ScholarOne Developer Hub · Relay API

Report Summary
Design Guidelines

Best practices for third-party integrators posting report data back to ScholarOne Manuscripts via the Relay API — covering content, branding, field constraints, HTML formatting, URL requirements, and report type classification.

Audience: Integration Vendors API: Relay API Method: POST Version: 1.0

Contents

Overview
Report summary fields
Anatomy of a well-structured summary
Logo requirements & placement
Supported HTML & inline CSS
URL field requirements
Report type field
Do's and don'ts

Section 1

Overview

The Relay API allows third-party vendors and research integrity tools to post structured report data back to a ScholarOne manuscript record. This data surfaces to editors and journal staff directly within the ScholarOne workflow, alongside reports from other vendors. The report summary is the primary surface editors see — it must be immediately recognisable, scannable, and informative.

Three fields govern the report summary display: content, url, and type. Understanding their constraints and intended purpose is essential before designing your summary output.

Context
Editors reviewing a manuscript may see summaries from multiple vendors on the same page. A well-designed summary that is brief, branded, and clearly structured significantly reduces time-to-decision and builds trust in your integration.

Section 2

Report summary fields

The following fields are included in the Relay API request body and directly control the content of the report summary shown in ScholarOne.

Field	Type	Required	Constraints	Purpose
content	string	Required	Max 2,000 characters. Accepts a subset of HTML tags and inline CSS. Plain text also accepted.	The body of the report summary displayed to editors inside ScholarOne. Should include your logo and key findings.
url	string (URL)	Required	Must be a fully qualified HTTPS URL.	Links to the full, detailed report hosted on the vendor's platform. Editors click this for complete analysis.
type	integer	Required	Accepted values: `2` (Research Integrity) or `3` (Technical Check).	Classifies the report category. Determines how ScholarOne labels and routes the report within the manuscript workflow.

Character limit

The content field has a hard limit of 2,000 characters, counting all HTML markup. A logo <img> tag with a full URL and attributes can consume 150–250 characters alone. Budget your markup carefully, and always test your rendered payload's character count before deploying.

Section 3

Anatomy of a well-structured summary

A report summary should follow a consistent three-part structure within the content field. This ensures editors can parse your output quickly regardless of how many vendor summaries are displayed.

Vendor logo Top-left, recommended 200 × 100 px. Makes your report instantly recognisable in a multi-vendor context. Use an externally hosted PNG with a transparent or white background.

Status / Result line One line summarising the overall outcome (e.g., "No issues detected" or "Concerns identified — review recommended"). Use bold text or colour sparingly to highlight severity.

Key findings (if issues exist) A short bulleted list of specific concerns only. Omit this section entirely if the manuscript passed all checks — do not pad with green-status items. Max 3–5 bullets recommended.

Editorial principle

Editors are busy. If the manuscript is clean, your summary should convey that in one line below your logo. Reserve detailed content for the full report linked via the url field. The summary is a signal, not a report.

Section 4

Logo requirements & placement

Adding your company logo to the top-left of the content field is strongly recommended. In a multi-vendor environment, logos allow editors to identify your report at a glance without reading the text.

200 × 100 px recommended

Your Logo Here

Dimensions	200 px wide × 100 px tall. Adjust as needed, keeping the logo compact and proportional.
Format	PNG with transparent background strongly preferred. Avoid JPEG (artefacts on white backgrounds).
Hosting	The `src` attribute must point to an HTTP or HTTPS URL. Do not use data URIs — they consume excessive character budget.
Background	Use transparent or white background so the logo displays cleanly on ScholarOne's interface.
Alt text	Always include a descriptive `alt` attribute for accessibility.
Placement	Place the `<img>` tag at the very start of the `content` field value, before any text.

Logo HTML pattern

<!-- Recommended logo markup (place at top of content field) -->
<img
  src="https://assets.yourvendor.com/logo-scholarone.png"
  alt="YourVendor logo"
  width="200"
  height="100"
  style="display:block;margin-bottom:10px;"
/>

Do not resize via CSS alone

Always specify width and height attributes on the <img> tag in addition to any inline CSS. ScholarOne may strip or ignore CSS in certain rendering contexts; explicit HTML attributes ensure the logo always renders at the intended size.

Section 5

Supported HTML & inline CSS

The content field accepts basic HTML and inline CSS for text formatting. External stylesheets, <style> blocks, JavaScript, and complex layout elements are not supported and will be stripped or may cause the payload to be rejected.

Allowlisted HTML elements

<a>Hyperlink

Bold text

<blockquote>Block quotation

 Line break

<cite>Citation

<code>Inline code

<dd>Description def.

<dl>Description list

<dt>Description term

Emphasis (italic)

Italic text

<li>List item

<ol>Ordered list

Paragraph

<pre>Preformatted

<q>Inline quotation

Smaller text

<strike>Strikethrough

Strong / bold

Subscript

Superscript

Underline

<ul>Unordered list

<img>src = HTTP/HTTPS URL

Inline CSS
Styling must be applied via the style attribute directly on each element. Supported properties include color, font-weight, font-size, margin, padding, display, and text-decoration. Avoid complex layout properties (flex, grid, position) as rendering support is not guaranteed.

No external resources (except images)

Do not link to external stylesheets or scripts within the content field. The only permitted external resources are images referenced via HTTP or HTTPS URLs in <img src> attributes, as well as URLs directing users to the full report or to support resources in case of issues.

Section 6

URL field requirements

The url field is the bridge between the brief in-system summary and your full, detailed report. Editors who need deeper information will click this link. Ensure it is always accessible and relevant.

Requirement	Detail
Protocol	Must be a fully qualified HTTPS URL.
Target	Should resolve to the full detailed report for this specific manuscript and version. Avoid generic dashboard links that require the editor to search.
Authentication	Token-based deep link is recommended. The editor should not be required to create an account or remember credentials.

Section 7

Report type field

The type field is an integer that classifies the category of report being posted. ScholarOne uses this value to label the report correctly and route it to the appropriate section of the manuscript workflow. Passing the wrong type for your integration will result in the report appearing under an incorrect category in the editor interface.

type: 2 Research Integrity

Tools that check for plagiarism, authorship concerns, image manipulation, data fabrication, citation anomalies, or other integrity-related issues (e.g., Paperpal Preflight, iThenticate, Author Check).

type: 3 Technical Check

Tools that validate manuscript formatting, file compliance, metadata completeness, statistical reporting, or other technical submission requirements.

// Research Integrity report
{
  "type": 2,
  "content": "...",
  "url": "https://reports.yourvendor.com/s1/MS-2025-00412/v1"
}

// Technical Check report
{
  "type": 3,
  "content": "...",
  "url": "https://reports.yourvendor.com/s1/MS-2025-00412/v1"
}

One type per POST request

Each Relay API call posts a single report of one type. If your platform produces both a research integrity result and a technical check result for the same manuscript, submit two separate API calls — one with type: 2 and one with type: 3. If you are unsure which type applies to your integration, confirm with your ScholarOne integration contact before going live.

Section 8

Do's and don'ts

Place your logo at the very top of the content field
Keep the summary brief — one status line, plus findings only if issues exist
Use plain language editors will understand immediately
Link to a manuscript-specific, version-specific report URL
Test your character count including all HTML markup
Always pass the correct type value matching your tool's function
Submit two separate API calls if posting both report types for one manuscript
Specify both width and height attributes on your logo
Host your logo on a stable, publicly accessible HTTPS server
Include alt text on all images

Don't

Exceed 2,000 characters in the content field
Use external stylesheets or <style> blocks
Include JavaScript in the content field
Use data URIs for images
Pad a clean result with unnecessary detail
Link to a generic dashboard — link to the specific report
Use HTTP URLs in the url field
Use session-based or expiring URLs in the url field
Pass invalid type values (only 2 and 3 are accepted)
Mix up types: 3 = Research Integrity, 2 = Technical Check

ScholarOne Developer Hub: Relay API Report Summary Design Guidelines

Report SummaryDesign Guidelines