When you submit an article to any journal, it is integral to follow a set of rules to meet the requirements of the journal. This will expedite the process of submission. Also, it will ease the editing process, since the editors will not have to complete multiple rounds of editing and formatting.

Formatting is how your manuscript looks and reads. As an author, when you format your manuscript, you may wish to include the materials that the journal demands in order to avoid rewriting or adding content at a later stage.

Why Is Formatting Important?

The time is greatly reduced when your manuscript is formatted properly according to the specifications of the desired journal. When the information on the title page, the structure of the abstract, and references do not match the journal-formatting criteria, the manuscript is usually returned to the author.

This will need to be reviewed, and this might add weeks to the overall process between manuscript submission and ultimate publication.

How Do You Format Your Manuscript?

Identifying the desired journal is the first step before writing your manuscript. Performing preliminary research will ensure that you don’t waste your time and do not have to reformat the manuscript after it is written. Each publishing house follows its own set of rules and regulations for formatting the content. Their requirements may vary from one journal to another.

If a journal does not mention any particular requirements, it is best to maintain consistency in language and style throughout your article. Generally accepted standards include size 12 font, Times New Roman, a one-inch margin, double-spaced formatting, and always providing a half-inch indentation at the beginning of a paragraph.

Adhere to the following structure and components:

1. Title– It should be concise and convey the main topic, as well as emphasize the key area of your research.
2. Introduction– It should hold your study’s background data with proper citations.
3. Materials and Methods– It should inform the readers about the research you have carried out, describing the methods used in your study. Always use past tense, appropriate subheadings, and provide all facts and statistical data.
4. Results– Be sure all the results of your study are listed out in a logical order and accommodate what you have learned in the study.
5. Discussions and Conclusions- It should talk about the result of your study and what can be inferred from it.
6. Abstract and Keywords– It should explain what has been done in the study and the reasons for conducting it. 

What Should You Check Before Submitting Your Manuscript?

Perform the following checks before submission:

1. Manuscripts are within the given character limits.
2. Counter-checks all of the required sections.
3. Maintain consistency and adhere to the required language (UK or US) in your manuscript.
4. Add all graphs and figures.
5. Review your manuscript to ensure that you have followed the guidelines.

Lapiz works closely with authors and publishers and assists them with a variety of formatting requirements.