Immunity Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

Immunity uses the standard Cell Press abstract format.

• Word limit: 150 words maximum
• Structure: No formal subheadings, but follow context-approach-results-significance flow
• Citations: Not permitted
• Highlights: 3-4 bullet points (each under 85 characters) required alongside the abstract
• In Brief: ~40-word third-person summary required

The Highlights are a distinctive Cell Press feature. They appear prominently on the article page and in search results. Each highlight should be a specific, self-contained claim: "CTLA-4 engagement on Tregs reprograms glycolytic metabolism through Akt-mTOR axis" rather than "We investigated the metabolic effects of CTLA-4 signaling."

For Immunity specifically, the abstract should name the key immune cell type(s), the molecular mechanism or pathway, and the disease or physiological context. Immunology papers that stay at the level of "immune cells" without specifying subsets will read as vague to Immunity's editors.

The In Brief summary should capture the story in a single sentence. Example: "Zhang et al. demonstrate that ILC3-derived IL-22 maintains intestinal stem cell fitness during inflammation through STAT3-dependent induction of antimicrobial peptides, revealing a tissue-protective circuit that operates independently of adaptive immunity."

Include at least one specific quantitative result in the abstract. Immunity reviewers are data-driven, and abstracts without numbers raise questions about the strength of the evidence.

Immunity doesn't enforce a rigid maximum figure count, but 6-7 main figures is standard for Articles.

Figure specifications:

Graphical abstract: Required for Articles, Short Articles, and Resources.

• Dimensions: 1,200 x 1,200 pixels (square, non-negotiable)
• Format: JPEG, TIFF, or PDF
• Minimum text size: 18 pt
• Must be self-explanatory without reading the paper
• Single panel only, no multi-panel layouts
• Follow Cell Press graphical abstract style guidelines

For Immunity, the graphical abstract often depicts a cellular circuit: which cell type produces which signal, what it acts on, and what the downstream effect is. Immune pathway diagrams translate well to the graphical abstract format because they're inherently visual. Spend time on this. A strong graphical abstract will be used by the journal's social media team and shared widely.

Flow cytometry figures: Immunity papers are heavy on FACS data. Unlike Nature Immunology, Immunity doesn't have a formal gating strategy policy, but reviewers will ask for gating strategies if they aren't provided. Include them in the supplemental figures as a standard practice. Show all sequential gates from scatter to the final analytical population.

Supplemental figures: No formal limit. Label as "Figure S1, Figure S2," etc. Each needs a title and legend. The practical guideline is to keep supplemental figures focused. Twenty supplemental figures for a 7-figure paper is excessive and burdens reviewers.

Immunity uses the Cell Press citation style.

In-text citations: Superscript numbers, assigned in order of first appearance. Multiple references separated by commas (^1,2,3), ranges with hyphens (^4-8).

Reference list format:

1. Smith, A.B., Johnson, C.D., Williams, E.F., and Lee, G.H. (2025). Title of article in sentence case. Immunity 58, 123-135.

Key formatting details:

• Author names: Last name, comma, initials with periods
• List all authors (no "et al." in the reference list, regardless of author count)
• "and" before the last author (not "&")
• Year in parentheses after the author list
• Journal names abbreviated per MEDLINE
• Volume in bold, followed by comma and page range
• Period at the end

There's no hard reference cap, but 60-80 references is typical for Articles. Immunity editors won't question a well-curated reference list at 75, but hitting 100 in a primary research article (not a Review) would be unusual.

Preprints can be cited and must be labeled with the preprint server name and DOI. Cell Press treats preprint citations as legitimate references.

One detail specific to immunology: the field moves fast, and preprints are common. Immunity reviewers expect you to cite the most current work, including relevant preprints. If a highly relevant paper was posted on bioRxiv during your review, address it. Ignoring obvious preprints looks evasive.

The Key Resources Table is the single most important formatting element for Immunity papers. It's part of the STAR Methods and lists every material used in the study.

Key Resources Table structure:

Categories within the Key Resources Table:

• Antibodies (all flow cytometry antibodies, western blot antibodies, immunohistochemistry antibodies)
• Chemicals, peptides, and recombinant proteins
• Critical commercial assays
• Deposited data (GEO accessions, etc.)
• Experimental models: cell lines
• Experimental models: organisms/strains
• Oligonucleotides (primers, siRNAs, CRISPR guides)
• Recombinant DNA (plasmids, viral constructs)
• Software and algorithms
• Other (anything that doesn't fit above)

For Immunity papers, the antibody section of the Key Resources Table is scrutinized most heavily. An average flow cytometry-based Immunity paper might use 20-40 different antibody clones across experiments. Every single one must be listed with its target, clone name, conjugate, source, and catalog number. Missing entries will generate revision requests.

RRIDs (Research Resource Identifiers) are strongly encouraged for all antibodies and are effectively required for commonly used clones. You can look up RRIDs at scicrunch.org.

The Key Resources Table is also where you document mouse strains with their full designations, IMSR catalog numbers, and original publications. If you used a Foxp3-GFP reporter mouse, list the full strain name, the Jackson Laboratory stock number, and the original paper describing the strain.

STAR Methods is mandatory for all Immunity Articles and Short Articles. The structure is fixed.

Required STAR Methods subsections:

1. Resource Availability

• Lead contact (name and email for correspondence about resources)
• Materials availability statement (whether reagents, plasmids, or mouse strains will be shared)
• Data and code availability statement (repository accessions, DOIs)

1. Experimental Model and Study Participant Details

• Mouse strains (full names, sex, age, vendor, housing conditions)
• Cell lines (source, authentication method, mycoplasma testing)
• Human samples (IRB approval, consent, demographics)

1. Method Details

• Full experimental protocols for all procedures
• Flow cytometry: list all panels, staining conditions, instrument used, analysis software
• In vivo models: dosing, timing, endpoints
• Molecular biology: cloning strategies, transfection conditions, expression systems

1. Quantification and Statistical Analysis

• Statistical tests for each comparison
• Software used for analysis
• Sample sizes and how they were determined
• Exclusion criteria
• Definition of center and dispersion measures (mean +/- SEM vs. median + IQR)

The STAR Methods section receives serious attention from Immunity reviewers. Immunology experiments are notoriously difficult to reproduce across labs due to differences in mouse housing conditions, flow cytometry instrument settings, and antibody lot variations. Provide enough detail that another lab could reproduce your key experiments.

Immunity uses the Cell Press supplementary system.

Supplemental Figures and Tables: Peer-reviewed, published alongside the article. Label as "Figure S1," "Table S1," etc. Provide full titles and legends.

Supplemental Videos: Accepted in MP4 format. Common for intravital imaging, cell migration assays, and in vivo imaging.

Supplemental Data: Large datasets (single-cell RNA-seq matrices, proteomics results) can be deposited in public repositories and referenced from the manuscript. GEO accession numbers are the most common for transcriptomic data.

Data and Code Availability: This section at the end of STAR Methods must list all deposited datasets with accession numbers, all code repositories with URLs and DOIs, and any additional materials available upon request. Immunity, like all Cell Press journals, takes data availability seriously. Papers won't proceed to production without valid accession numbers.

Immunity manuscripts should begin with:

• Full title
• Author names with superscript affiliation numbers
• Affiliations with full institutional addresses
• Lead contact author with email address
• Author contributions statement (CRediT taxonomy)
• Declaration of interests
• Keywords (up to 10)

Author contributions: Cell Press requires CRediT format. List each author's contributions using standard categories: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Writing (Original Draft), Writing (Review and Editing), Visualization, Supervision, Funding Acquisition.

Declaration of interests: Must appear in the manuscript. "The authors declare no competing interests" if none exist. This is separate from the submission system's conflict-of-interest form.

Immunity has editorial and formatting expectations that go beyond standard Cell Press guidelines.

1. The Key Resources Table is a gate, not a formality. Missing antibody entries, wrong catalog numbers, or absent RRIDs will generate revision requests regardless of the science. Before submission, cross-check every antibody, chemical, and mouse strain in your Methods against the Key Resources Table. This is the most common formatting-related revision at Immunity.

2. Gating strategies aren't formally required but are effectively mandatory. Immunity reviewers will ask for flow cytometry gating strategies if they're not included. Save yourself a revision round by including full gating strategies in the supplemental figures from the start. Show every sequential gate from scatter to the final population.

3. Mouse experiment reporting must be detailed. Age ranges like "6-8 weeks" are too vague. Specify "6-week-old" or "8-week-old." State the exact number of mice per group, whether mice were sex-matched, and whether experiments were performed with littermate controls. If you pooled cells from multiple mice, state how many mice were pooled and how many independent pools were analyzed.

4. The graphical abstract matters for editorial triage. Immunity editors look at the graphical abstract during initial assessment. A clear, visually compelling graphical abstract that conveys the immune circuit or mechanism at a glance positively influences the triage decision. Generic diagrams with unlabeled arrows and boxes don't help.

5. Statistical reporting must specify biological vs. technical replicates. Immunity distinguishes sharply between biological replicates (independent mice, independent donors, independent experiments) and technical replicates (repeated measurements of the same sample). Figure legends must state the number of biological replicates and the number of independent experiments. "n = 5" without clarification isn't sufficient.

6. Immune cell nomenclature should follow current conventions. Use HUGO gene nomenclature for human genes (italic capitals, e.g., FOXP3) and standard mouse nomenclature for mouse genes (italic, first letter capitalized, e.g., Foxp3). Cell type names should follow the most current immunology conventions (e.g., "ILC3" not "group 3 innate lymphoid cell" after first use).

Immunity's formatting requirements combine Cell Press standards with immunology-specific demands around antibody documentation, STAR Methods structure, and resource tables. The Key Resources Table alone can contain dozens of entries, and a single missing antibody clone or incorrect catalog number triggers a revision.

Manusights' AI-powered manuscript review checks your formatting against Immunity's specific requirements, from STAR Methods structure to reference formatting to word limits. It's especially useful for verifying that your Key Resources Table is complete and properly structured.

For related Cell Press journals, see our guides for Cell Metabolism and Molecular Cell. You can also browse our full collection of journal submission guides for additional resources.