Formatting manuscripts text messages manual#

Authors need to ensure that the study is novel and of value to the field, the text is grammatically accurate, ideas flow logically, the paper meets the stipulated word count limit, and at least the references are structured in the format prescribed by the target journal. A reviewer will notice that a table or figure is missing or that a figure or table is not cited in text. Authors of manuscripts are primarily researchers and they need to focus on the issues that journals really care about-clarity, novelty, language, compliance with publishing ethics, and a few basic requirements of formatting. Based on my experience in editing and formatting manuscripts for authors, I am inclined toward the latter that journals now need to reconsider the importance they place on style guides and formatting when soliciting contributions from authors.

The question that then arises is whether journals’ focus on manuscript format is misplaced and whether they should instead direct their attention to the quality of science in a manuscript. Authors spend much time and effort in formatting their papers before submitting them to journals, but journals are known to reject more papers than accept them and authors have to put in an equal amount of time and effort, if not more, to format the paper following the instructions of a different journal.Īlthough standard formats, such as CMS, do make it slightly easier for editors and reviewers to see all manuscripts in a consistent style, the advantages style guides/formatting guidelines offer are limited. While journals might not reject manuscripts exclusively over matters of style, most journals give a lot of weightage to such matters.

Formatting manuscripts text messages manual#

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is a good example of a style guide that lays down recommendations for every aspect of manuscript preparation, from capitalization of specific nouns to specifying date formats. Formatting guidelines are intended to help maintain consistency in aspects such as spelling or punctuation and to present data clearly (e.g., reference lists). These guidelines range from basic instructions on paper size and language style to exhaustive guidelines on formatting manuscript sections, presenting data, or citing sources. As an academic copyeditor who helps authors prepare journal-ready manuscripts on a daily basis, I work on a number of manuscripts that need to be formatted as per guidelines stipulated by a journal.