Greetings, this is Emily, and I'd like to welcome you to this uni-edit video.
Does the journal need my paper formatted in a special way?
Most journals have strict formatting requirements
Journal papers need to be styled and formatted in specific ways to meet the
strict formatting guidelines of journals. Each journal has their own formatting
requirements some families of journals have similar formatting requirements for
all the journals in that family. Some publishers even have their own
formatting requirement for most journals that they publish. Two aspects:
presentation and style
The formatting guidelines for a journal can be broken
down into two parts: presentation and style.
Combined, these guidelines help the editorial team of the journal maintain a
consistent formatting style throughout their journal, present peer reviews with
readable products, and simplify the proofreading and copy editing stages
once papers become accepted.
Presentation guidelines
Presentation guidelines refer to the way the paper is visually presented to
the reader, including line spacing, line and page numbering, font size, and margins.
These aspects give the journal a unique look and feel.
Style guidelines
Style guidelines refer to the stylistic aesthetic of the journal and include the
format of the abstract, i.e. numbered paragraphs or single paragraph,
figure and table layout and caption placements, figure size and quality, and
referencing and citation styles. These aspects are for consistency to improve
the reading experience what does the author need to do.
As an author, you need to find the author's instructions for formatting
your paper before you submit the paper. Many aspects of the formatting and
presentation are the responsibility of the authors. Some aspects however will be
handled by the journal after the paper is accepted.
Practical example for Life Sciences
Within the life sciences, formatting guidelines vary among journals: some
journals require continuous line numbering, while others prohibit the use
of footnotes. Typically, formatting guidelines are endemic to the publishing
company. For example, British Ecological Society journals promote their own style
and presentation that is consistent across all of their journals.
Other publishing companies and journals will use their preferred formatting
guides and styles. The most varied aspect of formatting journals is the in-text
referencing style. Journals adhere to their chosen referencing style, e.g. APA
or Harvard and have specific guidelines on the presentation of cited works.
For example, functional ecology has quite the detailed referencing
guidelines. In contrast, the ecology journal, Oikos, is less strict about
in-text style and only provides brief details. When the journal states no
specific guidelines, as long as authors choose a consistent style, they can use
their best judgment and discretion.
Practical example for Social Sciences
Within the social sciences, there tend to be strict style guidelines that are
adhered to by the journals. For example, Psychology and Social Work journals
typically use APA style, the guidelines for which are outlined by the APA style
Manual 6th edition.
Other popular styles are AMA Harvard and Vancouver.
While APA
is most common it is advisable to check the guidelines for the individual
journal to check for style specifications, and some journals have
specific individual formatting requirements.
Once again, this is Emily from uni-edit. I hope you have a wonderful day.