Writing for American Journal of Clinical Nutrition? This template gives you a submission-ready structure—sections, abstract, and references—so you focus on the research, not the formatting.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This journal specifically expects CRediT author-contribution statements and an AI-use disclosure; build these in from the start. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through Editorial Manager.
| Element | AJCN requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | ≤300 words; Original Research: structured (Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions); Reviews: unstructured; 5-10 keywords required below abstract; trial registration number in abstract if applicable |
| Main text | IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References); double-spaced; continuous line numbering from abstract; CRediT + data sharing plan + AI declaration required |
| Declarations | COI, funding (in Acknowledgments), ethics/IRB, trial registration, data sharing plan, AI use disclosure |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; separate files; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately |
| Submission | editorialmanager.com/ajcn |
Read the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in under a page.
Skim two or three recent AJCN papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.