MNRAS Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

MNRAS abstracts are flexible in format but carry specific conventions rooted in astronomical tradition.

• Word limit: normally no more than 250 words for main journal papers and 200 for Letters (MNRAS instructions to authors, checked October 9, 2026)

• Structure: Unstructured: a single paragraph that briefly summarizes the goals, methods, and new results

• Citations: The MNRAS template says no references should appear in the abstract

• Keywords: Required. One to six, listed after the abstract, all taken from the MNRAS key words list.

MNRAS keywords are drawn from a controlled vocabulary specific to astronomy. The keyword line appears immediately after the abstract. In the LaTeX class it is entered in a keywords environment, and the entries are separated by n-rules (two hyphens in LaTeX), not commas. The journal's own example layout is "Key words:" followed by entries such as galaxies: active, galaxies: Seyfert and radio continuum: galaxies, each separated by an n-rule.

Choose from the predefined MNRAS keyword list (linked from the journal's Instructions to Authors). Don't invent custom keywords. The MNRAS LaTeX guide describes the list as agreed between all the major astronomy journals and revised every few years.

A convention in astronomy abstracts: quantitative results are expected. "We measure the stellar mass function at z = 2-3 and find a characteristic mass of log(M*/M_sun) = 10.8 +/- 0.2" is the level of specificity MNRAS readers expect. Vague abstracts that promise "interesting results" without numbers don't meet the standard.

MNRAS follows standard astronomical figure conventions with some specific requirements.

Figure specifications:

Colour policy: The MNRAS instructions ask authors to make figures colour-blind friendly where possible, and note that red and green in the same figure is particularly problematic for some readers. They also note that colouring or shading of table cells cannot be supported in the web version of published articles. Using different line styles (solid, dashed, dotted) alongside colour is a sensible way to keep data series distinguishable for every reader.

Astronomical plotting conventions: MNRAS reviewers expect figures to follow community norms:

• Error bars on all data points (statistical, systematic, or both)

• Clear axis labels with units (e.g., "Flux density (mJy)" not just "Flux")

• Logarithmic scales where appropriate (magnitudes, luminosities, redshifts)

• Color bars for 2D density plots or images with appropriate labels

• Proper use of astronomical coordinate systems (RA/Dec, galactic coordinates)

Multi-panel figures: Very common in MNRAS. Label panels as (a), (b), (c) or with descriptive labels. Each panel needs explicit description in the caption.

Astronomical images: For telescope images, include orientation indicators (N/E arrows), scale bars (in arcseconds or physical units), and the instrument/filter information in the caption.

This is one of the more distinctive parts of the MNRAS procedure. Long data tables go online as machine-readable files rather than in full in the paper.

When it applies: The instructions describe this procedure for long tables and do not set a row count. Tables of catalog data, photometric measurements, spectroscopic parameters, or any large dataset are the typical case.

Format requirements:

• A machine-readable file, for example plain ASCII text

• A description of the columns

• The file is placed online in exactly the format supplied, because the publisher does not modify supplementary files

How it works in the manuscript: In the manuscript, include a sample table consisting of the first 5-10 rows of data, and have the caption state that the full table is available online.

The machine-readable table is uploaded to ScholarOne as "Supplementary material (online)" during submission. It appears on the journal's website as a downloadable file alongside the article. This allows other researchers to use your data directly without manual transcription, which is a core principle of reproducible astronomy.

VizieR integration: MNRAS encourages authors to deposit large catalogs in the VizieR database at CDS (Centre de Donnees astronomiques de Strasbourg). Once deposited, VizieR provides a permanent URL and integrates the data into the astronomical data ecosystem. Reference the VizieR catalog number in the paper.

MNRAS uses an author-date (Harvard-style) citation system. This is a significant difference from most physics journals, which use numbered citations.

In-text citations:

• Single author: (Smith 2024)

• Two authors: (Smith & Jones 2024)

• Three authors: all three names at first mention, then (Smith et al. 2024)

• More than three: (Smith et al. 2024)

• Multiple citations, ordered by date: (Jones et al. 2023; Smith 2024)

Reference list format (alphabetical order):

Smith A. B., Jones C. D., Williams E. F., 2024, MNRAS, 528, 1234

Key formatting details from the instructions:

• Author names: surname first, then initials, with no commas after author surnames and no ampersand between the final two author names.

• List all of the authors if there are eight or fewer, otherwise give just the first author followed by "et al."

• Year after author list.

• Journal abbreviation (MNRAS, ApJ, A&A, etc.), using the abbreviations the instructions list.

• Volume number and first page or article number.

• The reference list should include no bold or italic.

• No article titles in journal references (the instructions show titles for books and conference proceedings, but a PhD thesis entry gives no title).

The mnras.bst BibTeX style file is distributed with the MNRAS LaTeX package, and the MNRAS LaTeX guide strongly encourages BibTeX. Use it.

No article titles in journal references. This is a major MNRAS quirk that catches authors from other fields. The instructions' example journal references don't include the title of the cited paper. Books and conference proceedings show titles. If your BibTeX style is showing article titles, you may be using the wrong .bst file.

ADS BibTeX entries: The astronomy community uses NASA's Astrophysics Data System (ADS) as the primary source for BibTeX entries. ADS provides correctly formatted BibTeX entries for virtually every astronomy paper. Use ADS exports with mnras.bst for error-free references.

The instructions state no reference cap, but they ask authors to avoid long lists of citations of previous publications unless the articles are directly relevant. MNRAS does not publish review articles, and if a paper uses a long list of cited papers the author should be able to justify it to the Editor.

MNRAS supports online-only supplementary material in addition to machine-readable tables.

Supported types:

• Extended figures and tables

• Machine-readable data files

• Appendices too long for the main paper

• Video and animation files

• Code scripts

Online supplementary material is mentioned in the text or figure caption with a statement that it is available online, and it is uploaded to ScholarOne as "Supplementary material (online)". Files go online in exactly the format supplied, and appear on the journal's website as downloadable files. The combined size of everything uploaded must not exceed 350 MB.

For large datasets (survey catalogs, simulation outputs), deposit in a public astronomy repository:

• CDS/VizieR: Standard for astronomical catalogs

• MAST: For HST, JWST, and other space telescope data

• IRSA: For infrared survey data

• Zenodo: For general scientific datasets

Cite the repository accession number or DOI in the paper. Where ethically feasible, MNRAS strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions rely available to readers, through the main manuscript, supporting files or a public repository.

These are the details that experienced MNRAS authors know:

Left-aligned equations. MNRAS uses left-aligned (fleqn) equations, not centered. This is set by the fleqn option in the document class. Don't override this in your preamble.

Section numbering. MNRAS uses Arabic numerals for sections (1, 1.1, 1.1.1). The Introduction is Section 1. Conclusions typically come last, followed by Acknowledgements (British spelling) and References.

Acknowledgements spelling. MNRAS uses British English spelling: "Acknowledgements" (with the "e"). The LaTeX class defines a dedicated \section*{Acknowledgements} command. Don't use the American spelling "Acknowledgments."

Standard acknowledgement text. Some facilities and funders expect particular acknowledgements, and MNRAS accepts what is required of authors. For example, papers using SDSS data should include the SDSS acknowledgement boilerplate. Papers using ESO data should acknowledge ESO. The relevant boilerplate text is available from each facility's website. Facility acknowledgements go in the Acknowledgements section, not in footnotes.

Data availability statement. Required for articles published in MNRAS. It goes in the end matter, after the Acknowledgements, under the heading "Data availability", and should describe the data and software behind the results and provide means of access where possible, for example by linking to the data or giving a unique identifier.

Author affiliation format. MNRAS uses numbered superscript affiliations linked to an affiliation list below the author names. The MNRAS LaTeX class handles this through the \author command, with the institution list started by \\.

Running header. The MNRAS class automatically generates a running header from the short title and author list. Provide these using \title[Short Title]{Full Title} and the appropriate author commands.

No "e.g.," or "i.e.," in italics. MNRAS house style sets "e.g." and "i.e." in roman (upright) type, not italics. The copy editors will change this if you italicize them.

Redshift notation. In astronomy, redshift is typically denoted as "z" (italicized). Keep the notation consistent throughout, for example "at $z = 2.5$" rather than switching between "z=2.5" and "redshift 2.5."

1. Machine-readable tables. A long table needs a sample table in the paper and a machine-readable file uploaded as online supplementary material. Authors regularly forget to prepare and upload these.

1. No article titles in journal references. The mnras.bst style omits titles from journal citations, matching the instructions' examples. A different BibTeX style that includes titles produces a reference list that departs from journal style.

1. British English spelling. MNRAS uses British conventions: "colour," "behaviour," "modelling," "analyse." The instructions ask for British spellings and say the publisher ensures full compliance with house style.

1. Colour-blind friendly figures. The instructions ask for figures that are colour-blind friendly where possible, and flag red and green in the same figure as particularly problematic.

1. Data availability statement. This became mandatory in recent years, and older authors sometimes forget to include it.

For manuscripts targeting Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, four patterns generate the most consistent desk-rejection outcomes.

Key words chosen outside the official list. MNRAS allows one to six key words and every one has to come from its published key words list. Manuscripts that carry free-text keywords copied from a preprint, or seven or more entries, get sent back for correction before review. Pick the narrowest matching entries from the list rather than broad ones that describe half the journal.

Harvard author-date citation style not applied. MNRAS uses an author-date (Harvard) citation system, which differs from the numbered reference systems used in most physics journals. In-text citations appear as (Surname et al. Year) and the reference list is sorted alphabetically by first author surname. Using the MNRAS BibTeX style file (mnras.bst) handles this automatically. Manuscripts that use numbered citations throughout the text are not compatible with MNRAS style and require complete reference reformatting.

Long data tables not handled through the online-material procedure. For long tables the instructions ask for a sample table of the first 5 to 10 rows in the paper, a caption stating that the full table is available online, and a machine-readable file (for example ASCII text) with a description of the columns uploaded as online supplementary material. The file goes online in exactly the format supplied. A long table presented in full in the body, with no machine-readable file, is a mismatch with that procedure.

Color figures that are not colour-blind friendly. The MNRAS instructions ask authors to make figures colour-blind friendly where possible, and flag red and green in the same figure as particularly problematic for some readers. The journal is online only, so the concern is accessibility for readers rather than a black-and-white print edition. Data series distinguished by color alone, without accompanying line styles, symbols, or patterns, are the case to fix before submission.

A MNRAS submission readiness check evaluates manuscript structure, LaTeX compliance, citation style, and data table requirements against these desk-rejection patterns before you submit.

For a manuscript-specific signal before you submit, run a Monthly Notices Of The Royal Astronomical Society submission readiness check.

Or see example reports before you finalize.