How to submit
Read these instructions before you submit. Manuscripts that don't conform to the basic structural requirements are returned without review.
01 · Manuscript types and length
Original research: 4,000–8,000 words including references. Short communications: ≤ 3,000 words. Reviews: 6,000–10,000 words. Policy briefs: 2,000–4,000 words. Word counts include the abstract but exclude tables and figure captions.
02 · Manuscript structure
Title, authors and affiliations, abstract (≤ 250 words), keywords (3–7), introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements, references, and supplementary materials. Conform to the template on file.
03 · Figures and tables
Figures at 300 DPI minimum, embedded in the manuscript and supplied as separate files at submission. Tables in editable form, not as images. Use the colourblind-safe palette in the template.
04 · References and citations
APA 7 author-date style. DOIs included where available. Pre-prints are citable. Personal communications require written confirmation supplied with the submission.
05 · Data availability
Primary data must be deposited in an accredited repository or supplied as supplementary material. A data-availability statement is mandatory. Code, where present, must be supplied in a permanent repository (e.g. Zenodo).
06 · Author contributions
Use CRediT taxonomy. Identify contribution of each author for: conceptualisation, methodology, investigation, formal analysis, writing original, writing review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition.
07 · Cover letter
A one-page cover letter explaining the contribution, suggested editor (if any), suggested reviewers (and reviewers to exclude with reason), and a declaration of conflicts of interest.
08 · Submission checklist
Manuscript file, figure files, supplementary materials, cover letter, author CRediT statement, data availability statement, conflict of interest declaration, copyright and licensing agreement.
09 · Download the manuscript template
The Word template includes all required headings, the citation style, and the colourblind-safe figure palette. Use of the template is mandatory.