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JATS XML Converter: Service Guidelines and Tutorial

JATS XML Converter

Lead authors 

Ljiljana Jertec Musap ORCID, Petra Čačić ORCID

Contributors 

Ivan Jelenić, Draženko Celjak ORCID

Version / Date 

V 1.0; created: April 2025

Introduction

JATS XML Converter Service Guidelines and Tutorial is a support document and training material for creating JATS XML documents from DOCX manuscripts using the JATS XML Converter Service tool. By following these guidelines and using the mentioned tool, editorial teams of scientific and professional journals can easily, in a user-friendly way, without prior experience and at no cost, generate JATS XML documents for their journals.

Learning targets

Using these materials, learners will be able to:

  • Identify key parts of an article represented in JATS XML format
  • Prepare DOCX manuscripts following guidelines to ensure successful conversion to XML
  • Use the JATS XML Converter Service to convert DOCX files into valid JATS XML
Description

This manual is designed to guide users through the training materials, which aim to help editors and technical journal staff create machine-readable JATS XML documents from DOCX manuscripts. The materials include guidelines, a video tutorial on how to use the JATS XML Converter Service, and a section with frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Using this manual and the provided materials will enable you to efficiently convert manuscripts into the JATS XML format, supporting best publishing practices aligned with FAIR principles.

How to use the materials

  1. Begin by reviewing the section titled “What is JATS XML?” This part introduces the JATS (Journal Article Tag Suite) standard and explains its importance for open-access journals and scholarly publishing. It will help you understand why machine-readable full texts are strongly recommended in modern academic publishing.

  2. Proceed to the section “Parts of the article in XML format according to the JATS standard.” This will help you become familiar with how different parts of a scholarly article — such as the title, author list, abstract, main body, and references — are represented in XML. This knowledge gives context to what the converter tool produces.

  3. Carefully read the “Guidelines for preparing a DOCX document.” These guidelines provide essential formatting instructions to ensure a clean and successful conversion. Pay special attention to the use of headings, styles, tables, figures, and reference lists, as improperly formatted documents may not convert correctly.

  4. Once your manuscript is prepared, access the JATS XML Converter Service. Upload your DOCX file through the tool interface. The service will automatically process the document and generate a JATS-compliant XML file.

Use the video tutorial for a guided walkthrough of the conversion process. If you encounter problems, consult the FAQ section, which addresses common issues and questions.

Link to the training material

JATS XML Converter Service Guidelines and Tutorial - Hrčak - wiki-srce.hr