Guideline updates 2026-10-01: biorxiv, cell, cell_genomics, cell_systems, iclr_2027

[josephrich98]

Automated guideline check of 2026-10-01 (scripts/update_guidelines.py). Each venue below had a guideline page that changed, moved, or could not be vouched for; an agent re-read it and updated the entry. Please check every rule change against the linked pages before merging -- merging publishes the data to installed copies.

biorxiv — re-read, no rule changed

No edit needed: FAQ diff only adds a TOC line and obfuscates contact emails

• changed: https://www.biorxiv.org/about/FAQ

• https://www.biorxiv.org/about/FAQ: the diff has two kinds of change, and neither touches a requirement:

  • A new "Table of contents (49 questions)" heading line (navigation only).
  • The contact address biorxiv@openrxiv.org now appears as [email protected] in three places. This is the site's email obfuscation, so the wording is otherwise unchanged.

• No rule in the biorxiv entry (formats, the 40 MB file size limit, figure formats, scope, licenses, subject and result categories, revisions) is affected, so the entry stays as it is.

• source_urls are still accurate. The FAQ URL is the same, and the other two pages did not change.

cell — updated

Add PSD/PNG to Cell figure formats; drop MP4 rule for STAR Protocols videos

• changed: https://www.cell.com/cell/information-for-authors/final-submission

• changed: https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines

• figures.formats: [.tif, .tiff, .pdf, .eps, .jpg, .cdx] -> added .psd and .png. The figure-guidelines page (https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines) now says "Editorial Manager also accepts EPS, JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX files", and its "Other file formats" list is now "TIFF, PDF, EPS, JPG, PSD, PNG, or CDX".

• figures.notes: "EPS (vector), JPEG, and CDX are also accepted" -> "EPS (vector), JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX are also accepted" (same page).

• supplementary.notes: "STAR Protocols videos must be landscape MP4" -> "STAR Protocols videos must be in landscape mode". The final-submission page (https://www.cell.com/cell/information-for-authors/final-submission) dropped "and in MP4 format". The general ".mp4 preferred" wording comes from the unchanged supplemental-information page, so it stays.

• The figure-guidelines page also dropped its line "For the journal STAR Protocols, figures must be provided in JPG format". The entry never recorded that rule, so nothing changed for it.

• source_urls and retrieved are unchanged.

Could not be verified:

• Couldn't confirm the edited paperpush/manuscript_requirements.json still parses as JSON: both commands to check it needed approval. The edits only add two strings to a list and reword two notes.

cell_genomics — updated

Add PSD and PNG to Cell Genomics accepted figure formats

• changed: https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/information-for-authors/final-submission

• changed: https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines

• figures.formats: [.tif, .tiff, .pdf, .eps, .jpg, .cdx] -> adds .psd and .png. The figure-guidelines page (https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines) now says "Editorial Manager also accepts EPS, JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX files", and the "Other file formats" paragraph lists "TIFF, PDF, EPS, JPG, PSD, PNG, or CDX".

• figures.notes: "...EPS (vector), JPEG, and CDX are also accepted via Editorial Manager." -> "...EPS (vector), JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX are also accepted via Editorial Manager." The source is the same page, and the wording matches the recent Cell entry update.

• No edit was needed for the other changes:

  • The figure-guidelines page dropped "For the journal STAR Protocols, figures must be provided in JPG format." This applies only to STAR Protocols, which the entry never recorded.
  • The final-submission page (https://www.cell.com/cell-genomics/information-for-authors/final-submission) dropped "and in MP4 format" from the STAR Protocols video note. This also applies only to STAR Protocols. The entry's .mp4 in supplementary.formats comes from the general supplemental/video guidance, not from this note, so it stays.

• source_urls are unchanged; no page moved or disappeared.

Could not be verified:

• JSON syntax of paperpush/manuscript_requirements.json after the edit: running python -m json.tool needed approval and was refused. The edits only add two array strings and change one note string.

cell_systems — updated

Add PSD and PNG to Cell Systems accepted figure formats

• changed: https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines

• unreadable: https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/information-for-authors/final-submission

• figures.formats: [.tif, .tiff, .pdf, .eps, .jpg, .cdx] -> adds .psd and .png. The figure-guidelines page (https://www.cell.com/information-for-authors/figure-guidelines) now says "Editorial Manager also accepts EPS, JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX files". Its "Other file formats" paragraph also lists "TIFF, PDF, EPS, JPG, PSD, PNG, or CDX".

• figures.notes: "...EPS (vector), JPEG, and CDX are also accepted via Editorial Manager." -> "...EPS (vector), JPEG, PSD, PNG, and CDX are also accepted via Editorial Manager." The source is the same page. The wording matches the Cell and Cell Genomics updates.

• No edit was needed for the other change: the page dropped "For the journal STAR Protocols, figures must be provided in JPG format." That line covers only STAR Protocols, and the entry never recorded it.

• source_urls are unchanged because no page moved or disappeared.

Could not be verified:

• I could not confirm the JSON still parses because running a Python json.tool check needed approval. The edit only adds two string items to an existing list and changes the text of one note.

iclr_2027 — re-read, no rule changed

No edit needed: diffs only drop "11:59 PM" and a countdown from the same Sep 25 AOE deadline

• changed: https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2027/AuthorGuidelines

• changed: https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2027/CallForPapers

• AuthorGuidelines (https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2027/AuthorGuidelines): the paper deadline used to read "Sep 25, 2026 11:59 PM AOE or ". It now reads "Sep 25, 2026 AOE" in three places. "AOE" already means the end of that day (11:59 PM UTC-12), so the deadline is the same. The entry's deadline note stays accurate.

• CallForPapers (https://iclr.cc/Conferences/2027/CallForPapers): the same wording change on the "Paper deadline" line, and nothing else changed.

• These diffs don't touch any page limit, format, statement, supplementary, anonymity or authorship rule, so iclr_2027 stays as it is.

• The submission-policies blog page didn't change, and nothing on it plainly contradicts the entry.