Small Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

The abstract format depends on the article type.

Full Papers:

• Word limit: 200 words
• Structure: Unstructured (single paragraph)
• Citations: Not allowed
• Keywords: 5 required, listed below the abstract

Communications:

• No separate abstract
• Opening paragraph (3-5 sentences) serves as abstract
• Keywords: 5 required

For Full Papers, the 200-word abstract should cover the problem, approach, main result, and significance. Small covers nanoscience broadly, so make the abstract accessible to non-specialists in your subfield. A researcher working on nanoparticle drug delivery should be able to understand the abstract of a paper on nanoscale mechanical resonators.

Keywords: Exactly 5 keywords are required. Choose specific terms that help with indexing. "Nanoparticles" alone is too broad; "gold nanorod photothermal therapy" is specific and useful.

Figures drive Small papers. Electron microscopy images, spectral data, device performance curves, and schematic illustrations are central to almost every publication.

Figure specifications:

TOC image (mandatory):

• Dimensions: approximately 5.5 cm high x 12 cm wide
• Resolution: 300 dpi minimum
• Format: TIFF or EPS
• Must include a text description (50 words maximum)
• Should represent the key finding visually

The TOC image is your paper's calling card. When readers browse Small's table of contents, the TOC image is what determines whether they click through. Design a purpose-built image that conveys the concept at a glance. Don't simply crop a figure from the paper; create something specific for the TOC.

Nanoscale image conventions:

• Include scale bars on all microscopy images
• State the microscopy technique (SEM, TEM, AFM, STM) in the caption
• For particle size distributions, include the mean and standard deviation
• For crystal structure images, indicate crystallographic directions

Table formatting:

• Tables should have headers for every column
• Horizontal rules only (top, below header, bottom)
• Editable format, not images
• Tables count toward the page limit

Small uses Wiley's numbered reference style, identical to Advanced Materials and other Wiley-VCH titles.

In-text citations: Superscript numbers in square brackets, e.g., [1], [2,3], [4-7]. Numbered sequentially by order of first appearance.

Reference list format:

[1] A. B. Author, C. D. Author, J. Abbrev. Name Year, Volume, Pages.

Key formatting details:

• Author initials before surname, with spaces (A. B. Author)
• All authors listed (no "et al." cutoff)
• Journal name abbreviated per ISO 4, in italics
• Year after journal name, no parentheses
• Volume number, page range
• No DOIs in standard format
• Book format: A. B. Author, Title, Publisher, City, Year

Communications typically cite 20-30 references. Full Papers cite 40-60. There's no formal cap, but an excessive reference list eats into your page budget.

The Wiley reference style places the year after the journal name (not in parentheses), which is different from Elsevier and Nature styles. If you're converting from another format, watch for this detail.

Small calls its supplementary content "Supporting Information" (SI), following Wiley convention.

What goes in SI:

• Detailed experimental procedures
• Additional characterization data (XRD, DLS, TGA, etc.)
• Extended microscopy images
• Video files (in situ experiments, nanoparticle dynamics)
• Computational details

SI requirements:

• Submitted as a single PDF
• Videos as separate files
• Self-contained with its own numbering (Figure S1, Table S1)
• Must begin with the article title, author names, and SI table of contents
• Every SI item referenced in the main text

For Communications (4-page limit), the SI carries most of the experimental detail. A 4-page Communication with 15-20 pages of SI is normal. Reviewers expect detailed SI and will check it carefully.

These are the details that regular Small authors know:

Page limits are on published pages. This is the most critical distinction. Your 20-page double-spaced manuscript might format to 8 published pages. Use the two-column template to estimate accurately.

Communications don't have abstracts. The opening paragraph serves as the abstract. This paragraph appears in database listings and search results. Don't bury the key finding in the middle of a lengthy introduction.

TOC image is mandatory. You can't submit without one. Prepare it as part of your manuscript development process, not as a last-minute addition.

Color is free. Both online and print publication include color at no charge. Use color freely to make your data clear.

SI header is required. The Supporting Information PDF must start with a header containing the article title, all author names, and a table of contents listing SI figures and tables.

Wiley production edits your manuscript. Wiley's copyediting team makes changes during production. Review your proofs carefully, especially figure quality, which can degrade during Wiley's production pipeline.

Communications need a justification. Submit a brief statement explaining why the Communication format is appropriate rather than a Full Paper. This goes in the cover letter.

Dual-format initial submission. For the first submission, Small accepts a single merged PDF with all text, figures, and SI. At revision, they'll want separate files.

These cause delays at Small:

1. TOC image dimensions. The specific size (~5.5 x 12 cm) is enforced. Incorrectly sized images get returned.

1. Keyword count. Exactly 5 keywords. Not 4, not 6. The system flags this.

1. Page limit violations. Discovered at the proof stage, requiring cuts after acceptance. Use the two-column template to check before submission.

1. SI header missing. The Supporting Information document needs the article title and author names at the top. This is a Wiley requirement that's easy to forget.

1. Communication length overrun. 4 published pages means 4 pages. At 4.5 pages, you'll be asked to cut during production.