JATS vs SciELO vs PMC Validation: Key Differences

An article can be valid JATS and still be rejected by SciELO or PubMed Central (PMC). The three validation levels — base JATS, SciELO SPS, and PMC — overlap but are not equivalent. Understanding their differences is essential for journals seeking visibility in both the Latin American ecosystem and PubMed.

Three layers of conformance

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│           JATS Archiving            │  ← NISO base standard
│  ┌───────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │        SciELO SPS             │  │  ← Latin American extension
│  │  ┌─────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │      PMC JATS           │  │  │  ← NCBI/NIH requirements
│  │  └─────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

XML conformant to PMC will probably pass SciELO, but not always the reverse. Each destination adds its own rules on metadata, licenses, and structure.

JATS Archiving: the common base

JATS Archiving (NISO Z39.96) defines the XML structure for journal articles. JATS validation checks:

• Well-formed XML with UTF-8 encoding.
• Elements in positions permitted by the schema.
• Required attributes present (article-type, dtd-version).
• Complete front, body, and back structure.

What JATS does NOT validate:

• Editorial quality of metadata (correct names, real affiliations).
• Open access policies.
• NIH funding requirements.
• Image format specific to a repository.

Use EditorialXML's JATS validator for this first layer.

SciELO SPS: the Latin American standard

SciELO Publishing Schema extends JATS with rules adapted to journals in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. Beyond JATS, it requires:

SPS rules that JATS does not cover

• Abbreviated journal title format.
• Minimum/maximum keyword count.
• <sub-article> structure for translations.
• File naming conventions in the delivery package.

Practical validation

1. Validate against JATS Archiving.
2. Apply SPS rules from the current version (consult SciELO documentation).
3. Verify with your national collection coordinator before the first submission.

For hands-on preparation, see EditorialXML's SciELO preparation service.

PubMed Central (PMC): the NIH standard

PMC is the open access repository of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It accepts articles from journals that meet strict editorial and technical quality criteria. Its JATS validation includes:

Critical differences with SciELO

A journal indexed in SciELO is not automatically in PMC, and vice versa. They are independent admission processes.

Comparative validation table

Strategy for multiple destinations

If your journal targets SciELO and PMC simultaneously, design XML for the strictest standard (generally PMC) and verify SPS compatibility:

1. Unified template

Create a JATS template that includes all fields required by both destinations. It is easier to omit optional fields than to add them later.

2. Cascading validation

Manuscript → Base JATS → JATS Validator → SPS Rules → PMC Rules → Delivery

Do not skip stages. Fixing a JATS error after applying PMC rules wastes effort.

3. Bilingual metadata

Include title, abstract, and keywords in Spanish and English from production, not as a later translation.

<abstract xml:lang="es">
  <p>Resumen en español...</p>
</abstract>
<trans-abstract xml:lang="en">
  <p>Abstract in English...</p>
</trans-abstract>

4. Structured references

Use <element-citation> for all references. It is the format preferred by PMC and the most compatible with SPS.

Errors that pass JATS but fail SciELO or PMC

• Missing license — valid in JATS, rejected in SciELO.
• Affiliation without country — valid in JATS, rejected in SPS.
• Equation as image — valid in JATS, rejected in PMC (requires MathML).
• Undeclared NIH funding — valid in JATS and SPS, rejected in PMC.
• DOI not registered in Crossref — valid XML, but not indexable.

For detailed fixes to frequent structural issues, see common JATS XML errors.

Validation tools

Always validate at the most basic layer first. XML that fails JATS will never pass SPS or PMC.

Which to validate first?

Recommended order:

1. JATS — fix structure and syntax.
2. SciELO SPS — if SciELO is the primary destination.
3. PMC — if you aspire to PubMed; it is the most demanding.

For Latin American journals with occasional NIH funding, validate PMC even if the immediate destination is SciELO. Articles with NIH funds must be deposited in PMC regardless of SciELO indexing.

Conclusion

JATS, SciELO SPS, and PMC do not compete: they overlap in an ecosystem where each layer adds quality guarantees for different audiences. The journal that understands these differences produces a single XML that serves multiple destinations, avoiding rework and maximizing each article's visibility.

Start by validating your XML against JATS in the JATS validator, review common JATS XML errors, and extend progressively to your target repository rules — or use SciELO preparation for end-to-end support.