Get your Circulation Journal 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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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Circulation Journal goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Circulation Journal 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.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Circulation Journal. 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 Circulation 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 Circulation Journal 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 Circulation Journal 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Circ J requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | For Clinical Investigation and Experimental Investigation articles: - Structured abstract with 3 mandatory headings: (1) Background: Rationale for study; (2) Method and Results: Brief presentation of methods and presentation of significant results (both categories under one heading); (3) Conclusions: Succinct statement of data interpretation - Maximum 220 words For Research Letter: - Structured abstract with same 3 headings - Maximum 100 words For Review Article (Invited): - Unstructured abstract - Maximum 220 words For Images in Cardiovascular Medicine, Letter to the Editor, and Editorial: No abstract required (N/A) |
| Main text | By article type: - Clinical Investigation: ≤6000 words total (excluding text in tables/figures; legends included in word count) - Experimental Investigation: ≤6000 words total - Research Letter: ≤1000 words total - Images in Cardiovascular Medicine: ≤400 words total - Review Article (Invited): ≤6000 words total - Letter to the Editor: ≤400 words total - Editorial (Invited): ≤1500 words total |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 3-5 keywords required for Clinical Investigation, Experimental Investigation, and Research Letter article types. Other article types (Images in Cardiovascular Medicine, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial) do not specify keyword requirements in the table |
| References | References must be numbered consecutively as they appear in the text, and listed in the same numerical order at the end. They should accord with the system used in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (Vancouver style). Journal titles should be abbreviated to Index Medicus style. List all authors when 6 or fewer; for 7 or more, list first 6 authors followed by "et al." |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review process, where the reviewers' identities remain anonymous to the authors |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cj |
Read the Circulation Journal 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 Circulation Journal in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Circ J 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 Circulation Journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Circulation Journal guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).