Nucleic Acids Research Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

NAR is unusual in that most article types don't have a fixed word limit. The expectation is that papers should be as long as they need to be, but no longer. That said, there are guidelines and conventions.

The absence of a strict word limit for standard articles doesn't mean length is irrelevant. Reviewers will penalize papers that are padded or repetitive. Most successful NAR articles fall in the 6,000-10,000 word range for body text. If your paper runs significantly longer, make sure every section earns its space.

Web Server Issue articles are the exception. They have a tight format of 2-4 printed pages (roughly 2,000-4,000 words) and must describe a web-accessible tool. The server URL must be prominently displayed and fully functional at the time of submission and review.

NAR uses an unstructured abstract limited to 200 words. There are no required headings like Background, Methods, or Results. The abstract should be a single paragraph that:

• States the biological problem or need the work addresses
• Briefly describes the approach or method
• Summarizes the main findings or the tool/database capabilities
• Notes the significance or utility

For computational tools and databases (Web Server and Database Issue), the abstract should include the URL and a brief description of what the tool does and who it's for. Don't waste abstract words on general statements about the importance of bioinformatics.

200 words is tight for papers that combine experimental and computational work. Prioritize the most important finding and the key method. Details go in the introduction and results sections.

NAR doesn't require a separate title page. The title and author information appear at the top of the manuscript. Include:

• Full title (be specific and descriptive; NAR titles tend to be longer than in clinical journals)
• All author names with superscript affiliation numbers
• Institutional affiliations
• Corresponding author marked with an asterisk, with email address
• A "To whom correspondence should be addressed" line

NAR doesn't require academic degrees (MD, PhD) after author names. ORCID iDs are encouraged for all authors and required for the corresponding author.

For papers with many authors (common in large consortium studies), NAR follows standard authorship conventions but doesn't have a specific limit on the number of authors.

NAR doesn't impose a strict limit on the number of figures for standard articles. The expectation is that you include the figures necessary to support your conclusions.

Figure requirements:

• Minimum resolution: 300 DPI for photographs, 600 DPI for line art
• Accepted formats: TIFF, EPS, PDF, or high-resolution JPEG
• Single column width: 86 mm (3.4 inches)
• Double column width: 178 mm (7 inches)
• Maximum height: 230 mm (9 inches)
• Font in figures: Arial or Helvetica, minimum 7-point after sizing
• Color figures are free (NAR is fully open access)
• Each figure uploaded as a separate file

Table requirements:

• Created in the manuscript (Word table or LaTeX tabular environment)
• Every column must have a header
• Keep tables as simple as possible; complex tables should be supplementary
• Footnotes defined using superscript lowercase letters
• Very large data tables should be submitted as supplementary data files

For Web Server Issue articles, include a screenshot of the web interface as one of your figures. This helps reviewers evaluate usability. Annotate the screenshot to highlight key features.

NAR uses its own reference format. The most important difference from most biomedical journals is that citations appear in parentheses, not as superscript numbers.

Key formatting rules:

• Citations in text use numbers in parentheses: (1), (2,3), (4-7)
• References numbered consecutively in order of first appearance
• Author names in normal case (not small caps, not all caps)
• List all authors up to 20; for more than 20, list the first 20 followed by "et al"
• Journal titles abbreviated per NLM standards, in italics
• Include volume, page range, and year

Example reference:

1. Smith,A.B., Jones,C.D. and Williams,E.F. (2025) Crystal structure of the human telomerase RNA pseudoknot domain. Nucleic Acids Res., 53, 1234-1245.

Note the NAR-specific formatting: initials follow the surname with no space, author names separated by commas with "and" before the last author, year in parentheses after authors, journal title in italics, volume in bold, and no issue number. This format is distinct from Vancouver style and must be followed precisely.

The 20-author cutoff before using "et al" is notably generous. Most journals switch to "et al" after 3 or 6 authors. NAR's policy reflects the large collaborative teams common in genomics and structural biology.

Oxford University Press provides downloadable reference styles for Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley. Use these rather than trying to format manually.

NAR publishes supplementary material online alongside the article. Since NAR is fully open access, supplementary data is freely accessible to all readers.

Supplementary material can include:

• Supplementary figures and tables
• Extended methods and protocols
• Large datasets (genomic data, structural coordinates, etc.)
• Software code and scripts
• Supplementary text

Supplementary items are labeled as "Supplementary Figure S1," "Supplementary Table S1," etc. They should be compiled into a single PDF for the main supplementary document. Large data files (genomic sequences, structural data) can be uploaded separately or deposited in appropriate public databases.

For papers involving new databases or software tools, NAR strongly encourages (and often requires) that the source code be deposited in a public repository like GitHub or Zenodo. Include the repository URL in the manuscript.

NAR is one of the few high-impact journals where LaTeX is genuinely common and well-supported. Oxford University Press provides official templates for both formats.

Word submissions:

• Use the OUP Word template if available
• 12-point Times New Roman or similar
• Double-spaced throughout
• Continuous line numbering
• Page numbers on every page

LaTeX submissions:

• OUP provides an official NAR LaTeX template (nar.cls or similar)
• Submit compiled PDF alongside all source files (.tex, .bib, .bst, .sty, image files)
• Use BibTeX for references
• Ensure all custom packages are included
• The template handles column widths, font sizes, and heading styles

LaTeX is a strong choice for NAR submissions, particularly for papers with:

• Complex sequence alignments
• Mathematical models of molecular interactions
• Structural biology notation
• Large multi-panel figures with precise positioning

Many computational biology labs submit to NAR in LaTeX by default. The OUP production team is experienced with LaTeX, and conversion issues are less common than at clinical medicine publishers.

NAR has several unique features and requirements that set it apart from other molecular biology journals.

1. No strict word limit doesn't mean no limit. Editors will push back on papers that are unnecessarily long. A 15,000-word standard article will raise eyebrows. Write what you need, cut what you don't.

2. Web Server Issue is a separate submission track. The Web Server Issue has its own submission deadline (typically December), its own review process, and its own formatting rules. Don't submit a web server paper through the regular track. It won't be routed correctly.

3. Database Issue is also separate. Like the Web Server Issue, the Database Issue has its own annual call and deadline (typically October for January publication). Papers describe new or significantly updated databases that must be freely accessible.

4. Data availability is taken seriously. NAR expects all data to be deposited in appropriate public databases. Sequence data should go to GenBank/ENA/DDBJ. Structural data goes to PDB or EMDB. Microarray data goes to GEO or ArrayExpress. The accession numbers must appear in the manuscript.

5. Open access APC. NAR is fully open access. All published articles require an article processing charge. The current APC is approximately $3,000-3,500 (check the journal website for the exact current fee). There are waivers and discounts for authors from low-income countries and for OUP institutional agreements.

NAR has specific data deposition and reporting requirements depending on the type of data in your manuscript.

These are not optional. Manuscripts that describe new sequence or structural data without public deposition will not be sent for review.

NAR uses the Oxford University Press submission system. Prepare these files before starting:

1. Main manuscript (Word or LaTeX): title, abstract, body text, references, figure legends
2. Figures: each uploaded separately in high-resolution format
3. Tables: embedded in the manuscript or as separate files
4. Supplementary data: compiled PDF plus any large data files
5. Cover letter: emphasizing novelty and fit for NAR
6. Graphical abstract (optional but encouraged): summarizing the main finding

For Web Server Issue submissions:

• Ensure the web server is live and accessible at submission time
• Provide reviewer access credentials if the server requires login
• Include a screenshot as a figure

The most frequent issues with NAR submissions:

• Using superscript citations instead of parenthetical numbers
• Missing data deposition accession numbers
• Submitting Web Server papers through the regular article track
• Figures below minimum resolution (especially screen captures)
• Reference formatting errors (NAR style is distinctive)
• Missing ORCID for the corresponding author