papers based on the strength and rigor of the science, not on perceived novelty or impact. Your cover letter doesn't need to make a case for transformative significance. Just explain what the paper does and why it's solid.

These are the details that regular eLife authors know:

Preprint posting is expected. eLife's current model revolves around preprints. While the exact policies have evolved, the expectation is that your paper will be available as a preprint. Don't think of this as optional.

Decision Letters and Author Responses are public. Every reviewed eLife paper has its review history published. This includes the reviewers' comments and your responses. Format your Author Response clearly and professionally because it becomes a permanent part of the scientific record.

eLife Assessment uses standardized language. The editorial assessment of your paper uses specific terms to describe the significance ("landmark," "fundamental," "important," "useful") and the strength of evidence ("exceptional," "compelling," "convincing," "solid," "incomplete," "inadequate"). These terms have defined meanings in eLife's framework.

No traditional acceptance/rejection. Under eLife's reviewed preprint model, all reviewed papers receive a public assessment. Whether a paper is formally "published by eLife" depends on meeting quality thresholds. The review and assessment are published regardless.

ORCID iDs. Required for the corresponding author. Recommended for all authors.

Author contributions. Required, using CRediT taxonomy or free text. Must be specific and accurate.

Competing interests. Mandatory declaration, even when none exist.

Funding information. Must list all funding sources with grant numbers.

Ethics statements. Required for all research involving human participants or animal subjects. Include IRB/IACUC details in the Methods section.

Structured manuscript sections. eLife expects Introduction, Results, Discussion, Materials and Methods order. Results and Discussion can be combined. Materials and Methods go at the end of the main text.

1. Journal names aren't abbreviated in references. This catches almost everyone. Write out full journal names.

1. Figure supplements, not supplementary figures. The naming convention matters. "Figure 1-figure supplement 1" is correct. "Supplementary Figure 1" is not.

1. Impact statement is mandatory. One sentence, plain language, no jargon.

1. Source data files should be attached to specific figures. Don't dump all raw data into a single supplementary file.

1. Transparent reporting form. Must be completed and submitted alongside the manuscript.

1. Line numbers. Required for the review manuscript. Continuous numbering.

1. Double spacing. Required for the submitted manuscript.

1. Preprint DOI. Include it in your submission and cover letter.