Chest Template
Get your Chest paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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How to Use the Chest Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Chest goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Chest 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 template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Chest Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Chest. 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 Chest journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Chest submission:
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 Chest guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
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 Chest guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Chest Template include?
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.
Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The SciSpace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for Chest.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Chest guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through Editorial Manager.
Chest Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Chest requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Original Research: Structured, 300 words maximum. Required headings: Background, Research Question, Study Design and Methods, Results, Interpretation, Clinical Trial Registration (where applicable), Key words, and Abbreviations. CHEST Reviews: Structured, 250 words maximum. Required headings: Topic Importance, Review Findings, and Summary. Systematic Reviews: Structured, 250 words. Required headings: Background, Review Question, Review Methods, Review Findings, and Interpretation. Scoping Reviews: Structured, 250 words. Required headings: Background, Review Question, Review Methods, Review Findings, and Summary |
| Main text | Original Research: 3,200 words maximum, with headings Study Design and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Interpretation (plus no more than 8 subheadings). CHEST Reviews: 3,500 words maximum, with sections Introduction, Literature Search, Evidence Review (with subsections), Future Directions, and Summary. Systematic Reviews: 3,200 words, with sections Introduction (not labeled), Review Methods, Literature Synthesis and Appraisal, Discussion, and Interpretation. Scoping Reviews: 3,200 words, with sections Introduction (not labeled), Review Methods, Review Findings, and Interpretation |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Required and listed in the abstract section as 'Key words: Ideas or topics central to the study.' No specific count or range is stated in the official formatting guides |
| References | AMA Manual of Style (American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors, 11th ed.). References must be given as superscript numerals in text, numbered consecutively in order of appearance, with full citations listed in numerical order. Limit: 50 references for Original Research and Scoping Reviews; 75 references for CHEST Reviews and Systematic Reviews |
| Peer review | Double-blind (also termed double-anonymous). CHEST journal implemented double-blind peer review in July 2022. Reviewers are masked to author identities and vice versa |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/chest |
Quick Tips for Using the Chest Template
Read the Chest 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 Chest in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Chest 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 Chest journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Chest guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
