Climate Services Template
Get your Climate Services 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 Climate Services Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Climate Services goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Climate Services 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 Climate Services Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Climate Services. 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 Climate Services journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Clim Serv 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 Climate Services 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 Climate Services guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Climate Services 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 the journal's submission system.
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 Clim Serv.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Climate Services 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 the journal's submission system.
Climate Services Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Clim Serv requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract, maximum 250 words. Must be concise and factual, stating the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Abstracts must stand alone; avoid references and non-standard abbreviations. For Research Papers and Case Studies, a Practical Implications chapter (max. 1,200 words excluding references) must be integrated directly after the Abstract |
| Main text | Research Papers: max. 8,000 words (excluding references) plus Practical Implications chapter (max. 1,200 words excluding references). Review Articles: up to 12,000 words (excluding references). Perspectives: max. 8,000 words (excluding references). Case Studies: max. 8,000 words plus Practical Implications chapter (max. 1,200 words excluding references). Short Communications: less than 4,000 words (excluding references) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 1 to 7 keywords required for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Only use abbreviations in keywords if they are firmly established in the field |
| References | Author-date citation style (Harvard style). In-text citations: single author (name, year), two authors (both names, year), three or more (first author et al., year). Reference list arranged alphabetically then chronologically. Journal names abbreviated according to LTWA (List of Title Word Abbreviations). References include DOIs where available |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized review process (single-blind). Submissions are initially assessed by editors, then typically sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment of scientific quality. Editors make final decisions on acceptance or rejection |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/CLISER |
Quick Tips for Using the Climate Services Template
Read the Climate Services 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 Climate Services in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Clim Serv 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 Climate Services 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 Climate Services guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
