Guidelines for preparing a Manuscript

Note: This draft version 0 is applicable since 01/01/2015 and until 14/09/2017, pending approval by the Board of Directors and the General Assembly. Next version.

  1. When you are ready to start, use our Guide to writing science in non-scientific language (pdf).
  2. The Manuscript must meet the Minimal requirements upon submission.
  3. It is the responsibility of the authors to make sure the Manuscript meets the Peer-Review Evaluation Criteria.
  4. It is generally expected that the first author has scientific expertise in the area of the manuscript.
  5. The Manuscript must be self-contained. All scientific concepts should be sufficiently explained in the text of the Manuscript so to allow the reader to apply critical thinking about its content.
  6. The content of the Manuscript must be based upon published peer-reviewed scientific literature and references to the primary sources must be provided throughout the manuscript.
  7. The Manuscript must be written from a perspective transmitting knowledge to the reader.
  8. Manuscripts are classified as either Introductory, General or Focus, depending on their level and scope. Introductory Manuscripts should provide the starting place for beginners on a given topic. General Manuscripts should provide a general introduction to an area and should be of easy access to the general reader. Focus Manuscripts provide more details on the state-of-the-art but with a narrower focus. They should be easily accessible for readers who have already read a General Article on the topic.
  9. Manuscripts must follow the following general structure:
    1. Title
    2. Questions being addressed in the Manuscript (maximum 3)
    3. Authors, contact details and affiliations
    4. Abstract (maximum 200 words)
    5. Keywords for Subject Area(s) and Geographical Sector(s) pertaining to the Manuscript
    6. Body (max. 2500 words, equivalent to about 5 pages)
    7. Bibliography (generated automatically).
  10. Illustrations, tables, equations and graphics:
    • Scientific graphics, tables and equations are not allowed.
    • Pictures (photographs, movies or illustrations) are allowed when they provide information that could hardly be written in words. A Manuscript should not contain more than 3 pictures. See Textual and visual conventions for more details.
    • The total size of picture files must be kept under 10 MB for each Manuscript.
  11. Footnotes are to be avoided as they tend to disrupt the flow of the text. If absolutely necessary, they must be introduced in the text using the syntax given in Textual and visual conventions.
  12. References, citations and the bibliography table must be introduced in the text using the syntax described in How to handle references and citations.
  13. Headings must be used for all important sections. Headings for sub-sections are recommended when they help picture the general structure of the text. No headings should be used for sub-sub-sections. Headings are not numbered. See Textual and visual conventions for more details.
  14. Conventions for units, dates, capitalization, etc are described in Textual and visual conventions.
  15. Manuscripts must be submitted in digital format using the appropriate Submission form.
  16. At the exception of Paraphrased Manuscripts, it is required to provide details for 3 potential scientific referees. Ideally, suggested reviewers should be scientists who are not closely associated (i.e. at different institutes and who have not collaborated significantly in the past research) with any of the authors. Should this not be the case, please indicate this. In any case, all suggested reviewers should be able to offer fair and impartial reviews of the material being submitted.
  17. For Paraphrased Manuscripts who are authored by one of the main authors of the original scientific paper, no scientific referees are required. In the other cases of Paraphrased Manuscripts, it is advised when possible to propose referees that are main authors of the original scientific paper.

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