Acceptable Electronic File Formats
AGU journals accept numerous file formats for text, graphics, animations/movies, and sound. Formats differ for submission, publication, and archive (see tables below). Authors are encouraged to review the Figure FAQ for additional information on specific formats. Contact graphics-help@agu.org for guidance.
Submission: AGU accepts a wide range of file formats for original submissions. However, fewer options are available after manuscript acceptance. Authors can save time by submitting files in a format acceptable for publication (see below).
Publication: Final file formats are more restrictive to avoid reformatting and to provide high-quality publication both online and in print.
Archive: The number of acceptable file formats is minimal so that AGU can periodically reformat files as needed to stay current with evolving technology. AGU prepares the archival files from the publication files, if necessary.
Microsoft Word 2007: AGU, like many other scientific publishers, cannot accept any final files for publication created in Microsoft Word 2007. Equations and special characters produced in this new .docx format are not compatible with internal copyediting and production processes. AGU is working with other scientific publishers and Microsoft on this issue. (updated 10 July 2007)
Table 1. Acceptable Text Formats a
| File Format | Submission | Publication | Archive |
| Word | X | X | |
| WordPerfect | X | X | |
| LaTeX | X | X | |
| X | |||
| XML b | X |
a Note that requirements differ for auxiliary material text files; see detailed information in the Guidelines for Submitting Auxiliary Materials.
b XML is the article source file from which online and print versions are derived. Currently, tools are not widely available to enable authors to generate XML files in accordance with AGU’s document type definition (DTD); thus there is no electronic equivalent of “camera-ready copy.” AGU encourages authors who have the technical skills and motivation needed to prepare XML. As XML tools mature, it is expected that more authors will be able to shorten processing time and reduce publication costs by providing acceptable XML manuscripts.
Table 2. Acceptable Vector Graphics Formats
| File Format | Submission | Publication | Archive |
| EPS | X | X | X |
| X | X | ||
| Adobe Illustrator | X | ||
| SVG | X | X a | |
| Shapefile b | X | X | X |
a Acceptable for auxiliary material and enhanced images only.
b Authors must supply .dwg in addition to .shp for the print. Contact graphics-help@agu.org for assistance.
For additional information and detailed guidelines on preparing graphics files, see Guidelines for Preparing Graphics Files. For general information on Web presentation, see the article "Picture this—On the proper use of graphics in Web publishing" [PDF 163kb].
Table 3. Acceptable Raster (Image) Graphics Formats
| File Format | Submission | Publication | Archive |
| JPEG a | X | X | X |
| PNG | X | X b | X |
| TIFF | X | X | X |
| GeoTIFF | X | X | X |
| GIF | X |
a Not all JPEG figures are acceptable. Files must meet minimum requirement of 300 dpi.
b Acceptable for electronic-only journals.
Table 4. Acceptable Animation/Movie/Map Formats a
| File Format | Submission | Publication | Archive |
| MPEG-1 | X | X | X |
| MPEG-2 | X | X | X |
| MPEG-4/DivX | X | X | X |
| AVI | X | X | X |
| MOV | X | X | |
| VRML | X | X | X |
| Animated GIF b | X | X | |
| SWF b | X | X | |
| Protein Data Bank (PDB) | X | X | X |
| KML | X | Xc | X |
a Contact graphics-help@agu.org to discuss formats not listed here.
b Archived as individual TIFF/EPS images.
c Acceptable for auxiliary material only.
Table 5. Acceptable Sound Formats
| File Format | Submission | Publication | Archive |
| WAV | X | X | X |
| MP3 | X | X | X |
| AU | X | X | X |
| AIFF | X | X | X |
