Preparing Your Manuscript
European Journal of Applied Sciences
Preparing Your Manuscript
Structure, title page, abstract, sections, units, statistics, figures, tables, references and declarations.
This guide explains how to prepare each part of your manuscript so that it can be reviewed and published efficiently. It follows practice recommended by leading open-access publishers and by the reporting and integrity standards recognised across the applied and natural sciences. Following it closely improves the clarity of your work, speeds up review and reduces the chance of your manuscript being returned before assessment.
Before you start
Confirm that your manuscript fits the journal’s Aims & Scope; that it is original and neither published nor under consideration elsewhere; that all authors have approved it; and that you can provide the declarations described in Ethics and Disclosures. Prepare your manuscript with the EJAS template and the required citation style. Assemble your files as a single editable manuscript (text, references, tables and figure captions) with figures supplied either in the manuscript for review or as separate high-resolution files, plus any supplementary material.
Templates & downloads
Prepare your manuscript using the Scholar Publishing template, and use the EndNote output style for the numbered reference format:
Language and writing style
Write in clear, correct and concise English, using either British or American spelling consistently throughout. Prefer plain, direct sentences; use the active voice where it aids clarity; and keep paragraphs focused on a single idea. Define every abbreviation at first use and use it consistently thereafter. Avoid unnecessary jargon, and use accurate, respectful and inclusive language when describing people, groups, populations and study samples. If English is not your first language, consider professional language editing before submission; language quality does not affect the editorial decision, which is based on the scientific merit of the work.
File format and general layout
Prepare the manuscript in an editable word-processing format:
| ▸ | Submit an editable file — Microsoft Word (.docx) is recommended; the system also accepts OpenOffice and RTF. Do not submit the main text as a PDF or as images of text. |
| ▸ | Use a single-column layout, a standard readable font (for example 12-point), and 1.5 or double line spacing. |
| ▸ | Insert continuous line numbers and page numbers to help reviewers refer to specific points. |
| ▸ | Keep formatting simple: most layout is applied during typesetting. Use the word processor’s styles for headings rather than manual formatting. |
| ▸ | Use SI units throughout, and enter mathematics with the equation editor (not as images). |
Manuscript structure at a glance
Assemble the manuscript in the following order. Each element is described in detail below.
| ▸ | Title page (title, authors, affiliations, ORCID iDs, corresponding author) |
| ▸ | Abstract and keywords |
| ▸ | Main text (Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusions) |
| ▸ | Declarations and back matter (ethics, data, conflicts, funding, contributions, acknowledgements, AI use) |
| ▸ | References |
| ▸ | Tables (each with a caption) |
| ▸ | Figure legends, and figures (in the manuscript or as separate files) |
| ▸ | Supplementary material (if any) |
Title page
The title page should contain:
| ▸ | Title — concise, specific and informative, conveying the subject and, where helpful, the approach; avoid abbreviations, formulae and phrases such as “a study of”. |
| ▸ | Running title — a short version of the title (for example up to 60 characters) for page headers, if required. |
| ▸ | Authors — the full first and last name of each author, in the agreed order, with a superscript marker linking each to an affiliation. |
| ▸ | Affiliations — the institution, city and country for each author at the time the work was carried out; note any present address separately. |
| ▸ | ORCID iD for each author (required for the corresponding author; strongly encouraged for all). |
| ▸ | Corresponding author — clearly identified, with a current email address; handles communication on behalf of all co-authors. |
Because review is single-blind, you do not need to prepare an anonymised manuscript; author details remain in the manuscript.
Abstract
Provide a self-contained abstract of about 150–250 words that can be read and understood on its own. It should briefly state the purpose or research question, the methods, the principal results (with key quantitative findings where possible) and the main conclusion and its significance. Do not include citations, undefined abbreviations, or figures and tables. Some article types may use a structured abstract with labelled sections; use this format where it suits your study.
Keywords
Supply 4–6 keywords that describe the content for indexing and discovery. Choose established terms from your field, avoid simply repeating words already in the title, and separate the keywords with commas.
Main text
Empirical papers should normally follow the IMRaD structure. Use numbered headings (for example 1, 1.1, 1.1.1) to a maximum of three levels. Reviews, methodological papers and other article types may adapt this structure to suit their content.
Introduction
Set out the background and rationale, drawing on the relevant literature without attempting an exhaustive review. Identify the gap, problem or question the study addresses, state the aim, objectives or hypotheses, and make clear the contribution and significance of the work.
Materials and Methods
Describe what you did in enough detail for a competent researcher to evaluate and, where relevant, reproduce the work. Report the study design; the participants, materials, organisms, samples or datasets; the equipment and reagents (with supplier and, where relevant, model or catalogue details); and the procedures followed. Specify the software used, with versions, and describe the analytical approach. Where an ethics, safety or biosafety approval applies, state the approving body and reference number, and cross-refer to Ethics and Disclosures. Use subheadings to organise complex methods, and cite any established protocols you followed.
Statistics and data analysis
Report the statistical methods clearly: the tests used and why they are appropriate, any assumptions checked, the significance threshold, and how results are expressed. Give exact p-values where possible, report effect sizes with measures of uncertainty (such as confidence intervals), and state the sample size and, where relevant, how it was determined. Describe how missing data and outliers were handled. Name the statistical software and version.
Results
Present the findings in a logical order, using text supported by tables and figures. Do not duplicate the same data in both a table and a figure, and do not repeat extensively in the text what is already clear from a display item. Report results objectively, including negative or unexpected findings, and reserve interpretation for the Discussion.
Discussion
Interpret the results in the context of the research question and the existing literature, without restating the results in full. Explain what the findings mean, how they relate to and extend previous work, and their theoretical, practical, environmental or policy implications. State the limitations of the study honestly, and avoid claims that the data do not support.
Conclusions
Provide a concise conclusion that captures the main message of the work and, where appropriate, its implications and directions for future research. Conclusions may form the final part of the Discussion or a separate short section.
Abbreviations, units, nomenclature and equations
Consistent, standard notation helps readers and indexers:
| ▸ | Define each abbreviation at first use; if you use many, consider a short list of abbreviations. Do not use non-standard abbreviations in the title or abstract. |
| ▸ | Use SI units throughout, giving other units in parentheses where helpful. |
| ▸ | Follow standard scientific nomenclature: IUPAC conventions for chemical names and units; full binomial names for organisms (italicised, genus in full at first mention and abbreviated thereafter); recognised conventions for genes, proteins and sequences; and International Non-proprietary Names for drugs. |
| ▸ | Prepare equations with the equation editor or MathType, number them consecutively in parentheses, and set variables in italic and vectors and matrices in bold as appropriate. |
Reporting standards and study registration
Where an established reporting guideline applies to your design, follow it and cite it in the Methods — for example PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, ARRIVE for research involving animals, CONSORT for randomised controlled trials, and STROBE for observational studies. Register clinical trials and, where appropriate, systematic-review protocols in a recognised registry, and give the registration details.
Tables
Prepare tables so that they are clear and editable:
| ▸ | Create each table with the word processor’s table function; do not paste tables as images or embedded spreadsheets. |
| ▸ | Number tables consecutively in the order they are first cited in the text, and cite each table in the text. |
| ▸ | Give each table a concise descriptive caption above the table, and define any abbreviations in footnotes below it (using superscript lower-case letters). |
| ▸ | Keep tables simple; state units in the column headings; and avoid duplicating material shown in figures. |
Figures and image integrity
Well-prepared figures are essential to a clear article:
| ▸ | Number figures consecutively in order of citation and cite each in the text; supply a caption for every figure in a list of figure legends. |
| ▸ | Supply figures in a high-resolution format suitable for publication — vector formats (EPS, PDF) for line art and charts, and TIFF or high-resolution PNG/JPEG for photographs; embed any fonts. |
| ▸ | As a guide, provide line art at around 1000–1200 dpi, photographic (halftone) images at least 300 dpi, and combination images at least 500–600 dpi, sized to fit one or two columns. |
| ▸ | Label multi-part figures with lower-case letters (a, b, c), ensure text within figures is legible at final size, and use colour-blind-friendly palettes with sufficient contrast. |
| ▸ | Image integrity: figures must reflect the original data. Do not add, move, obscure, enhance or remove any feature. Adjustments to brightness, contrast or colour balance must be applied to the whole image and must not obscure information; where images are combined, make the divisions explicit and describe the processing in the Methods. |
Supplementary and multimedia material
You may provide supplementary files that support but are not essential to understanding the main article — for example additional tables and figures, protocols, questionnaires, code, or video and audio. Cite each item in the text (for example “Supplementary Table S1”), give each a short title and caption, and supply it in a widely supported format. Research data and code should be shared in a repository as described in Ethics and Disclosures rather than only as supplementary files, wherever possible.
References and citations
Cite the literature accurately and completely:
| ▸ | Use the journal’s required citation style. The current guidance and template use a numbered style, in which references are cited in the text by number in square brackets in order of appearance (for example “as reported previously [5]” or “[1–3, 7]”) and listed consecutively in the order cited. |
| ▸ | Include a DOI, as a full https://doi.org/ link, for every source that has one. |
| ▸ | Cite only works that are published or accepted for publication; cite personal communications and unpublished data in the text only, not in the reference list. |
| ▸ | Use a reference manager to ensure accuracy and consistency; authors are responsible for the correctness of all references. |
| ▸ | Cite datasets, software and preprints where you have used them, and avoid excessive or inappropriate self-citation. |
Declarations and back matter
Place the following declarations after the main text and before the references, stating “None” or “Not applicable” where appropriate but omitting none. Full guidance is given on the Ethics and Disclosures page.
| ▸ | Ethics approval, consent and safety — approvals and consents for human, animal, field, biosafety or dual-use aspects, with the approving body and reference number. |
| ▸ | Consent to publish — for any identifiable individual. |
| ▸ | Data and code availability — whether and how the supporting data and code can be accessed. |
| ▸ | Conflicts of interest — financial and non-financial competing interests, or a statement that none exists. |
| ▸ | Funding — all sources, with grant numbers, or a statement that no specific funding was received. |
| ▸ | Author contributions — using the CRediT taxonomy. |
| ▸ | Use of generative AI — any substantive use, naming the tool and version. |
| ▸ | Acknowledgements — non-author contributions (optional). |
| ▸ | Preprint — details of any preprint of the work. |
Author biographies and ORCID
Provide an ORCID iD for the corresponding author and, ideally, for all authors. Short author biographies may optionally be included.
Final checks before submission
Before you submit, run through the Submission Checklist to confirm that your manuscript is complete, correctly formatted and accompanied by all declarations, and that every table, figure and reference is cited and consistent.
