Start with journal fit
Read the Aims & Scope and choose the most appropriate article type before submission. The manuscript should present original scholarly work, be approved by all listed authors and not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal.
What your submission should contain
- A concise, informative title that accurately reflects the work.
- An abstract that states the purpose, approach, principal findings and conclusions, plus focused keywords.
- Complete author names and affiliations, a clearly identified corresponding author and ORCID identifiers where available.
- A logically structured manuscript with methods, results, discussion and conclusions appropriate to the study design.
- Editable tables, publication-quality figures with captions, complete references and clearly identified supplementary material.
- Acknowledgements, funding information, competing-interest declaration and data-availability statement.
- Ethics approval, informed consent, trial registration or animal-welfare information when applicable.
- Permission for third-party copyrighted material when reuse is not otherwise permitted.
Files and presentation
Use a readable manuscript format with consistent headings, numbered tables and figures, and references that match all in-text citations. The editorial office may request source files or additional documentation during assessment or production.
At submission
Provide accurate metadata that matches the manuscript, select the correct journal and article type, identify funding and relevant declarations, and upload all required files. Incomplete submissions may be returned for correction before editorial assessment.
Editorial assessment and peer review
Editors first assess scope, presentation, originality and integrity. Suitable manuscripts may proceed to independent peer review. Review reports inform the editorial decision; revision requests should be answered point-by-point and do not guarantee acceptance.
After acceptance
Accepted manuscripts proceed to production checks and proofing. Authors should review proofs carefully and return essential corrections promptly. The final published record, licence and article metadata should be checked after publication.
Cover letter
A useful cover letter briefly explains the manuscript’s contribution, fit with the journal, important related work, preprint or prior dissemination where relevant, and any information the editor should know when assigning the manuscript.
Reporting and transparency
Authors should use reporting guidance appropriate to the study design, define specialist abbreviations, report units consistently, describe statistical or computational methods clearly, and distinguish prespecified analyses from exploratory work where relevant.
Revision package
When revision is invited, upload a clean revised manuscript, any requested marked version, and a structured response explaining how each editorial and reviewer point was addressed.