Information for Authors

Updated December 2025

 

General Information

Policies

Review Process

Preparing a Manuscript

Submitting a Manuscript

Finalizing a Manuscript

Fees

Post-Publication Information

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General Information

Mission

eNeuro’s mission is to publish excellent science that can be discussed, debated, studied, and built upon to advance the understanding of the brain and nervous system. As a gold open access journal, eNeuro supports the open exchange of science across the field.

eNeuro is committed to providing authors with a fair assessment of their work, with any additional experiments requested thoroughly justified, while maintaining high standards of peer review. An international, gender-balanced editorial board, a double-blind peer review system, and an unambiguous consensus review contribute to a fair, rapid, and transparent experience for authors.

Types of Articles

Research articles are published under the following topic sections: Development; Neuronal Excitability; Sensory and Motor Systems; Integrative Systems; Cognition and Behavior; Novel Tools and Methods; Disorders of the Nervous System; and History, Teaching, and Public Awareness. Research article types include:

  • ⁘  New Research: Research articles that contribute to neuroscience literature by expanding knowledge in areas of fundamental importance, or research from authors who could not reproduce someone else’s work of significant importance despite using the same methodology and experimental conditions.
  • ⁘  Methods/New Tools: Well-documented discussions of new methods and tools that may be useful to the scientific community.
  • ⁘  Negative Results: Research papers from authors who tried to test important hypotheses but did not get the outcome they expected. Failed preclinical tests are particularly welcome. These manuscripts must include testing the hypothesis by multiple experimental approaches, rigorously reproducing the refuted experimental models, and meticulous use of both positive and negative controls.
  • ⁘  Confirmation: Research papers from authors confirming they replicated and extended someone else’s work of significant importance.

Theory/New Concepts are research article–length papers that are not necessarily based on experimental data and question existing dogma in the field.

Registered Reports are an empirical article in which the methods and proposed analyses are preregistered and reviewed prior to research being conducted. High-quality protocols are then provisionally accepted for publication before data collection commences. This format is designed to minimize bias in deductive science, while also allowing flexibility to conduct exploratory, unregistered analyses and report serendipitous findings. See Registered Reports: Guidelines for Authors [PDF] for more information.

Open Source Tools and Methods are brief reports (limited to 4,500 words) describing the creation and use of open-source tools in neuroscience research. Examples of tools include hardware designs used in behavioral or physiological studies and software used for data acquisition and analysis. They must contain a critique of the importance of the tool, how it compares to existing open- and closed-source solutions, and a demonstration of tool use in a neuroscience experiment.

Reviews provide timely, comprehensive, and conceptual advances and integration of a field or topic. They are peer reviewed articles and follow the same guidelines as research papers. There is no length limit for Reviews. 

Societal Impact papers discuss and analyze the social and ethical aspects of research and are written with advanced approval of the Editorial Board only. 

History of Neuroscience papers reflect on how major discoveries were made, how fields evolved, and the history of great neuroscientists. They are written with advanced approval of the Editorial Board only.

Commentaries are short articles (limited to 3,000 words) that discuss published articles or issues of special interest. They must contain a critique of the importance of the research that is undertaken, provide an alternative view, or improve on an idea or theory.

Opinions are short articles (limited to 4,000 words) that present new ideas or discuss the state of a given field. 

Research Highlights aare short, trainee-written reviews of recently published eNeuro articles aimed at a broad scientific audience.  Highlights place the new findings within the context of current scientific knowledge in the article’s field and discuss future, real-world implications of the findings. Research Highlights are limited to 1,000 words and are written at the invitation of the Editorial Board only.

Policies

In submitting a manuscript to eNeuro, all authors must agree to abide by all relevant SfN policies,including the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication. Manuscripts with multiple authors are reviewed with the explicit understanding that all authors have seen and approve of the submitted version and agree to abide by the Society’s policies.

Policy on Ethics

eNeuro recognizes its responsibility to ensure that questions of scientific misconduct or dishonesty in research are adequately pursued. Authors submitting papers to eNeuro must have conducted their work in strict accordance with the Society’s Policy on Ethics. Should scientific misconduct or dishonesty be suspected or alleged, eNeuro follows the recommended procedures outlined by  the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) when dealing with allegations of misconduct.

In cases of authorship disputes after acceptance, eNeuro does not get involved and instead directs authors to follow the COPE guidelines outlined here. Modifications to authorship will only be made if all authors provide written agreement.

Policy on Prepublication

eNeuro does not consider manuscripts that have been previously published.

Posting to a preprint server such as bioRxiv is not considered prior publication. Abstracts, theses, posters, or manuscripts that have been posted on the Internet for the purpose of receiving commentary from the community are not considered prior publication. Online posting is typically done at a preprint repository that has been designed for the purpose but posting on an institutional website or other Internet location is acceptable.

Authors who have posted to bioRxiv have the option to transfer their files directly for consideration by eNeuro. Articles submitted from a preprint server should comply with submission guidelines for a double-blind process as described here. 

Policy on Molecular Data

Protein and nucleic acid sequences: Newly determined nucleotide or protein sequences must be deposited in GenBank, EMBL, or the DNA Databank of Japan. Accession numbers must be reported in the manuscript and data must be available upon acceptance and publication of the manuscript. No data are to be withdrawn following publication.

Genomic and proteomic data: Authors of papers that include functional genomics data such as microarray, ChIP seq, RNA-seq, or other high-throughput data are required to deposit the data in a MIAME-compliant database such as GEO or ArrayExpress and to provide accession numbers. Data must be publicly accessible upon acceptance and publication of the manuscript. No data are to be withdrawn following publication.

Policy on Computer Code and Software

Computational models: New computational neuroscience computer code must be included with the initial submission as Extended Data to ensure reproducibility if published and be deposited in a suitable repository such as GitHub. Studies using custom code deemed central to the conclusions must include a statement in the Materials and Methods section, under the heading “Code Accessibility”, indicating whether and how the code can be accessed, including any accession numbers or restrictions and be cited in the references. The type of computer and the operating system used to run the code in the manuscript must be included in the Materials and Methods section. Code must be available upon acceptance and publication of the manuscript. No code is to be withdrawn following publication. Code files must be packaged in a single ZIP file.

Software: If new software or a new algorithm is used for data analysis, authors are encouraged to include the software or algorithm with the submission as Extended Data and deposit it in an appropriate public repository. A statement needs to be included in the Materials and Methods section, under the heading “Software Accessibility”, indicating whether and how the software or algorithm can be accessed, including any accession numbers or restrictions. Software files must be packaged in a single ZIP file.

Policy on Image Manipulation

Editors reserve the right to request any original data from authors at any stage in the submission, review, or publication process, including after publication. Failure to provide requested information may result in publication delays, rejection, or revocation of acceptance.

Images are screened at revision and after acceptance, during the production process. Image manipulation that violates the following guidelines may result in production delays, revocation of acceptance, or retraction.

  • ⁘  No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced.
  • ⁘  Constructing figures using images taken from different parts of the same gel, or from different gels, is discouraged. But when this is necessary, it must be made explicit by the arrangement of the figure (e.g., using dividing lines) and in the text of the figure legend.
  • ⁘  Recordings obtained at different time points or from different sites must not be spliced together to give the appearance of a continuous record. Authors must make it clear in the figure legend how many different recordings are illustrated.
  • ⁘  Adjustments to images or recordings are acceptable if they are applied uniformly to all portions of the image or recording as long as they do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent information present in the original, including the background. Adjustments involving filtering or scaling (e.g., brightness, contrast, or color balance) must be applied to every pixel in the image or applied uniformly to the entire recording. Nonlinear adjustments (e.g., changes to gamma settings) or deleting portions of a recording (e.g., leak subtraction or stimulus artifacts) must be disclosed in the figure legend.

Policy on Copyright and Funder Compliance

It is essential that the authors retain the copyright for any material submitted to eNeuro, and that they are willing and able to relinquish to eNeuro any licenses that eNeuro requires for publication of accepted manuscripts. Copyright of all material published in eNeuro remains with the authors. The authors grant the Society for Neuroscience a license to publish their work. Immediately upon publication, the work becomes available for the public to copy, distribute, or display under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) license. Per the terms of the license, it is not necessary to obtain permission or pay a fee to reuse this material, provided the authors receive proper acknowledgment.

The corresponding author may sign the license agreement on behalf of all authors, except authors who are NIH employees. Each author employed by NIH must complete and sign an NIH Publishing Agreement [PDF] and attach it to an unsigned eNeuro License to Publish form [PDF].

The CC-BY license complies with funders who require an unrestricted attribution license at time of acceptance. The final version of all articles will be deposited in PubMed Central and Europe PMC immediately upon publication.

Policy Concerning Availability of Materials and Data

Authors must agree to make freely available to colleagues in academic research any clones of cells, nucleic acids, antibodies, etc., that were used in the research reported and that are not available from commercial suppliers.

Authors should, when possible, honor requests for access to any form of published data for appropriate scientific use. The editors reserve the right to request any original data from authors at any stage in the review or publication process, including after publication. Failure to provide requested information may result in publication delays or revocation of acceptance.

Review Process

Double-Blind Review

eNeuro uses a double-blind review process, which means the identities of both the authors and reviewers are concealed throughout the review process. To facilitate this process, authors should ensure their manuscripts are prepared in a way that does not reveal their identity. Please use the following as a guide when submitting a paper:

  • ⁘  Eliminate author names and contact information throughout the paper. See Title Page for more information.
  • ⁘  Use the third person to refer to personal work. For example, replace any phrases like “as we have shown before” with “has been shown before.”
  • ⁘  Make sure that the Materials and Methods section does not refer to personal work or contain other identifying details such as affiliation. Do not include statements such as “using the method described in (XXX, 2007).” See Materials and Methods for more information.
  • ⁘  Ensure that figures do not contain any affiliation-related identifier.
  • ⁘  Depersonalize the work by using anonymous text where necessary. Do not include statements such as “as we have reported before.”
  • ⁘  Remove self-citations and citations to unpublished work.
  • ⁘  Do not eliminate essential self-references or other references but limit self-references only to papers that are relevant for those reviewing the submitted paper.
  • ⁘  Remove references to funding sources.

It is the responsibility of the authors to comply with the rules outlined above to ensure anonymity. If anonymity is found to be compromised, the manuscript will be pulled from review and sent back to the authors to make the necessary revisions to ensure author anonymity.

If double-blind review is inappropriate for a certain manuscript for any reason, authors should email eneuro@sfn.org to inquire about a single-blind review of the manuscript. This may be appropriate for smaller fields, when authors have already published extensively on a specific topic, or if authors have already published data closely related to the current article.

Editor and Reviewer Assignment

Authors will be asked to choose one or two preferred Reviewing Editor(s) in order of preference. Editor assignments will be made based on the expertise of the editors, load, and scheduling. Authors may also exclude Reviewing Editors from handling their manuscripts.

Authors may optionally identify up to 5 reviewers who are well qualified to referee the work and who would not have a conflict of interest. Authors should provide the name, address, and email for each potential referee. Authors may also exclude specific individuals from reviewing their manuscript. Potential reviewers with intimate knowledge of the research should be excluded to avoid compromising the double-blind review

The Reviewing Editor will typically select two independent reviewers to evaluate each paper. Once a consensus is reached by the reviewers, authors will receive a fact-based synthesis of their reviewers’ comments explaining why the work was accepted or rejected, which will be published alongside the article if accepted.

Manuscripts will be returned without outside review if the Reviewing Editor deems that the paper is of insufficient general interest for the broad readership of eNeuro, or that the scientific quality is such that it is unlikely to receive favorable reviews. Editorial rejection allows authors to submit their papers elsewhere without further delay.

Reviewer Conflict of Interest Policy

eNeuro seeks to avoid any real, potential, and/or perceived conflicts of interest in the manuscript review process. To accomplish this, we ask reviewers to recognize potential competing interests that could lead them to be positively or negatively disposed towards an article and to recuse themselves if they feel that they are unable to offer an impartial review. Examples of conflicts of interest that would lead an invited reviewer or editor to exclude themselves include:

  • ⁘  Working at the same institution or organization as one or more of the authors, currently or recently (within the past 3 years)
  • ⁘  Having financial interests related to the manuscript
  • ⁘  Presently collaborating, planning grant applications and/or manuscript preparation with one or more of the authors
  • ⁘  Having served as an advisor or mentor to one or more of the authors during the past 10 years
  • ⁘  Having been mentored, formally or informally, by one or more of the authors during the last 3 years
  • ⁘  Having collaborated with or coauthored at least one publication with one or more of the authors during the past 3 years
  • ⁘  Having held grants with one or more of the authors, during the past 3 years
  • ⁘  Having a personal relationship with one or more of the authors that impacts the ability to evaluate the manuscript objectively

Review Transfer

All authors are welcome to transfer their JNeurosci submission after a final decision to eNeuro for consideration, regardless of whether the manuscript was reviewed. Transferring a manuscript with its reviews to eNeuro offers advantages: the paper may be sent to the previous reviewers for expedited review or, if the reviewer comments are sufficiently addressed, the eNeuro Reviewing Editor may accept the manuscript as is.

Authors can initiate the manuscript transfer from their JNeurosci manuscript record, using the “Transfer Manuscript” link. All the files from the final manuscript version will be transferred.

Before beginning the transfer process, authors should consider whether to transfer the current version of the manuscript as-is or revise the manuscript to address the reviewers’ comments. If revising, authors must include a point-by-point response to the reviews to help the eNeuro editor expedite the review process. Note that, when necessary, the editors may seek comments from additional reviewers.

When transferring as-is without revision, authors should include a cover letter explaining this decision.

eNeuro is a member of the Neuroscience Peer Review Consortium, an alliance of neuroscience journals that have agreed to share manuscript reviews at the author’s request. Its goals are to support efficient and thorough peer review of original research in neuroscience, to speed the publication of research reports, and to reduce the burden on peer reviewers. For information about the Consortium and instructions on how to forward reviews, please visit http://nprc.incf.org/.

Please contact staff at eneuro@sfn.org with any questions about transferring a manuscript or reviews.

 

Preparing a Manuscript

Manuscripts must be written in English. The entire text should be double-spaced, including references. Submitting an incomplete manuscript or a manuscript that does not adhere to the word limits will cause a delay in review. There is no length limit for standard research manuscripts; open-source tools and methods, commentaries, and opinions do have word limits.

Multiple-part papers are discouraged. Although this arrangement is sometimes necessary, authors will often be asked to collapse multiple papers into a single manuscript.

Language-Editing Services

Authors who require assistance with English language or grammar editing may wish to take advantage of a professional editing service to refine their article prior to submission or revision. Examples of such services include:

eNeuro does not endorse or take responsibility for these services. Use of these or similar services will not influence the ultimate editorial decision made by the Editorial Board.

Additionally, authors may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools or technology for language editing. Both language-editing services and AI used in the preparation of a manuscript must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments at the time of submission.

Organization of the Manuscript

Title Page

The title page of the manuscript must be submitted separately from the article text and can be completed using the Title Page Template [PDF].

The title page should include the following:

  • ⁘  Title (50-word maximum)
  • ⁘  Author names and affiliations, including postal codes
  • ⁘  Corresponding author with complete address, including an email address and postal code
  • ⁘  Number of figures, tables, multimedia (each provided separately)
  • ⁘  Number of words for abstract, introduction, and discussion (each provided separately)
  • ⁘  Acknowledgments
  • ⁘  Conflicts of Interest
  • ⁘  Funding sources

Corresponding Authors

The corresponding author is identified on the published article and is responsible for responding to reader queries. eNeuro allows up to two corresponding authors; when two are listed, no priority is given to either. The corresponding author acts on behalf of all other authors and is the only author with authority to resubmit or withdraw the manuscript or correct or retract the published article.

Author Names

Authors who normally write their names in non-Latin characters may include their names in their native writing system in parentheses immediately following a transliterated version, for example, Jingbing Xue (薛晶冰). Any non-Latin languages that can be represented in Unicode characters will be accepted. This second rendering is allowed only for the original written form of a transliterated name and may not be used to include nicknames, degrees, ranks, titles, etc.

Group Authors

The name of a formal group or consortium may be included in the author list only if that group made essential contributions to the results and there is at least one individual author in addition to the group. The group name must be spelled out. Contributions of the entire group should be included in the Author Contribution statement, and the authors may include a URL that provides further information about the group, such as a list of its membership.

Author Affiliations

An author’s affiliation should be their home institution at the time when their primary contribution to the research was made. Current affiliations may be listed in the acknowledgments section, if different than the listed affiliation.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments should be used to identify all funding sources and may also be used to note intellectual, technical, or other assistance that does not warrant authorship, and any use of AI-assisted technologies.  Acknowledged individuals should be informed before the publication of any such acknowledgments and given the opportunity to decline recognition. Promotional statements are not permitted. Funding sources should be listed first, with any acknowledgments of assistance following.

Dedications

eNeuro only allows dedications to recently deceased neuroscientists who made a specific scientific contribution to the work described in the article. If the recently deceased person was one of the authors of the current paper, his or her date of death should be included. Dedications to living people are not permitted.

Conflict of Interest

Conflict of interest declarations are included in the footnotes. When no conflict exists, the footnote will read: “The authors declare no competing financial interests.” Authors submitting papers to eNeuro must be in accordance with the Society’s Policy on Conflict of Interest.

Manuscript Text

Manuscripts must include the following sections in the order listed:

Do not include the title page or any information that could reveal any author’s identity.

Abstract 

The abstract should be clearly written and readily comprehensible to the broad readership of eNeuro. It should provide a concise summary of the objectives, methodology (including the species and sex studied), key results, and major conclusions of the study. The abstract should be written in complete sentences, without subheadings. Abstracts should be limited to 250 words including citations. Authors are also invited to submit visual abstracts.

Commentary, opinion, or review manuscripts do not include Abstracts

Significance Statement

The Significance Statement should provide a clear explanation of the importance and relevance of the research in a manner accessible to researchers without specialist knowledge in the field and informed lay readers. The Significance Statement will appear within the paper below the abstract.

Introduction

The introduction should briefly indicate the objectives of the study and provide enough background information to clarify why the study was undertaken and what hypotheses were tested. Research article introductions are limited to 750 words including citations. Open-Source Tools and Methods introductions are limited to 500 words including citations.

Materials and Methods

The Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient information to allow other investigators to repeat the research (see also Policy Concerning Availability of Materials). Previously published work by the authors must not be referenced to preserve author anonymity but rather described in detail at least for the review process. Once the paper is accepted, the authors may add relevant references. Reference to published procedures can be made if these procedures are commonly accepted by the scientific community. A manuscript that presents only a theory may omit the Materials and Methods section.

All companies from which materials were obtained should be listed. If materials were obtained from an individual, an affiliation for that individual should be listed. 

Use of Animals and Humans

All animal experimentation reported in eNeuro must have been conducted in accordance with the Society’s Policies on the Use of Animals and Humans in Neuroscience Research.

The sex of the species studied must be stated. Conditions of animal housing should be provided (e.g., group/individual housing). The Zeitgeber Time (ZT, with ZT0 = lights on in the animal facility) of the experiment must be provided. If animals, particularly rodents, were housed individually in single cages, the possible caveats for data interpretation should be discussed. The use of individual housing should be justified.

To preserve the double-blind process, please use the following statement regarding animal use: “All animal procedures were performed in accordance with the [Author University] animal care committee’s regulations.” The full statement including the name of the institution should be included in the cover letter and replaced in the manuscript if the article is accepted.

Use the following statement to note the location where human subjects were recruited: “Human subjects were recruited at a location which will be identified if the article is published.” The full statement, including the location, should be included in the cover letter and replaced in the manuscript if the article is accepted.

Statistics

Numerical data should be analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Authors must state the statistical methods used: descriptive and/or experimental design. In the case of experimental design, the authors must indicate the type: nonrandom or random (non-inferiority or superiority). Whenever applicable or relevant, eNeuro strongly encourages estimation statistics.

  • ⁘  Statistical analysis should always include effect sizes and expressions of uncertainty (an interval estimate).
  • ⁘  Authors can select an approach to quantifying uncertainty that best meets their research goals (frequentist confidence intervals, Bayesian credible intervals, bootstrapped intervals, etc.).
  • ⁘  For key findings it is especially helpful to provide figures that directly visualize uncertainty (e.g., the estimation plots, https://www.estimationstats.com/).
  • ⁘  If possible, figures should include all data points.
  • ⁘  Effect sizes and uncertainty should inform interpretation and discussion: thoughtfully consider the range of parameter values that are consistent with the data and draw conclusions that appropriately reflect uncertainty.
  • ⁘  Hypothesis tests can also be reported where it is important to make clear yes/no decisions. In general, though, testing of a single point null does not provide a stringent test of hypothesis. Thus, authors are encouraged to consider equivalence testing or similar Bayesian procedures.

Statistical Table

The first column is the structure of the data (e.g., normal distribution).

The second column lists the statistical test.

The third column should give confidence intervals.

The lines refer to the numerical values provided in the text as they appear in the results section.

  Data Structure Type of test Power
a      
b      
c      

RRIDs

eNeuro encourages use of Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) and URLs providing detailed specification for animal lines, reagents, software packages, etc., when it is impossible or impractical to include a unique identifier or unambiguous description. URLs should be cited in parentheses in the text. For example: “Experiments were done using C57BL mice (http://jaxmice.jax.org/strain/013636.html).”   

RRIDs promote reproducibility by clearly identifying key biological resources used in the course of scientific research, including critical reagents and tools. Appropriate RRIDs can be identified or submitted at the RRIDs can be identified or submitted at the Resource Identification Portal.

Once you have located an RRID, insert “RRID:” plus the identifier in the appropriate location in the manuscript. For example: “Sections were stained with a rabbit polyclonal antibody against ERK1 (Abgent Cat# AP7251E, RRID: AB_2140114).”

Links to sites providing tutorial material are not allowed in articles because their authority and permanence cannot be verified. URLs of personal or laboratory websites or dropboxes are also prohibited to maintain author and reviewer anonymity.

Reanalysis of Published Data

Reanalyses of published data are allowed if the original study reporting the data collection is clearly and thoroughly cited, there are no duplications of figures or graphs that have already been published, and the study clearly acknowledges that this is a previously acquired data.

Results

This section should clearly and succinctly present the experimental findings. Only results essential to establish the main points of the work should be included. For research articles, there is no limit to the length or number of figures and tables in this section. For Open-Source Tools and Methods, the results section must not exceed 1,000 words, including citations.

Authors must provide detailed information for each analysis performed, including population size, definition of the population (e.g., number of individual measurements, number of animals, number of slices, number of times treatment was applied, etc.), and specific p values (not > or <), followed by a superscript lowercase letter referring to the statistical table provided at the end of the results section. Numerical data must be depicted in the figures with box plots.

Discussion

The discussion section should include a brief statement of the principal findings, a discussion of the validity of the observations, a discussion of the findings in light of other published work dealing with the same or closely related subjects, and a statement of the possible significance of the work. Extensive discussion of the literature is discouraged. If applicable, the discussion should include a rationale for using only one sex.

In research articles, the Discussion section is limited to 3,000 words including citations. In Open-Source Tools and Methods, the Discussion section is limited to 1,000 words including citations.

References

Only published, preprint, and in-press (i.e., accepted for publication in a specific journal or book) should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper. Published abstracts that are publicly available may be cited. The latest information on in-press references should be provided. Any in-press references that are relevant for reviewers to make a well-informed evaluation should be included as a separate document text file along with the submitted manuscript. In this case, the authors recognize the loss of anonymity.

“Submitted” references should be cited only in text and in the following form: (unpublished observations). If the paper is accepted, the authors can then add their names: A. B. Smith, C. D. Johnson, and E. Green, unpublished observations). The form for personal communications is similar: (F. G. Jackson, personal communication). Authors are responsible for all personal communications and must obtain written approval from persons cited before submitting the paper to eNeuro. 

References should be cited in the text as follows: “The procedure used has been described elsewhere (Green, 1978),” or “Our observations are in agreement with those of Brown and Black (1979) and of White et al. (1980),” or, with multiple references in chronological order: “Earlier reports (Brown and Black, 1979, 1981; White et al., 1980; Smith, 1982, 1984) ...”

In the reference list, papers should be given in alphabetical order according to the surname of the first author. In two-author papers with the same first author, the order is alphabetical by the second author’s name. In three-or-more-author papers with the same first author, the order is chronological. The name of the author(s) should be followed by the date in parentheses, the full title of the paper as it appeared in the original together with the source of the reference, the volume number, and the first and last pages. If the author list for a paper in the references exceeds 20, the paper should be cited as Author A et al. The following illustrate the format to be used:

Journal article

  • Hamill OP, Marty A, Neher E, Sakmann B, Sigworth F (1981) Improved patch-clamp techniques for high-resolution current recordings from cells and cell free membrane patches. Pflugers Arch 391:85–100.
  • Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF (1952a) The components of membrane conductance in the giant axon of Loligo. J Physiol (Lond) 116:473–496.
  • Hodgkin AL, Huxley AF (1952b) The dual effect of membrane potential on sodium conductance in the giant axon of Loligo. J Physiol (Lond) 116:497–506.

Preprint

  • Duncker L, Sahani M (2018) Temporal alignment and latent Gaussian process factor inference in population spike trains. bioRxiv 331751. https://doi.org/10.1101/331751

Book

  • Hille B (1984) Ionic channels of excitable membranes. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer.

Chapter in a book

  • Stent GS (1981) Strength and weakness of the genetic approach to the development of the nervous system. In: Studies in developmental neurobiology: essays in honor of Viktor Hamburger (Cowan WM, ed), pp288–321. New York: Oxford UP.

Abbreviations of journal titles should follow those listed in the Index Medicus. Responsibility for correctness of the references lies with the authors. After manuscript revisions, authors should double-check that all in-text citations are in the reference list and that all references on the reference list have at least one corresponding in-text citation. References must be double-spaced, and no bullets, numbers, or other listing formats should be used.

Style

Mathematics and Equations

Manuscripts with many mathematical characters and equations should be prepared using MathType version 6.0 or higher. Manuscripts with a minimal amount of math may be prepared using word-processing tools such as Word’s Equation Editor, or with features such as bold, italics, superscript and subscript together with characters in the Symbol or Greek fonts. Do not use the Wingdings or Webdings fonts.

Abbreviations and Units

Standard abbreviations do not need to be defined. For other abbreviations appearing two or more times, spell out the term at first occurrence and introduce the abbreviation by placing it in parentheses after the term. SI units should be used without definition. Temperature should be expressed in degrees Celsius.

Preferred Usage

The term “killed” is preferred to “euthanized” or “sacrificed,” which are considered euphemisms. If the word “killed” is objectionable, wording can be modified. For example, “the animal was exsanguinated” instead of “the animal was killed by exsanguination.”

Italics are used for binomial nomenclature, gene names, genetically modified mice (e.g., mutants) and for certain Latin terms, but not for emphasis.

 

Multimedia, Figure, and Table Guidelines

Manuscripts that include figures, tables, multimedia, and/or Extended Data must include legends as part of the main manuscript text. Each file must have a separate legend and be numbered independently. The text citations of figures, tables, multimedia, and Extended Data need to be in numerical order. Authors must ensure all necessary data including Extended Data and figures essential to the work are included with the submission. 

Figures

Figures must be numbered independently of tables and multimedia and cited in the text. Do not duplicate data by presenting it both in the text and in a figure.

A title should be part of the legend and should not appear as text on the figure file. A legend must be included in the manuscript document after the reference list and should include enough detail to be intelligible without reference to the text. Specific individuals’ contributions to data acquisition, analysis, or other responsibility resulting in a figure may be included at the end of each legend. Please use the heading “Figure Contributions” and state each contribution with the author’s full name.

Figures must be submitted as separate files in TIFF or EPS format and be submitted at the size they are to appear: 1 column (maximum width equivalent to 8.5 cm), 1.5 columns (maximum width equivalent to 11.6 cm) or 2 columns (maximum width equivalent to 17.6 cm). They should be the smallest size that will convey the essential scientific information.

Color figures should be in RGB format and supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi. Monochrome (bitmap) images must be supplied at 1200 dpi. Grayscale must be supplied at a minimum of 300 dpi. For figures in vector-based format, all fonts should be converted to outlines and saved as EPS files to ensure that they are reproduced correctly.

Remove top and right borderlines that do not contain measuring metrics from all graph/histogram figure panels (i.e., do not box the panels in). Do not include any two-bar graphs/histograms; instead state those values in the text.

All illustrations documenting results must include a bar to indicate the scale. All labels used in a figure should be explained in the legend. The migration of protein molecular weight size markers or nucleic acid size markers must be indicated and labeled appropriately (e.g., “kD”, “nt”, “bp”) on all figure panels showing gel electrophoresis.

Illustrations should be prepared so that they are accessible to color-blind readers and color should only be used if it is necessary to accurately convey the information being presented by the image. Grayscale generally provides a more faithful representation when a single quantity is displayed. Use textures or different line types rather than colors in bar plots or graphs. Figures with red and green are particularly problematic and should generally be converted to magenta and green. If no suitable combination can be found, consider presenting separate monochrome images for the different color channels. For line drawings that require color, consider redundant coding by adding different textures or line types to the colors.

Tables

All tables must be numbered independently of figures, multimedia, and 3D models and cited in the text. Do not duplicate data by presenting it both in the text and in a table.

Each table should include a title and legend; legends should be included in the manuscript file after the reference list. Legends should include sufficient detail to be intelligible without reference to the text, define all symbols, and include essential information.

Each table should be double-spaced. Multiple-part tables (A and B sections with separate subtitles) should be avoided, especially when there are two types of column headings.

Do not use color or shading, bold or italic fonts, or lines to highlight information. Indention of text and additional space between lines is preferred. 

Extended Data

All Extended Data will be reviewed by the editors to determine whether it is integral to the study and should be included in the final version of the manuscript.

Citations may not exist solely within the Extended Data; they must be included in the manuscript. Online datasets are not visible to search engines used by citation indices, making inclusion of references in the main manuscript essential to provide proper credit to those cited.

Only Extended Data directly related to figures or tables and corresponding figure legends are allowed. Extended Data should be labeled as Figure 1-1, Figure 1-2, Table 1-1, Table 1-2, etc., so they indicate which figure or table they are supporting (i.e. Extended Data table supporting Figure 5 labeled as Figure 5-1). Each should have a legend and be cited in the manuscript text and in the table or figure legend for which they support. Extended data that supports more than one figure and/or table should be labeled as supporting the figure or table referred to first in the text.

For ease of access and review, Extended Data should be submitted in the same format and following the same guidelines as regular figures and tables and uploaded to the system as Multimedia/Extended Data file type. Individual files may not exceed 20 MB.

If there is a well-established repository for the data, it should be deposited there; eNeuro will host data without such a repository (see Policy on Molecular Data and Policy on Computer Code and Software).

Code and Software

If a study includes computational work and/or modeling with code that the authors wrote for this study, and the computational work is deemed central to the conclusions of the study by the editors, the following is required for compliance with the Policy on Computer Code and Software:

  • ⁘  The code used for the submission should be uploaded to an online repository by the time the manuscript is accepted. To preserve the double-blind review process, this URL should be redacted in the manuscript while under review and included in the cover letter.
  • ⁘  The code files must be packaged into a single ZIP file, uploaded to the submission system as a “Multimedia/Extended Data” file type.
  • ⁘  A legend for the code file, labeled as “Extended Data 1,” should be at the end of the manuscript.
  • ⁘  A subsection titled “Code Accessibility” should be included in the Materials and Methods section, stating: “The code/software described in the paper is freely available online at [URL redacted for double-blind review]. The code is available as Extended Data.” The full statement, including the redacted URL, should be included in the cover letter to be used if the article is accepted. If there are any accession numbers or restrictions on accessing the code in the repository, these should be included in the full statement.
  • ⁘  The type of computer and operating system on which the code was run to obtain the results in the manuscript must be stated in the Materials and Methods section.

Studies including any custom computational work, analysis, or modeling are encouraged to follow the guidelines above in the initial submission of the manuscript. If the editors deem computational work central to the conclusions of amanuscript, and the code was not included as described above, authors will be asked to provide the code in accordance with these instructions.

Studies for which analysis or modeling software was written must include a subsection in the Materials and Methods section titled “Software Accessibility.” It is encouraged, but not required, for software to be uploaded to the submission and deposited in a repository in accordance with the instructions above. If the software is not published with the article, authors must provide their software to another scientist upon request.

Multimedia and 3D Models

Essential multimedia will be displayed in line with the article text, as is done for figures.

Multimedia files must be numbered independently of figures and tables and cited at the relevant point in the text. A title should be part of the legend and not lettered onto the multimedia file itself. A legend, including sufficient detail to be intelligible without reference to the text, must be included in the manuscript document after the reference list. Legends must define all symbols and include essential information, such as scale bar dimensions. If videos are not in real time and the time is not displayed in the video, the period represented must be stated in the legend.

Multimedia files must be in MP4 format. 3D models must be in U3D format.

For each video submitted, authors should provide a preview image that best captures the main point of the video. These images should follow the same sizing and resolution guidelines as figures.

Visual Abstracts

Visual abstracts are single graphical images or schematics that are designed to emphasize the main findings of the article and are intended to help readers quickly identify papers that are most relevant to their areas of research.

For ease of reading, visual abstracts should have a clear beginning and end: either from top to bottom or left to right. Content should be in graphical form with minimal text. Visual abstracts are considered a part of the technical content of the article and will go through peer review.

The visual abstract should be submitted at the smallest size that will convey the essential scientific information. It should follow the same guidelines as figures and should be submitted as a separate file in TIFF or EPS format.

Submitting a Manuscript

Requirements for Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted online.

The author who completes the submission will be designated as the corresponding author and will be responsible for handling communications with eNeuro. The corresponding author has full authority to speak for all other authors regarding withdrawal of a manuscript or correction or retraction of a published article.

Initial submissions may be a single PDF without eNeuro formatting. However, please ensure manuscript text makes no reference that would reveal the identity of any of the authors or their institutions to the reviewers.

Publishing Topic

Authors must submit their manuscript to the appropriate publishing topic: Development; Neuronal Excitability; Sensory and Motor Systems; Integrative Systems; Cognition and Behavior; Novel Tools and Methods; Disorders of the Nervous System; or History, Teaching, and Public Awareness.

Cover Letter

It is not necessary to include a cover letter, but authors may submit one with each version of their submission if they choose. Cover letters should be concise, highlight the importance of a manuscript, and note why eNeuro may be a good venue for the work. Authors should not restate or include the abstract in the cover letter.

Finalizing a Manuscript

Revisions

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors must:

  • ⁘  Submit revisions within 3 months of the previous decision. If an extension is needed, contact eneuro@sfn.org before the deadline.
  • ⁘  Complete the electronic License to Publish form [PDF]. If the corresponding author does not complete the form on behalf of all authors, the form will be available on the submission site for each coauthor.
  • ⁘  Submit a point-by-point reply to the reviews showing how reviewer concerns were addressed. Authors will be given the opportunity to publish this rebuttal alongside the paper and synthesis of reviews if the paper is ultimately accepted.
  • ⁘  Submit two versions of the manuscript text (including tables, if any) in Word or LaTeX: the article file and clean copy.
  • ⁘  The article file, which will be used for peer review, should have all insertions indicated in bold or by highlighting, so that reviewers can easily see specific revisions. Do not use colored text (i.e., red) or the Track Changes function to show changes. For LaTeX submissions, a representative PDF with highlighting is appropriate. This version should also have identifying information removed to preserve the anonymity of the authors during double-blind review.
  • ⁘  The clean copy of the manuscript may be final and include identifying information necessary in the published version. If the statement “All animal procedures were performed in accordance with the authors’ university animal care committee’s regulations” was used in the Materials and Methods section to preserve the double-blind process, please be sure to provide the full statement, including the name of the institution. Submitted references may also include names at this stage.
  • ⁘  Submit publication quality digital figures, one per file (see Figure, Table, and Multimedia Guidelines). Check all aspects of illustrations carefully to avoid alterations in the proofs. All labels used in a figure should be explained in the legend. Double-check that all labels and symbols mentioned in the figure legend are on the final version of the figure. For questions regarding figure sizing and digital art preparation see Figures.

Proofs

To speed publication, authors are limited to 2 business days to review and return proofs. Authors should email eneuro@sfn.org if the proofs should be sent to an email address other than that of the corresponding author listed on the manuscript.

Once a manuscript is accepted, authors’ names can only be added, deleted, or altered with the approval of the editors. Requests for changes to the author list will delay publication of a manuscript.

Cover Art

eNeuro highlights articles on the journal home page using illustrations related to recently published articles. Images are chosen for the carousel on the basis of aesthetic appeal and scientific interest. eNeuro is primarily interested in visually captivating images, rather than those that serve to document experimental findings. Cartoons or metaphorical images are generally not selected.

When submitting an image created by someone who is not an author of the article, please have the creator fill out and sign the following permission form, License to Use Carousel Material [PDF]. The signed form must accompany the image submission.

Images can be uploaded at initial submission of a manuscript or subsequent revision. Images should be submitted in either EPS or TIF format and have a resolution of at least 300 pixels/inch. Images will be cropped and resized to fit the carousel space, and horizontal images are preferred.

Fees

Article Processing Fees

eNeuro relies on publication fees to support all operations, including, but not limited to, peer review, production and composition, online hosting and archiving.

Articles where the corresponding authors at the time of acceptance are SfN members will receive a discount on the publication fee. The corresponding author may not be changed after acceptance to secure the member discount. To join SfN and take advantage of these benefits, visit SfN's Member Center. Accepted manuscripts will not move into production or publish until payment has been received.

Articles accepted on or after January 1, 2026, will be assessed the following fees:

  • ⁘  Research articles, History of Neuroscience, Societal Impact, Registered Reports, and Review articles: $3,260 (members); $3,915 (nonmembers).
  • ⁘  Open Source Tools and Methods: $1,305.
  • ⁘  Commentaries and opinions: $1,305 (members); $1,945 (nonmembers).

Fees should be paid by credit card. If a credit card cannot be used, a check or wire transfer can be accepted. Unfortunately, we cannot accept purchase orders for publication fees.

Reduced Charges

In an effort to aid neuroscientists working in resource-restricted countries and to broaden the dissemination of science to all areas of the world, eNeuro offers reduced publication fees to scientists located in the countries classified by the World Bank as low-income economies (Category I), lower-middle income economies (Category II), or upper-middle income economies (Category III).

All publication fees will be automatically waived for corresponding authors from Category I countries. Fees will be automatically reduced 50% for corresponding authors from countries in Category II and reduced upon request for countries from Category III.

Post-Publication Information

Media and Embargo Policies

SfN promotes research in its journals by providing embargoed Early Release papers and recently published research to public information officers and reporters. The embargo for eNeuro Early Release articles distributed to the press lifts at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Mondays. The embargo for all other articles lifts at the time of online publication. For more information on the embargo policy and media outreach, please see For the Media.

Errata

Authors who discover errors in articles they have published should have the corresponding author contact eneuro@sfn.org with a detailed description of the requested correction. Requests for corrections that affect the interpretation or conclusions of a published article will be reviewed by the editors.

Retractions

eNeuro will retract an article at the authors’ request, unless it is under review for a possible violation of SfN’s Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication. Authors must may provide a brief explanation of the error(s) prompting the retraction. Statements of retraction may not assign blame to specific authors or laboratories. To request a retraction, the corresponding author should contact eneuro@sfn.org.

The editors reserve the right to retract an article at any time after publication without the consent of the authors if an investigation by an appropriate authority reveals a violation of SfN’s Ethics Policy, including the Guidelines for Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication, regardless of whether that violation was intentional or not.

In retraction statements, eNeuro clearly distinguishes between author-initiated retractions and those initiated by the editors.

Contact Information

Email: eneuro@sfn.org
Phone: (202) 962-4000