Graphical Abstract, Elsevier Highlights, CRediT: How to Prepare for Journal Submission 2026

What Are Graphical Abstracts, Highlights, and CRediT?

Journal submission is more than uploading a manuscript. Most major publishers now require three specific artifacts that sit alongside your text: a graphical abstract, Elsevier Highlights (or equivalent bullets), and a CRediT authorship statement. Each serves a distinct purpose.

• What they are: graphical abstract (visual summary), Highlights (text bullets), CRediT (author contribution mapping)
• Why they matter: They improve discoverability, indexing, and transparency for every submission
• How this guide helps: Cross-publisher specs, plain-language CRediT definitions, example templates, and a submission checklist

Graphical abstracts are single-panel images designed to be understood in seconds. Readers scroll through online tables of contents; a well-crafted visual tells them what the paper is about before they click through to the full text.

Highlights are 3–5 short bullet points, each limited to 85 characters. They appear in search results, email alerts, and article landing pages. Elsevier uses them as indexable text; other publishers use similar bullet systems under different names. Highlights are SEO-friendly because they are plain text, not images.

CRediT is a 14-role taxonomy that explains what each author actually contributed. Originally developed by CASRAI, it was standardized as ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022 and is now required or accepted by more than 50 publishers including Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, Cell Press, PLOS, eLife, and MDPI. CRediT replaces the opaque “first author / corresponding author” convention with structured, machine-readable attribution.

Together, these three artifacts answer different questions. The graphical abstract answers “what is this about?” The Highlights answer “what did we find?” CRediT answers “who did what?”

The graphical abstract and Highlights serve completely different purposes. Highlights = text bullets for indexing and search; graphical abstracts = single-panel visuals for conceptual comprehension. Both are separate submission artifacts, not substitutes for one another.

Graphical Abstracts: Requirements by Publisher

Graphical abstract specifications vary dramatically. There is no universal format. The table below consolidates the specifications from six major publishers.

All six publishers share a common requirement: the graphical abstract must be purpose-built. Several publishers explicitly prohibit reusing figures from the manuscript body.

“The graphic should be simple, but informative” — Springer Nature’s graphical abstract guidelines (media.springer.com)

Design Principles That Apply Across Publishers

Every publisher’s guidelines converge on the same design rules regardless of dimensions:

• Single-panel format only. Do not submit multiple figures or a composite of existing subfigures.
• No raw data plots. Do not paste a dense graph, spectrum, or numerical data table into the graphic. The graphical abstract should summarize the concept, not reproduce the data.
• Directional flow. Structure the visual to read top-to-bottom or left-to-right. The viewer should know where to look first.
• Minimal text. Text should be restricted to essential labels, compound names, or short reaction arrows. No prose, no bullet points, no paragraph summaries.
• Color encouraged. All publishers recommend RGB color. Black-and-white only works if the graphic remains legible in grayscale.
• No copyrighted material. Stamps, currency, trademarked items, or photographs of people are universally prohibited.

Elsevier Highlights: How to Write Effective 85-Character Bullets

Elsevier’s Highlights are mandatory for most journals in the portfolio. Each highlight is a single bullet point, uploaded as a separate Word file named “Highlights.” The rules are strict.

The Rules

• 3 to 5 bullets per manuscript (3 to 4 for Cell Press titles).
• Maximum 85 characters per bullet, including spaces, letters, punctuation.
• No jargon, acronyms, or abbreviations. Write for a general audience.
• No repetition of the title word-for-word.
• Core findings only. Do not describe the paper’s methodology, background, or general context.

Every highlight must match its verb to the actual evidence. The verb you choose signals the strength of your claim. “Shows” asserts a result. “Is associated with” reports a correlation. “Predicts” implies a model or equation. Use “shows” only when your data directly demonstrates the finding. Use “is associated with” when you are reporting a statistical association without causal inference.

“Each highlight can be no more than 85 characters, including spaces. No jargon, acronyms, or abbreviations” — Elsevier’s Highlights guide

Three Examples of Good Highlights

Here are three properly constructed bullets. Each is under 85 characters and uses a verb matched to the evidence level.

1. “Serum ferritin levels above 200 ng/mL predict diabetes onset within 5 years (78 chars)”
2. “Water treatment reduces particulate matter by 34% in urban areas (60 chars)”
3. “Patients receiving early rehabilitation recovered 2.3 times faster (61 chars)”

The Verb-to-Evidence Rule

Overstatement in Highlights is the most common mistake. Students and early-career researchers often write “proves” when their data only “supports” or “suggests.” Editors flag these as misleading. If the verb does not match the evidence, shorten the bullet and replace the verb.

CRediT Author Statements: The 14 Roles Explained

CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) is the ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022 standard for naming the 14 distinct roles researchers play in producing a published work. It replaces the opaque “first author / last author / corresponding author” convention with explicit, machine-readable attribution of research labor. The full taxonomy is maintained by CASRAI at casrai.org/credit.

The taxonomy originated with a working group convened at a 2012 Harvard / Wellcome Trust workshop and was introduced to the scholarly community in the 2014 Nature paper by Allen, Brand, Scott, Altman, and Hlava. CRediT is used by more than 50 publishers across thousands of journals worldwide.

The 14 roles are grouped into four functional categories: planning and design, research and analysis, communication, and management. Each role has a stable URI at casrai.org/credit/roles/<slug>.

What Each Role Means in Practice

Here is a plain-language translation of all 14 roles into student-friendly explanations. This is the most scannable format for understanding what applies to you.

Understanding the Writing Roles

The two writing roles that confuse students most are Writing–Original Draft versus Writing–Review & Editing. The former belongs to the person who produced the first version of the manuscript. The latter belongs to the person who returned a critical revision, rewrote sections, checked arguments, and polished the prose. In student groups, the supervisor often does the review and editing role.

How to Fill the Elsevier Submission Checklist

Elsevier collects CRediT structurally through the submission system. You do not need to format anything by hand. At submission, the system presents a checklist where you assign each contributor one or more of the 14 roles. You can optionally add a degree qualifier per role: lead, equal, or supporting.

The workflow is straightforward:

1. List all contributors, including those who do not meet ICMJE authorship criteria but contributed meaningfully.
2. Assign the subset of the 14 roles that genuinely describe what each person did.
3. Add qualifiers where several people share a role.
4. Submit the structured CRediT statement, and the system will generate the contribution statement in the format the journal expects.

CRediT does not replace traditional authorship. ICMJE Vancouver criteria define who qualifies as an author. CRediT defines what each author and acknowledged contributor actually did. The two are complementary, and most major journals collect both.

“CRediT replaces the opaque authorship byline with an explicit, machine-readable map of contributions” — CASRAI CRediT overview

When to Prepare Each Artifact: Timeline and Workflow

The three artifacts are not all ready at the same time. The timeline below shows when each should be prepared.

Recommended Sequence

The sequence matters. The graphical abstract is the visual centerpiece, and it should be your starting point because it forces you to clarify the paper’s core message before writing. Write the Highlights bullets from the actual findings, not from what the paper is “about.” Then assign CRediT roles collaboratively with co-authors.

If you have not confirmed all co-author contributions before submission, pause. Assigning CRediT roles by seniority instead of actual contribution is the most common error. The supervisor is not automatically the person who did “Supervision.” Check whether they actually provided oversight. The first author did not automatically do “Writing–Original Draft.” Verify they actually wrote the draft.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Each artifact has its own set of errors. Consolidating them here makes it easier to check before submission.

Graphical Abstract Mistakes

• Reusing an in-text figure. Several publishers explicitly prohibit copying figures from the manuscript. The graphical abstract must be purpose-built, not a cropped or rearranged version of an existing figure.
• Overly dense text. Text should be restricted to essential labels. If the graphic reads like a paragraph, it is too text-heavy.
• Wrong dimensions. Always verify your target journal’s specifications. Elsevier requires 1328 × 531 px minimum; Cell Press requires exact 1200 × 1200 px. Submitting the wrong dimensions delays publication.

Highlights Mistakes

• Using stronger verbs than results support. “Proves” when your data only “supports” or “suggests.” Stick to the verb-to-evidence table above.
• Including background or methodology. Highlights should cover core findings only, not the paper’s context or procedures.
• Exceeding 85 characters. Every bullet, including spaces, must be 85 characters or less. Count them.

CRediT Mistakes

• Assigning roles by seniority, not contribution. The PI should not automatically carry “Supervision” unless they actually supervised the project.
• Listing all 14 roles for every author. Authors carry only the roles that apply to them. Most carry 2–4 roles each.
• Using “Writing–Original Draft” when someone only edited. Review and editing is a separate role. Do not conflate the two.

Tool Choice: BioRender vs. Illustrator / Inkscape

The graphical abstract tool you choose affects both quality and timeline. BioRender is the fastest option for medical and life-science icons: you drag pre-made figures, select from a palette, and export in seconds. It is ideal when you need professional icons quickly and are working under deadline.

Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape is free (Inkscape) or paid (Illustrator) but requires more time to learn. Use these tools when you need full customization and your publisher has strict format requirements, for example when you need vector EPS files with embedded fonts or exact DPI compliance.

The tradeoff: BioRender for speed and professionalism in biomedical fields; Inkscape or Illustrator when you need pixel-level control or vector exports with embedded fonts.

AI Image Restrictions

Several publishers have introduced restrictions on AI-generated graphical abstracts. Elsevier explicitly prohibits general-purpose generative AI image tools (such as Midjourney, DALL-E, or Stable Diffusion) for creating graphical abstracts, regardless of whether disclosure is provided. The prohibition applies specifically to graphical abstracts; Elsevier permits AI-assisted explanatory figures (flowcharts, workflows) with human oversight and caption disclosure. Wiley permits AI for conceptual illustrations and diagrams with mandatory disclosure and human verification, but prohibits AI for primary research data images (e.g., microscopy, blots, clinical photographs). Springer Nature, ACS, and MDPI require disclosure if AI tools were used anywhere in the production of the manuscript. Always check your target journal’s specific policy before designing the graphical abstract.

Checklist: Before You Submit Your Artifacts

Run through this checklist before you upload the manuscript. Each item covers one artifact.

Graphical Abstract Checklist

• [ ] Dimensions match the journal’s specifications exactly
• [ ] Resolution is 300 dpi or above
• [ ] File format is accepted (TIFF, EPS, PDF, PNG, JPG)
• [ ] Text is minimal; fonts are legible at small sizes
• [ ] Flow reads top-to-bottom or left-to-right
• [ ] No raw data plots, tables, or in-text figures reused
• [ ] No copyrighted material, stamps, currency, or trademarked items
• [ ] Color is RGB mode (unless journal specifies grayscale)
• [ ] Labelled “For Table of Contents Only” if required

Highlights Checklist

• [ ] 3 to 5 bullets (3 to 4 for Cell Press)
• [ ] Each bullet is ≤ 85 characters including spaces
• [ ] Bullets cover core findings only, not background or methods
• [ ] Verbs match the evidence level (shows ≠ proves)
• [ ] No jargon, acronyms, or abbreviations
• [ ] File named “Highlights” and uploaded as separate Word document
• [ ] Bullets do not repeat the title word-for-word

CRediT Checklist

• [ ] All contributors listed, including non-authors who contributed
• [ ] Each contributor assigned only the roles that apply
• [ ] Roles assigned by contribution, not seniority
• [ ] Degree qualifiers (lead, equal, supporting) used where appropriate
• [ ] Statement submitted in structured form (not free text, where supported)
• [ ] Statement reviewed and confirmed by all co-authors

Practical Tips for Student Authors

Submitting your first manuscript can be overwhelming. Here are practical tips tailored for students and early-career researchers.

Start Early

Do not wait until submission week to prepare the graphical abstract or Highlights. The graphical abstract often takes longer to finalize than the manuscript draft because you need to verify dimensions, DPI, and font compatibility. Begin sketching the graphical abstract when you finish data analysis, not when you upload the manuscript.

Ask Your Supervisor

CRediT role assignment is a team exercise. Do not assign roles yourself. Send the 14-role table to your co-authors and ask them to select the roles that apply to them. If your supervisor disagrees with your self-assessment, negotiate based on what actually happened, not on title or hierarchy.

Count Characters

The 85-character limit for Highlights is strict. Every space counts. If a bullet exceeds the limit, shorten the sentence. Do not remove spaces. Use shorter verbs: “shows” instead of “demonstrates,” “reduces” instead of “results in a reduction of.” If you still need more room, cut adjectives and adverbs.

Verify Publisher Guidelines Individually

No two journals use the same specifications. Even within a publisher family such as Elsevier or Springer Nature, different journals have different graphical abstract requirements. Always check the “Guide for Authors” of your specific target journal before finalizing any artifact.

Keep a Backup

Save your graphical abstract as a separate file with the correct dimensions. If the journal requires a revision, you will not have time to redesign the graphic from scratch. A backup saves hours of work.

Summary

Three artifacts — graphical abstract, Highlights, and CRediT — now sit alongside the manuscript in most journal submissions. They answer different questions, follow different rules, and require different preparation timelines. The graphical abstract summarizes the core message visually. Highlights deliver 3–5 plain-text bullets for indexing and search. CRediT maps contribution transparently across the author team.

Start with the graphical abstract because it clarifies the paper’s direction. Write Highlights from actual findings, not from general topics. Assign CRediT roles collaboratively, based on contribution not seniority. Run through the checklist above, verify each publisher’s specific requirements, and submit with confidence.

For next steps on writing the manuscript itself, see the guides on how to write an abstract, how to write a cover letter, and how to write a research paper. For manuscript structure and formatting, see PRISMA 2020 and citation styles compared.