When you use BioRender Graphing on data that you plan to include in a publication, most journals require you to document the software in your Methods section. Citing your graphing tool helps reviewers and readers understand exactly how your data was visualized or analyzed, and supports the reproducibility standards increasingly required by top journals.
This article gives you the recommended citation language for two common scenarios, guidance for specific journals (including an RRID number), and answers to common questions.
If you've used BioRender for scientific illustrations before: note that BioRender Graphing works differently. You do not need a publication license to publish graphs created in BioRender Graphing - simply include the citation in your Methods section as described below. Publication licenses are only required for figures created in BioRender's illustration tool.
Which citation applies to you?
I used BioRender Graphing only for creating charts and figures (no statistical tests)
Use the Visualization-only citation.
I ran statistical analyses in BioRender Graphing (t-tests, ANOVAs, regression, dose-response, etc.)
Use the Statistical analyses citation - it includes the R version number and other details your journal might require.
Visualization-only citation
Use this template if you used BioRender Graphing to create graphs but performed your statistical analyses in a different tool (e.g., R, Python).
"Data visualization was performed using BioRender Graphing (BioRender, Toronto, ON, Canada; https://www.biorender.com, accessed [Month Year]; RRID:SCR_018361)."
Fill in:
- [Month Year] - the month and year you last used BioRender Graphing (e.g., "accessed April 2026")
Do you need a version number? BioRender Graphing is a web-based application that updates continuously, and does not have traditional version numbers. For visualization use, the access date serves as the identifier. This is the accepted standard for web-based tools across major journals.
Statistical analyses citation
Use this template if you ran statistical tests, such as t-tests, ANOVAs, linear regression, or dose-response analysis, in BioRender Graphing and plan to include the results in a publication.
BioRender Graphing runs all statistical computations using R. Because a specific R version is available, your citation can satisfy journal requirements for software versioning. You should also record the date your analyses were run, as R packages may update over time.
"Statistical analyses and data visualization were performed using BioRender Graphing (BioRender, Toronto, ON, Canada; https://www.biorender.com; RRID:SCR_018361), powered by R version 4.5.1. Analyses were conducted in [Month Year]. A full list of R packages and functions used is available here.
Fill in:
- [Month Year] — the month and year you ran the analyses (e.g., "April 2026")
- Specify your tests (optional but recommended): name the specific analyses you ran, e.g., "unpaired t-tests and one-way ANOVA"
Example with specific tests named:
"Unpaired t-tests and one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc correction were performed using BioRender Graphing (BioRender, Toronto, ON, Canada; https://www.biorender.com; RRID:SCR_018361), powered by R version 4.5.1 (analyses conducted April 2026). A full list of R packages and functions are available here."
💡 Tip: You can find the date that you ran your analysis in the analysis report within BioRender, as shown in the screenshot below.
Including an RRID
Some journals - including those in the Nature portfolio and PNAS - ask authors to include a Research Resource Identifier (RRID) for software tools used in their research. RRIDs are standardized identifiers that make it easier to find all published papers using a given tool.
If your journal requests an RRID, add RRID:SCR_018361 to your citation:
"...BioRender Graphing (BioRender, Toronto, ON, Canada; https://www.biorender.com; RRID:SCR_018361)..."
You don't need to include the RRID unless your journal specifically asks for it. If you're unsure, check your target journal's author guidelines or software citation policy.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a publication license to publish graphs from BioRender Graphing?
No. Unlike BioRender's illustration tool, BioRender Graphing does not require a publication license. Simply include the citation in your Methods section as described in this article - no additional licensing step is needed before submitting or publishing.
Do I need to cite BioRender Graphing separately from BioRender (figures)?
Yes. If you used both BioRender's illustration tool and BioRender Graphing in the same paper, cite them separately. Use "BioRender" for illustrations (with the publication license citation your export generates) and "BioRender Graphing" for data graphs and analyses.
My journal requires a version number - do I have one?
Yes, if you ran statistical analyses: BioRender Graphing uses R version 4.5.1 for all computations. Include this in your citation. If you only used BioRender Graphing for visualization (no statistical tests), use the access date instead.
Where exactly in the Methods section should this go?
Place the citation in the statistical analysis or data visualization subsection - wherever you describe how figures or analyses were generated.
What specific R packages did BioRender Graphing use for my analysis?
A full list of R packages, versions, and functions used for each test type is available at: Statistical analyses in BioRender Graphing. You can reference this URL in your Methods section or supplementary materials for full transparency.
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