Policies and Procedures

Professional Conduct and Publication Ethics

The journal is committed to high standards for professional conduct and ethical behavior in all published material. The Publishing Ethics Guidelines detail the journal's position as a scientific publisher.

Furthermore, the journal supports the International Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Scientific Publishing (IUPAP) as they were adopted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, the Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity released by the World Conference on Research Integrity.

Accordingly, authors, reviewers, and editors have a responsibility to maintain high ethical standards by following good scientific practice.

Authors

Authors must inform the editor of manuscripts submitted, soon to be submitted, or in press at other journals that have a bearing on the current. All sources of funding must be revealed for the work presented in the manuscript, and any conflicts of interest should be declared.

The information reported in a manuscript should be scientifically rigorous, reported truthfully, and documented so that other researchers may reproduce the results. The manuscript should represent significant progress in the field under study, as well as being presented in the context of previously published work (by the authors and other researchers) by giving due reference, especially to the latest international research.

All co-authors must meet criteria for authorship and appropriate acknowledgements should be made in the manuscript (see Authorship for further details). It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to inform the co-authors about the submission, editorial process, and decisions, and to ensure that all authors have a chance to review the galley proofs of the article.

Potential conflicts with any of these issues must be disclosed upon submission.

Reviewers

Reviewers are entrusted to give informed, fair, and objective recommendations regarding publication of a manuscript. He or she may not spread or make use of privileged and confidential information obtained from the manuscript. If a reviewer has been asked to provide a report despite an existing conflict of interest, such as a close collaboration or a direct competition, the editorial office should be informed immediately.

Editors

The journal strives to achieve a responsible and objective decision regarding publication, without bias. Where a personal conflict of interest arises, editors will refrain from handling such manuscripts. The journal´s professional in-house editors are not allowed to have any management or financial interests in subject-related third-party companies or institutions.

All manuscripts will be subject to testing using plagiarism detection software prior to acceptance. Editors will check instances of plagiarism, data fabrication, image/data manipulation to falsify/enhance results, manipulation of the reviewing process, duplicate submission, and other misconduct concerning published articles and manuscripts under consideration. Wiley reserves the right to publish Errata, Editorial Notes, or Retractions.

Data Security

By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more at https://authorservices.wiley.com/statements/data-protection-policy.html.

Peer Review Policy

All manuscripts are subject to assessment by the editors and/or peer review. The first evaluation of a manuscript rarely results in acceptance, but it is possible in exceptional cases. Manuscripts are rejected by the editors at this stage if they are insufficiently original, have serious scientific flaws, need extensive improvement in the language, or do not fall within the aims and scope of the journal.

Manuscripts of potential interest to the journal’s readership are sent for formal review. The review process for all manuscripts will be handled by professional in-house editors. Manuscripts are typically sent to at least two reviewers, though editors have the option of seeking additional reviewers when needed. The editor then decides whether to accept, reject, or request revisions based on the reviews and comments received.

The peer-review process is single-anonymous. Potential reviewers are selected based on many factors, including expertise, reputation, specific recommendations by the authors or other reviewers, and previous experience of a reviewer's characteristics. Referees' identities are not released to authors or to other reviewers unless a referee voluntarily signs his/her comments to the authors. Editorial preference is for referees to remain anonymous throughout the review process and beyond.

The editorial assessment of in-house submissions, i.e. papers authored by editors or editorial board members of the journal, will be handled by editors unaffiliated with the author or institution, and monitored carefully to ensure there is no peer review bias.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they feel that the decision to reject was based on either a significant misunderstanding of a core aspect of the manuscript, a failure to understand how the manuscript advances the literature or concerns regarding the manuscript-handling process. Differences in opinion regarding the novelty or significance of the reported findings are not considered as grounds for appeal. To raise an appeal, please contact the journal by email, quoting your manuscript ID number and explaining your rationale for the appeal. The editor’s decision following an appeal consideration is final.

To raise a complaint regarding editorial staff, policy or process please contact the journal in the first instance. If you believe further support outside the journal’s management is necessary, please refer to Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.

Revised versions of rejected manuscripts should only be resubmitted to the journal after consent of the handling editor. Editorial decisions that are the outcome of an appeal procedure are final and cannot be appealed against again.

Authorship

The list of authors should accurately indicate who contributed to the work. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:

• Have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
• Been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
• Given final approval of the version to be published. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content; and
• Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Contributions from anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed, with permission from the contributor, in the Acknowledgments section (for example, to recognize contributions from people who provided technical help, collation of data, writing assistance, acquisition of funding, or a department chairperson who provided general support). Prior to submission, all authors should agree on the order in which their names will be listed in the manuscript.

Additional Authorship Options

In the case of joint first or senior authorship, a sentence should be added to the acknowledgements, e.g. “X.X. and Y.Y. contributed equally to this work”.

Author Pronouns

Authors may now include their personal pronouns in the author bylines of their published articles and on Wiley Online Library. Authors will never be required to include their pronouns; it will always be optional for the author. Authors can include their pronouns in their manuscript upon submission and can add, edit, or remove their pronouns at any stage upon request. Submitting/corresponding authors should never add, edit, or remove a coauthor’s pronouns without that coauthor’s consent. Where post-publication changes to pronouns are required, these can be made without a correction notice to the paper, following Wiley’s Name Change Policy to protect the author’s privacy. Terms which fall outside of the scope of personal pronouns, e.g. proper or improper nouns, are currently not supported.

Author Name Changes After Publication

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author's privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.

Patent Applications and Intellectual Property

Authors are advised to resolve all pending patent applications and intellectual property issues prior to submission of their article. Acceptance and publication will not be delayed for such reasons.

Additional Guidelines for Cover Pictures, Visual Abstracts, Frontispieces and Table of Contents Graphics

• Concepts illustrated in graphical material must clearly fit with the research discussed in the accompanying text.
• Images featuring depictions or representations of people must not contain any form of dehumanization, objectification, sexualization, stereotyping, or other forms of discrimination. We also ask authors to consider community diversity in images containing depictions or representations of people.
• Use, representation, or depiction of religious or political figures, imagery and iconography should be avoided.
• Use of elements of mythology, legends, and folklore might be acceptable if they help to illustrate the research; however, the acceptance of these images will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will only be considered acceptable if they are appropriate for our broad readership and comply with the other points listed in this guidance.
• Authors should obtain permission from any Indigenous individuals (or their families if deceased) prior to using their images.
• Generally, authors should consider any sensitivities when using images that might have cultural significance or may be inappropriate in the context (for example, religious texts, historical events, human remains, cultural artifacts, and depictions of people).
• Legal requirements:
• All necessary copyright permission for the reproduction of the graphical elements used in visuals must be obtained prior to publication.
• Clearance must be obtained from identifiable people before using their image or likeness in a published image and such clearance must specify how the image will be used. In all situations involving disclosure of personal information, specific permission must be obtained. And images of individuals should not be used in a false manner.
• It is not appropriate to generate images/covers using AI tools, as the source and copyright status of images cannot be determined.

Graphics that do not adhere to these guidelines will be recommended for revision or will not be accepted for publication.

Corrections

If you find an error in your article published in the journal, please submit a correction statement (including revised text and display items as needed) via e-mail to the editorial office. The editorial team will assess its suitability for publication, potentially following further peer review as needed.

Experimental Design, Description, and Validation

Animal Experimentation

For detailed reporting of animal experimentation, the ARRIVE guidelines should be followed. Manuscripts containing experiments using animals must include a statement in the Experimental Section to state that permission was obtained from the relevant national or local authorities. The institutional committees that have approved the experiments must be identified and the accreditation number of the laboratory or of the investigator must be given where applicable. If no such rules or permission are stipulated in the particular country where the research/experiments were carried out, this must be mentioned in the manuscript. Compliance with US Public Health Service’s Policy on Animal Research Advisory Committee Guidelines is strongly recommended.

Human Studies/Subjects and Clinical Samples

For manuscripts containing experiments with human subjects (including the testing of sensor/wearable technologies) or tissue samples from human subjects, a statement regarding appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethical Committee approval must be included. The informed consent of all participating subjects must be obtained, and a statement to indicate this must be included. Confirmation that the study conforms to recognized standards, such as the Declaration of Helsinki, is also required.

When reporting phase II and III clinical trials, reporting on tumor marker studies, or describing human biospecimens, authors should refer, respectively, to the relevant CONSORT statement, REMARK, or BRISQ guidelines. Prospective clinical trials must be registered in www.clinicaltrials.gov (or a similar public repository that matches the criteria established by ICMJE) prior to the start of patient enrollment. Trial registration numbers must be reported in the article.

Image Processing

Images submitted for publication must accurately represent the original data, and authors must provide, if requested by the editors, unprocessed and raw data to aid in the reviewing process. Images submitted should be minimally modified, and any modification to original raw data should be clearly and fully disclosed, either in the figure legends, the Experimental Section, or in the Supporting Information. This should include the software used and the settings and methods applied in manipulations.

Processing should be applied equally to the entire image and also to controls. Processing that obscures data or emphasizes certain regions at the expense of others should not be used. When used, false-color and nonlinear adjustments, such as gamma correction, deconvolution, filtering, thresholding, and projection, should be clearly indicated in the manuscript.

In the case of gels and blots, cropped images may be used when necessary for clarity and conciseness. These modifications must be clearly mentioned, and the full gels and blots should be provided as Supporting Information. A clear line should mark the boundary between different gels where these were cropped, and all important bands should be maintained in the image.

Statistical Analysis

Reported data should be representative and reproducible. For original research articles, a sub-section entitled "Statistical Analysis" should be included at the end of the Experimental Section that fully describes the following:

• Pre-processing of data (e.g., transformation, normalization, evaluation of outliers),
• Data presentation (e.g., mean ± SD),
• Sample size/number of replicates (n) for each statistical analysis,
• Statistical methods used to assess significant differences (name of the statistical test including one- or two-sided testing, testing level (i.e., alpha value, P value), if applicable post-hoc test or any alpha adjustment, validity of any assumptions made for the chosen test),
• Software used for statistical analysis.

All relevant figure and table legends should contain information on sample size/number of replicates (n), probability (P) value, the specific statistical test for each experiment, data presentation, and the meaning of the significance symbol.

A more detailed checklist can be found here: The Road to Better Presentation of Data: The Do’s and Don’ts

Data Sharing/Repositories

Wiley is committed to a more open research landscape, facilitating faster and more effective research discovery by enabling reproducibility and verification of data, methodology and reporting standards. We encourage authors of published articles to share their research data including, but not limited to: raw data, processed data, software, algorithms, protocols, methods, and materials.

We expect that data supporting primary research results will be archived in an appropriate public repository. Authors are required to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or the absence of shared data. When data have been shared, authors are required to include in their data availability statement a link to the repository they have used, and to cite the data they have shared. Whenever possible the scripts and other artefacts used to generate the analyses presented in the paper should also be publicly archived. If sharing data compromises ethical standards or legal requirements, then authors are not expected to share it.

See the Standard Templates for Author Use to select an appropriate data availability statement for your dataset.

Nucleotide sequence data can be submitted in electronic form to any of the three major collaborative databases: DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ), EMBL Nucleotide Archive, or GenBank. It is only necessary to submit to one database as data are exchanged between DDBJ, EMBL, and GenBank on a daily basis

Proteins sequence data should be submitted to either of the following repositories: Protein Information Resource (PIR) or SWISS-PROT.

For manuscripts describing structural data, atomic coordinates and the associated experimental data should be deposited in the appropriate databank (see below). Data in databanks must be released, at the latest, upon publication of the article. Please ensure that atomic coordinates and experimental data are released on time.

• Organic, organometallic and inorganic compounds: Crystallographic data should not be sent as Supporting Information, but should be deposited with the joint Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC)/Fachinformationszentrum (FIZ) Karlsruhe online deposition service
• Proteins and nucleic acids: Protein Data Bank
• NMR spectroscopy data: BioMagResBank

For more information, check Wiley’s Data Sharing Policies and our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Chemistry and Catalysis

A. Synthetic Procedures

Literature references to known but non-commercial compounds should be given, and hazardous chemicals, equipment and techniques must be emphasized. If practical, authors should use a systematic name (IUPAC or Chemical Abstracts) for each title compound in the Experimental Section. Do not use computer programs to generate elaborate systematic names or use long, multiline compound names; in such cases general descriptors, such as compound 2, dendrimer 3, or alcohol 4, should be used.

New synthetic procedures should contain reactant quantities in weight or volume and molar units. Equipment details, such as reaction vessel, type of heating (conventional, microwave, or photoirradiation), irradiation wavelength, optical irradiance, cut-off filters, and details of purification techniques and solvents, among others, should be included. Yields of purified products should be in weight and percentage (e.g., 109 mg, 95%). Physical data should be quoted with decimal points and negative exponents (e.g., 25.8 JK⁻¹mol⁻¹). If chromatographic methods are used for purification, the nature of the stationary phase and thin-layer chromatography data/retention factor (e.g., R_f=0.38 (CHCl₃/MeOH 9:1)) should be provided. Please note that reactions following a new synthetic procedure can be conducted on a small scale, but at least one example should be at a scale of 1 mmol.

B. Characterization

B1. Characterization of Compounds and Materials

The structure and composition of all compounds and materials central to the manuscript must be disclosed in the main text or in the Supporting Information, including commercial and proprietary products, pure materials, and mixtures. Manuscripts reporting results using undisclosed material compositions may be returned without external review.

All new organic, organometallic, and inorganic compounds, and materials must be fully characterized by appropriate analytical methods with sufficient evidence for composition, structure, and purity (e.g., elemental analysis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies, high-resolution mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry, IR spectroscopy, specific rotation, physical state and melting point, X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, etc.). The identity and bulk purity of compounds and materials should be verified with elemental analysis or, in exceptional circumstances, by another appropriate method. For instance, when the compound is unstable or not available in sufficient quantities for complete analysis, the exact relative molecular mass obtained by high-resolution mass spectrometry and clean ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra (appended to the Supporting Information for inspection by the referees) should be supplied. Reasons should be provided if a type of data could not be obtained for a compound or compound class.

In any cases where elemental analysis cannot be carried out (e.g., for air-sensitive compounds) an explanation for the omission or inaccuracy of this data should be given, alongside additional evidence for purity. HPLC or GC chromatograms are suitable, but other techniques (e.g., NMR spectroscopy or powder X-ray diffraction) will be considered.

For known organic, organometallic, and inorganic compounds, characterization by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies and mass spectrometry is sufficient and purity should be verified. A reference to the fully characterized compound should be provided. Any soluble organometallic or inorganic diamagnetic compound with an organic fragment should be characterized using NMR spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, and any other appropriate nucleus) in the same manner as organic compounds. For soluble paramagnetic compounds (e.g., Cu^II complexes), paramagnetic NMR techniques are encouraged but not essential.

Reporting of single-crystal X-ray structures is encouraged for crystalline solids; however, such structures cannot be used as the only means of characterization as they do not necessarily represent the bulk material. Powder X-ray diffraction data can be submitted as evidence for the purity of a bulk material—ideally in comparison to a calculated diffraction pattern. For micro- and nanostructured materials, detailed information about both the composition and morphology (e.g., adsorption–desorption isotherms, surface area, porosity, etc.) should be provided.

Data collected for a sample may be subject to measurement variations (e.g., device settings, sample preparation, sample dimensions, etc.). In such cases authors must not only report the important settings of the measurement and data specific for the sample (e.g., sample dimensions or mass) but also make the data comparable. The technique and the parameters used for this purpose (e.g., normalization) must be reported.

B2. Characterization Techniques

Please note: manipulation of spectra to misrepresent data is unethical and will not be tolerated.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Proton and carbon resonances must be provided for each new compound in the Experimental Section or in the Supporting Information; solvent and instrument frequencies are required. Depending on the compound, other resonances, such as ¹⁹F, ²⁹Si, or ³¹P should be added. NMR spectra should have sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratios so that all peaks can be adequately resolved.

¹H NMR resonances should be reported to the nearest 0.01 ppm. Multiplet abbreviations, number of atoms represented by each signal, and coupling constants should be provided; e.g., ¹H NMR (200 MHz, [D₈]THF, 25°C, TMS, ppm): δ=7.64–7.48 (m, 6H; Ar–H), 1.33 (q, J=8 Hz, 2H; CH₂). Mutually coupled protons in ¹H NMR spectra must be quoted with precisely matching J values to assist thorough interpretation. In instances where computer print-outs provide ambiguous readings, mean J values should be quoted that are rounded to the nearest decimal point.

¹³C NMR resonances should be reported to the nearest 0.1 ppm. Provide resonances with high precision only in case of closely spaced signals. The number of attached hydrogen atoms can also be included; e.g., ¹³C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl₃, 25°C, TMS, ppm): δ=72.5 (CCH), 26.8 (CH₃).

Copies of the ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of all key intermediates and all final products must be included in the Supporting Information. The spectra must be those resulting from the specific reactions reported in the manuscript and not copies from previous syntheses of the same compounds. Each spectrum must be legible and should be labeled with the compound number used in the manuscript and an image of the structure. The minimum chemical shift range for ¹H NMR spectra should be −1 to 10 ppm and for ¹³C NMR spectra −10 to 200 ppm. All peaks should be labeled and integrated.

Infrared spectroscopy (IR): It is not necessary to provide a full list of IR stretches. Only those signals that are diagnostic of the compound′s functional groups need to be listed. The band frequencies should be given to the nearest 1 cm⁻¹ and their intensity should be provided (very strong (vs), strong (s), medium (m), weak (w), broad (br)); e.g., IR (KBr, cm⁻¹): ν˜=1780 (vs), 1790 (s) (C=O).

Mass spectrometry (MS): It is not necessary to provide a full list of MS peaks. Only those signals for which the molecular fragment can be identified need to be listed. Molecular ion peaks, and any other fragmentation peaks, should be reported in comparison to the calculated mass for the ion. Please use an ionization technique suitable for your compound. Relative intensities of the signals should be provided; e.g., MS (EI, 70 eV) m/z (%): 173 (32), 171 (100) [M+H]⁺.

Elemental analysis or high-resolution MS (HRMS): Evidence for elemental constitution should be provided by satisfactory elemental analysis, in which case duplicate analysis should be obtained and an average presented (both sets of data used to calculate the average should be provided). Elemental analysis; e.g., Elemental analysis calcd for C₂₀H₃₂N₂O₅: C 63.14, H 8.48, N 7.36, found: C 62.88, H 8.41, N 7.44. High-resolution mass spectrum; e.g., HRMS (ESI) m/z calcd for C₃₂H₄₇NO₅+Na⁺: 548.3352 [M+Na]⁺; found: 548.3331. For compounds where elemental analysis data is not provided, the HRMS data should be accompanied by NMR spectra with sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratios.

Note that elemental analysis data must be provided for papers detailing the isolation and structure elucidation of natural products.

UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy: If UV/Vis or fluorescence spectroscopy data are discussed in the manuscript, the following data should be provided in the Experimental Section of the Supporting Information, along with any copies of the corresponding spectra.

UV/Vis absorptions (peak, extinction coefficient); e.g., UV/Vis (n-hexane, nm (mol⁻¹dm³cm⁻¹)): λ_max (ε)=320 (5000), 270 (12000).

Fluorescence excitation and emission; e.g., fluorescence (CH₂Cl₂, nm): λ_ex=435.5, λ_em=659, 726.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS): Collection and treatment of XAS data require specialized knowledge. Please consult a beamline scientist or other experienced person to ensure the appropriate steps are taken to collect, process, and interpret XAS data correctly. The Athena User′s Guide provides general guidance for XAS data processing.

Specific rotation: Specific rotations following [α]=(100∙α)/(lc) should be provided for isolated and synthesized natural products as well as for other enantioenriched compounds; e.g., [α]D20=−13.5 (c=0.2 in acetone). For new compounds that are chiral, HPLC or GC traces should be included in the Supporting Information.

Physical state and melting point: A description of the physical state and color of a new compound should be given; e.g., yellow needle-like crystals. Melting point ranges should only be provided for crystalline compounds; e.g., mp: 90.2–91.2°C.

Isomeric mixtures: Where isomeric mixtures are reported, such as diastereomeric or enantioenriched mixtures, please provide percentage compositions and information about how these values were obtained (e.g., NMR spectroscopy, HPLC, etc.). If certain spectroscopic signals (e.g., NMR signals) can be attributed to either of the isomers, these data should be reported in separate lists and not in combined lists.

Microscopy images should be captured at an appropriate magnification to show a representative sample. When high-magnification images of selected particles are used they must be supplemented by low-magnification images of the broader sample, and the use of histograms and statistics to describe size and shape distributions is encouraged.

Powder X-ray diffraction data: XRD (Cu Kα1, 0.15406 nm, 2θ (°) (d (nm)): 5.2 (1.68), 10.1 (0.83).

Crystallographic data must be uploaded as Supporting Information and must be deposited using the joint Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) and FIZ Karlsruhe deposition service (see Appendix G. Data Deposition). Authors must deposit their data before submitting their manuscript so that referees can retrieve the information directly from the data repository. Please use the free online service CheckCIF provided by the International Union of Crystallography to verify the quality of crystal structure analysis. Any ′level A′ alerts should be addressed before submission, or otherwise explained within the CIF using the Validation Reply Form (VRF). To aid data retrieval, please ensure that the name of the database and the deposition number(s) are stated in the part of the manuscript where the respective structure or sequence determination is described; please declare each deposition number, rather than a range, to ensure that the journal´s data feed back to the repository is complete. Crystallographic data must be uploaded as .cif files together with the manuscript to allow automated generation of CheckCIF files for the convenience of referees. All other supporting data should be included in the Supporting Information. If data are subsequently revised prior to publication, please ensure the latest version has been deposited and that the data deposited with the database are identical to those reported in the revised manuscript.

If a crystal structure analysis is not an essential part of the paper, only a footnote is required indicating where the detailed results can be found. Otherwise, the following data should be given in the manuscript: crystal dimensions, crystal system, space group, unit cell dimensions and volume, ρcalcd, 2θ_max, radiation, wavelength, scan mode, temperature of measurement, no. of measured and independent reflections, no. of reflections included in refinement, σ limits, whether and how Lorentzian polarization and absorption corrections were performed (μ, min/max transmission), method of structure solution and program, method of refinement and program, no. of parameters, treatment of H atoms. R, wR, whether refined against |F| or |F²|, residual electron density, and the database in which the detailed results are deposited. An ORTEP-type plot that merely confirms the structure of a synthetic intermediate should not be included.

C. Catalysis

Catalytic activity should be reported as turnover frequency (TOF) or mass-specific activity. For heterogeneous catalysts, surface-specific activity should be reported. Evidence of catalytic performance should be provided, including mass balance, fundamental kinetic parameters, and appropriate controls such as system measurements in the absence of catalyst.

The stability of catalysts must be tested, preferably at intermediate conversion levels, and a deactivation path should be proposed. To this end, heterogeneous catalysts should be characterized both before and after reaction.

Catalyst recycling should be tested for at least five cycles and time-on-stream should be provided for industrially relevant catalysts. Although reporting product yield as a function of cycle is acceptable, reaction rates as a measure of recycling efficiency are preferred.

For synthetic methods, a selection of substrates illustrative of the scope of the reaction should be made, and the isolated yields of the corresponding purified products should be reported. Product yields determined by HPLC or GC are considered indicative of a preliminary catalytic study. To illustrate the applicability of the method, one reaction on a gram scale should be included.

Enantiomeric purity can be expressed either as enantiomeric excess (ee) or enantiomeric ratio (e.r.). The proportions of diastereomers are expressed as a diastereomeric ratio (d.r.).

If computational results are part of the work, they must be complementary to the experimental results and should offer significant insight into the topic under investigation.

For manuscripts dealing with the use of enzymes in biocatalysis, the following information must be provided: supplier of commercially available enzymes (company name, city, country) accompanied with information about purity, and preferably units and activity test information. For recombinantly produced enzymes, please provide DNA and/or protein sequences, the vector and expression host used (add reference number if deposited on a database; see Appendix G. Data Deposition). Additionally, the method for production and isolation of the enzyme, purification method, proof of purity, and the activity test used should be stated.

Benchmarking of photo- and electrocatalysts: Where possible, the performance of photocatalysts and electrocatalysts should be benchmarked against known standards; e.g., the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions over Pt/C and RuO₂, respectively. If a platinum counter electrode has been used in electrocatalysis experiments, particularly at potentials below 0V, it should be demonstrated that no Pt contamination has occurred at the working electrode and evidence must be provided.

D. Electrochemistry

The setup of electrochemical cells and all electrochemical methods, as well as all other relevant experimental parameters, should be detailed either in the main text of the article or in the Supporting Information. The cell setup should include the type of cell (one or two compartments and, if applicable, information about the separator or salt bridge) as well as the electrode setup (two or three electrodes). Details of the working electrode (WE), counter electrode (CE) and, if used, reference electrode (RE) should be provided, as well as any pretreatments (e.g., polishing). For electrochemical methods, preset parameters should be reported (e.g., scan rate, direction, and starting potential; applied voltage/bias; frequency/rotation rates; stir/flow rate). Additional parameters that should be reported include, but are not limited to, the concentration(s) of electrolyte(s), supporting electrolyte, and anolyte, temperature, distance between WE/CE and WE/RE (bulk electrolysis), IR correction, and equipment utilized (i.e., manufacturer, model).

Electrochemistry is used in a wide range of research, and the guidelines in Appendix A. Synthesis Procedures and Appendix B. Characterization also apply for electrosynthesis manuscripts, for example, Appendix C. Catalysis applies for electrocatalysis experiments, and Appendix D. Energy Storage and Conversion should also be considered for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Raw data should be made available in accordance with Wiley′s Data Sharing Policy.

E. Computational Chemistry

For manuscripts that include the results of computational chemistry, the authors should include all the details that will enable other scientists to reproduce the results. Results obtained from methods that are neither described in the manuscript nor in previous published reports are not acceptable for publication. Computational details, including data such as force field parameters and equations defining the model, can be included in the paper itself or in the Supporting Information. Alternatively, references to the location of these data in the open literature can also be provided. Software used for calculations must be properly cited. References to the methods upon which the software is based must be provided. Submissions, including the results of electronic structure calculations, should include the geometries of all the stationary points reported, which should be reported with their relative energies (as Cartesian coordinates in the manuscript or as Z matrices in the Supporting Information), along with their computed absolute energies (Hartree). When appropriate, the number of imaginary frequencies should be reported to enable identification of stable structures.

F. Resources

Catalysis:

• NFDI4Cat Central Data Repository: NFDI4Cat-Dataverse
• Catalyst discovery and optimization: SwissCAT+.
• Computational catalysis: Catalysis-Hub.org.
• Organic reaction data: Open Reaction Database.
• Small-molecule characterization data and reactions: Chemotion.

Computational chemistry:

• Computational catalysis: Catalysis-Hub.org.
• Computational chemistry: io-Chem-BD.
• Computational materials data: NOMAD.
• Quantum chemistry: QCArchive.

Organic and inorganic chemistry:

• Chemical substances and their physicochemical properties: PubChem Substance(linked to PubChem BioAssay and PubChem Compound).
• Intermolecular interaction data: SupraBank.
• Organic reaction data: Open Reaction Database.
• Raw and processed NMR data: nmrXiv.
• Small-molecule characterization data and reactions: Chemotion.
• Small-molecule structures and their physicochemical properties and characterization data: ChemSpider.
• Synthetic chemistry methods: ChemSpider Synthetic Pages.

Policy for NIH Grantees

On behalf of authors who are US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grantees, Wiley will deposit the accepted version of the manuscript in PubMed Central and this version will be made public after 12 months. By assuming this responsibility, Wiley will ensure that authors are in compliance with the NIH request, as well as make certain that the appropriate version of the manuscript is deposited. Wiley reserves the right to change or rescind this policy.

Research Articles

Research Articles are unsolicited, peer-reviewed reports of original research results. The essential findings presented in a Research Article should be novel and should not have been published previously. The conclusions must be clearly supported by the data.

Authors are encouraged to use the available Word or LaTeX manuscript template. Whilst a typical Research Article is around 3000–8000 words (in its entirety) including 3–8 display items (figures, schemes, or tables), submitted manuscripts can be any length. However, the scientific contents should justify the length. Manuscripts should include 1) an introduction, summarizing the objectives and main conclusions of the work, 2) the main text of the article, 3) a conclusion, summarizing the conclusions that can be drawn, and optionally 4) an experimental or methods section.

In addition, a short abstract (200 words maximum) should be included along with 3–7 keywords. Supporting Information in the form of additional experimental details, display items, movies, etc. may accompany the main article. The main article must stand on its own in the absence of the Supporting Information.

This graphics FAQ includes information for preparation of figures to ensure high quality in the final publication and quick publication times.

Types of Images

How are images classified?

Images for publication can be classified into two main categories: bitmap images and vector graphics images (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Examples of bitmap (top) and vector graphics (bottom) images. Bitmap image from A. M. Duraj-Thatte et al., Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1901826. Vector graphics image from Y. Li et al., Adv. Mater. 2019, 31, 1903173.

What is a bitmap image?

In a bitmap image, the information of the image is stored in a grid of pixels, in which the color of each pixel is defined as a combination of red, green, and blue.

What are some examples of bitmap images?

Typical bitmap images include photographs, optical microscopy, and SEM, TEM, and AFM images.

What is a vector graphics image?

In a vector graphics image, the information of the image is stored as a set of geometrical primitives, including points, lines, curves, and polygons. The color of each primitive is also defined as a combination of red, green, and blue.

What are some examples of vector graphics images?

Typical vector graphics images include plots, graphs, chemical structures and reaction schemes, diagrams, and schematics.

Why can't I just submit everything as a bitmap image?

The advantage of vector graphics images over bitmaps is that they can be scaled without a loss of quality (Figure 2), because geometric primitives are defined mathematically. A curve can be scaled by 1000% without inventing any new information. To scale a bitmap by 1000%, new pixels have to be invented to insert between the original pixels.

Figure 2. a,b) Bitmap image at original size (a) and enlarged 1000% (b). c,d) Vector graphics image at original size (c) and enlarged 1000% (d).

Why can't I just submit everything as a vector graphic image?

Some images cannot easily be defined by geometric primitives more complex than single points, because each point (or pixel) in the image is a different color, making up the image. Photographs, microscopy images, and similar images can only be represented as bitmaps.

Bitmap Images

What applications can I use to prepare bitmap images?

Bitmap images can be produced by image-capture applications such as flatbed or film scanners, video frame grabbers, microscopy accessory software, digital cameras, and CCD video cameras. Bitmap images can then be edited by applications including Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro by Corel, and the open-source GNU image manipulation package.

What file type should I use to submit my bitmap images?

All bitmap images should be submitted as TIFF (tagged image file format) or PNG (portable network graphics) files. These formats are widely used file formats and are supported by most applications. TIFFs and PNGs can be opened, edited, and saved without suffering losses in quality due to recompression, unlike other bitmap file formats such as JPGs.

How large should my TIFF files be?

Images should preferably be submitted at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi). The width of the image in dots, or pixels, depends on the width of the image when it is typeset in the PDF.

Images are usually typeset in the PDF as either one column wide (8.5 cm, or about 3.35 in) or two columns wide (17.8 cm, or about 7.01 in), so:

One-column images should be 300 dpi x 3.35 in = about 1000 pixels wide.

Two-column images should be 300 dpi x 7.01 in = about 2100 pixels wide.

The height of your image will vary, depending on what you are presenting, but nearly all images appear in the journal as either one column or two columns wide.

What if the image produced by my instrument is not 1000 pixels across?

If your instrument produces an image less than 1000 pixels in width (for example, some atomic force microscopes), do not artificially increase the resolution—no new data will be added, and the noise level may be increased. When you submit the image, bring it to our attention that this is the maximum size image that your instrument will produce.

On the other hand, if there is a way to produce a higher-resolution image, then you should take the time to obtain the image again at a higher resolution by rescanning it or recapturing it to ensure high quality reproduction.

Can I submit my image at a higher resolution? Will that increase the image quality?

You can submit images at resolutions higher than 300 dpi. However, resolutions higher than 600 dpi probably will not improve the image quality further. In addition, higher-resolution images result in larger image files, which take up more storage capacity, require more memory to edit, and will take more time to upload when you submit your manuscript.

Can I convert the JPG file from my digital camera to a TIFF?

You can, but it won't produce an image that is as high quality. JPG is a lossy file format that results in compression artifacts that, depending on the degree of compression, can significantly reduce the quality of the image. It is better to capture an image with a digital camera as a TIFF file or as a RAW file. A RAW file, also a lossless file format, can be converted to a TIFF file using the software that accompanies the camera.

Should I tag my TIFF file with a color profile when I save it?

It is not necessary to tag image files with color profiles since we do not have a calibrated color management workflow. Preparing the image in a standard color space (such as Adobe (1998)) should be sufficient.

But what if I have an image where the color has to be exactly right?

If you have an image where the color is critical (e.g., a fluorescence microscopy image), please bring it to the attention of the editorial office and we will consult with you during the production process to ensure accurate reproduction.

How large should the scale bars in my microscopy images be?

Scale bars, and the accompanying labels, should be large enough to be clearly legible when the image is printed as a one-column wide image. Text should be 10 to 12 point at the final print size (about 0.5 cm tall at the final print size).

Vector Graphic Images

What applications can I use to prepare vector graphics images?

Vector graphics images can be prepared by applications including Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, ChemDraw, CorelDRAW, gnuplot, and Microcal Origin.

What file type should I use to submit my vector graphics image?

It is preferable to save your vector graphics image as a PDF (portable document format), PS (PostScript), or Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file, or by embedding in a Microsoft Word document. Depending on the operating system of your computer and the application you are using, you may be able to produce these file types without additional software like Adobe Acrobat (for example, Mac OS X). However, we also accept figures saved in the format of the applications in which they were created, e.g. .ai, .pptx, .cdr, etc.

How do I embed a vector graphics image in a Microsoft Word document?

There are two ways a Word-embedded vector graphics image can be prepared: 1) Simply copy the image from the application in which it was created, and paste it into a new Microsoft Word document as a “Picture”, or 2) Use the “Insert” function in Microsoft Word, selecting “Pictures”, to insert the figure file from its saved location.

What if I am only able to save my vector graphics image as a bitmap file?

If you absolutely must save your vector graphics image as a bitmap file, then it will need to be an extremely high-resolution Tiff file: at least 1200 dpi: one-column images should be about 4000 pixels wide, while two-column images should be about 8400 pixels wide. Because of the size of the Tiff file required for this resolution, using the above instructions to produce a Word, PDF, PS, or EPS file is preferred.

How should my plots be formatted?

Plots should be formatted so that they are easy to read and consistent with the journal style. Axis labels and symbols should be 10 to 12 point at the intended reproduction size (one column width, approximately 8.5 cm wide). Variables should be in italics, while subscripts of variables should be in upright type. Axis labels should be formatted as "variable [units]", where the variable is in italics and the units are enclosed in square brackets and in upright type. (This system is preferred to following the variable with a slash and the units.)

What settings should I use to draw chemical structures in ChemDraw?

The following drawing and text settings should be used: chain angle 120 degrees, bond spacing 18% of width, fixed length 17 pt, bold width 2.6 pt, line width 0.75 pt, margin width 2 pt, hash spacing 2.6 pt, font Arial, size 12 pt.

Submitting Images

How should I submit my images to the journal?

All images can either be submitted in separate files (e.g., Figure_1.tif, Figure_2.doc, Figure_3.tif, etc.), or embedded in the manuscript. All the files should be uploaded to the manuscript submission system.

Can I include insets in my images?

We discourage submitting images with insets because unless the inset is very simple, such as a plot of a straight line, it can be difficult for readers to see all the information in the inset. It is preferable to use multiple-panel images (see below) rather than insets.

If you do want to use an inset, the axis labels and plot symbols should be the same size as the main image (i.e., 10--12 point at the intended reproduction size).

I want my multiple-panel image to have a specific layout. Is that possible?

If you want a multiple-panel image to have a specific layout, upload an image file containing all the panels in the layout you desire (e.g., Figure_1.tif). Remember that the maximum width of an image is 17.8 cm, or about 2100 pixels.

Should I label the individual panels in a multiple-panel image?

It is preferable for you to label the individual panels in a multiple-panel image, as it speeds the preparation of your manuscript for publication.

Labels should be consistent throughout the manuscript, using lower-case letters (a,b,c...) in a 12 point sans-serif typeface (such as Arial or Helvetica). The labels should be consistently positioned, preferably in the top left corner of the panels. Sufficient contrast between the label and the background is necessary (black label on a white background, or vice-versa). If necessary, a white letter can be placed within a black box and superimposed on the image. See recent issues of the journal for combinations that work well.

How should I prepare an image for the graphical Table of Contents?

Images for the graphical Table of Contents should capture the essence of the work, displaying a figure, plot, or scheme that is central to the theme of the manuscript.

Images can be formatted as either 55 mm wide by 50 mm high or 110 mm wide by 20 mm high. For bitmap images, a 55 mm by 50 mm image should be 650 pixels wide, while a 110 mm by 20 mm image should be 1300 pixels wide. Both bitmap and vector graphics images should be prepared with labels that are at least 10 point. The use of insets in Table of Contents images is discouraged, as the data in the inset may be difficult to read.

How should I copy an image from another paper for my Review/ Feature Article/ Progress Report?

If the image is from another of your own previously published papers and you have access to the original data, then follow the instructions above for preparing bitmap or vector graphics images.

If you do not have access to the original data, but you have access to the manuscript online or as a PDF, then simply download or copy the image, and save in one of the formats indicated.

Please remember that the quality of the image must be good enough for publication. In cases where the images are of low quality, where possible, we suggest contacting the author to obtain higher quality images.

Do I need to obtain copyright permission to reproduce an image from another article?

In most cases, yes. Check with the publisher of the journal or book containing the image. It is the responsibility of the author to obtain all the necessary copyright permission agreements prior to submission of their manuscript. Look for the "Copyrights and Permissions" contact details at the journal in question. See the “Copyright Permissions” section for more details.

Do I need to obtain copyright permission to reproduce an image from my own article?

In most cases, yes. To publish in most journals, the author signs a copyright transfer agreement giving the publisher of the journal the right to print and distribute copies of the manuscript and its images. As a result, the author no longer possesses the copyright of the published image. Therefore, it is still necessary to obtain the proper copyright permission before publication of your manuscript, even if it is from your own article. However, there are some exceptions to this. See the “Copyright Permissions” section for more details.

Copyright is a complex subject and causes concern for many because of the legal implications. Based on the most frequent queries to the editorial office, this section provides guidance on general topics. Contact the editorial office if you have specific queries.

Figure Reproduction, Adaption, and Redrawing

Both reproduction and adaptation of previously published work require that permission be granted by the copyright holder. Reproduction of a figure means using a figure that has been previously published in exactly the same form.

Adaptation of a figure means changing the previously published form by adding or subtracting information. For example, this could be relabeling or modifying a previously published figure, or creating a new figure using parts from two or more third-party sources.

Redrawing of a figure means using a figure as a guide and redrawing it in its entirety, creating a new figure with the correct information that might look similar but not identical.

Redrawn figures do not require copyright permission. Figures created using data or results from other publications also do not require permission.

A useful rule of thumb is: if you started with a figure from another publication, it’s an adaptation and you should always seek permission before using the figure.

Seeking Permission to Reproduce Figures and Images

If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be given in the contribution. It is the author’s responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. Permissions must be obtained before your manuscript is submitted.

Subscription Journals

Copyright of articles is in most cases held by the publisher. In cases where the RightsLink system is used, permission will usually be granted immediately. More specialized requests may take longer or need to be followed up with the publisher’s rights and licenses department. If possible, please confirm you have received all permissions when you upload your production data – this will help us publish your paper as fast as possible.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of publishers that use RightsLlink:

• American Chemical Society
• American Institute of Physics
• Elsevier
• Institute of Physics
• John Wiley and Sons/Wiley-VCH (Note: permission must be obtained for figures reproduced from Wiley journals)
• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Science (AAAS)
• Springer Nature

Open Access

A general exception to this rule is open access journals and articles, which have different agreements governing re-use of material. If you wish to reproduce materials from an open access title, you should check the journal homepage for more information on their re-use policies.

CC-BY content can be used without asking permission, but the source must be attributed. Reproduced under terms of the CC-BY license.^[ref] Copyright 2018, The Authors, published by….

Content published under Creative Commons licenses where there is a “Non-Commercial” (NC), “No-Derivatives” (ND), or “Share-Alike” (SA) requirement cannot be used without first obtaining permission, for the following reasons:

• NC – Re-use in our journals is classified as commercial use.
• ND – The work in which the content is re-used is classified as a derivative work.
• SA – The derivative work cannot be published under the same terms as the SA license.

Authors should either replace the figure with something suitable or gain permission directly from the copyright holder.

Re-Using Figures from Non-Journal Sources

General

Figures published on the internet are usually copyrighted and will require permission for re-use. If there is an image that you find and would like to use, always check the source and whether or not you need to ask for permission to re-use it. If you cannot find this information, it’s best to look for a different image, as we will not be able to republish it. If an image requires credit for re-use, these cannot be used in covers or table of contents graphics.

Always check the terms of the re-use license for any freely available material (e.g. clip art or Wikimedia images) or open access publications as this may exclude or restrict commercial use. All publishing at Wiley is considered commercial.

Public Domain and CC0

Content in the public domain or licensed as CC0 can be used commercially, without attribution.

Stock Photos

Stock photos purchased from online photo/image repositories cannot be used. These repositories usually have a clause in the license that the purchaser of the license cannot sub-transfer to a third party, as would be required by the author in accordance with Copyright Transfer Agreement for the journal.

Trademarks and Logos

A trademark is a type of intellectual property, such as a name, logo, symbol, design or image, which identifies the brand owner of a particular product or service.

Discussing of such trademarks in an article is permitted, as long as these are clearly identified as trademarks and not presented in a manner that could suggest source, sponsorship, or endorsement. However, for reproduction or use of trademark images in any form, copyright permission must first be obtained from the brand owner.

Examples of trademarks frequently encountered which require permission include: characters and names from cartoons/TV/movies/comics/computer games, university/institution logos, symbols or icons associated with companies/brands.

Classical Art

Copyright protection on works of art in the public domain can vary. To avoid any doubt, it is recommended that permission always be requested from the owner (e.g. a museum, gallery, collection, etc.) of the work before proceeding.

Currency

In general, the use of currency in figures should be avoided. The restrictions set on publishing images of currency vary by country. Thus, instead of using a coin as an indicator of size, either a ruler or scale bar should be used.

AI-Generated Images

It is not appropriate to generate the images/covers using AI tools, as the source and copyright status of images cannot be determined.

Don’t Use Material Without Permission

Multiple efforts to obtain permission without success does not grant the right to use material without permission, nor does it provide any legal protection. If you do not manage to obtain formal permission, select alternative material or remove.

Further Information

If your query is not covered in the information above, please consult the following document or contact the Editorial Office who will be happy to assist.

Cover Image Submissions

This journal accepts artwork submissions for Cover Images. This is an optional service you can use to help increase article exposure and showcase your research. For more information, including artwork guidelines, pricing, and submission details, please visit the Journal Cover Image page.

Author Resources

• Wiley Author Services
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• Abbreviations of Journal Titles (CAS)
• Check your references with CrossRef

Publication Ethics

• Wiley's Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)
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