Format your manuscript to the Journal of Machine Learning Research requirements — abstract, the JMLR author-year reference style references, and required declarations — and submit through the JMLR submission system without a formatting rejection.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Getting past the desk at Journal of Machine Learning Research is usually less about the research and more about matching the journal’s exact submission rules. This template is built around JMLR’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, the JMLR author-year reference style references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the JMLR author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to JMLR’s specifications for machine learning — algorithms, theory, and empirical methodology. Journal of Machine Learning Research is published by Microtome Publishing (JMLR, Inc.). The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in an introduction, the method or theory, experiments, and discussion order, and a reference list in the JMLR author-year reference style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a concise abstract summarizing the contribution. JMLR also expects submission in the JMLR LaTeX style. The body follows an introduction, the method or theory, experiments, and discussion, and the reference list uses the JMLR author-year reference style. Close with the declarations block: conflict of interest, funding, and code and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: not using the official JMLR LaTeX style and an abstract that doesn't state the contribution and its significance up front. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep the JMLR author-year reference style formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through the JMLR submission system — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what JMLR’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, the JMLR author-year reference style reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the JMLR journal home page. JMLR is open access with no submission or publication charges. Manuscripts go in through the JMLR submission system, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | JMLR requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a concise abstract summarizing the contribution |
| Main text | an introduction, the method or theory, experiments, and discussion |
| Declarations | Conflict of interest, funding, and code and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | the JMLR submission system |
Read the JMLR author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set the JMLR author-year reference style as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in. Prepare submission in the JMLR LaTeX style early rather than leaving it to the end.
Skim two or three recent JMLR papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the JMLR author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, the JMLR author-year reference style references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — not using the official JMLR LaTeX style and an abstract that doesn't state the contribution and its significance up front. Then submit through the JMLR submission system.