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Minimum Data Criteria

PMC expects all submissions to meet these minimum data requirements:

  • Each package must be complete and named correctly for the article(s) in the package.

    • A complete package includes: an article XML file, the article PDF (if available), image files, supplementary materials, and any available peer review documents.
    • Named correctly means: the XML and PDF base file names must match exactly and related file names, e.g., images, must match the called-out name in the XML in name and case.

  • All XML files must conform to an acceptable and agreed-upon full text journal article DTD.

  • All XML files must parse according to their DTD. PMC validates data using the PUBLIC ID in the DOCTYPE declaration in each source file.
  • All XML files must include the full contents of the article.

  • Regardless of the XML DTD used, the following metadata information must be present and tagged with correct values in every file:

    • Journal ISSN
    • Journal Publisher
    • Copyright statement (if applicable)
    • License statement (if applicable)
    • Volume
    • Issue number (if applicable)
    • Pagination and/or elocation-id
    • DOI (if available)
    • Publication dates that accurately and completely reflect the journal’s publication model.

  • All image files for figures must be legible, and submitted in high-resolution TIFF or EPS format, according to the Figure Graphic Formatting Guidelines.