Clinical Chemistry Template
Get your Clinical Chemistry 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 Clinical Chemistry Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Clinical Chemistry goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Clinical Chemistry 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 Clinical Chemistry Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Clinical Chemistry. 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 Clinical Chemistry journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Clin Chem 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 Clinical Chemistry 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 Clinical Chemistry guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Clinical Chemistry 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
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 Clin Chem.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Clinical Chemistry 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
Clinical Chemistry Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Clin Chem requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Articles: Structured abstract limited to 250 words with headings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Comprehensive Review & Mini-Review: Structured abstract limited to 250 words with headings: Background, Content, Summary. Special Reports: Structured or unstructured abstract limited to 250 words. Clinical Case Study, Commentary, Editorial, Letter to the Editor, Reply, Opinion, Perspective, Point/Counterpoint, and Reflection: No abstract required |
| Main text | Articles: 3,500 words. Comprehensive Review: 5,000 words. Mini-Review: 3,500 words. Special Report: 5,000 words. Clinical Case Study: 1,500 words total (1,000 for case description + 500 for case discussion). Editorial: 1,500 words. Letter to the Editor/Reply: 750 words. Opinion: 1,500 words. Perspective: 1,500 words. Point/Counterpoint: 1,500 words. Reflection: 2,000 words. Commentary: 300 words. Word limits exclude title page, abstract, acknowledgments, references, tables, figure legends, and figures |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Keywords are listed as a required element on the title page. No specific number, format, or source (e.g., MeSH) is specified in the author guidelines |
| References | Numbered style (Vancouver-like). Journal article format: Author(s). Title. Journal abbreviation Year;Volume:Pages. List all authors if 7 or fewer; for more than 7, list first 6 followed by 'et al.' Journal names should be abbreviated per Index Medicus/PubMed standards. Examples provided: 'Vermeersch P, Mariën G, Bossuyt X. A case of pseudoparaproteinemia on capillary zone electrophoresis caused by geloplasma. Clin Chem 2006;52:2309-11.' References are numbered consecutively in order of citation |
| Peer review | Single-blind (single-anonymous): reviewers know authors' identities, but authors do not know reviewers' identities |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/clinchem |
Quick Tips for Using the Clinical Chemistry Template
Read the Clinical Chemistry 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 Clinical Chemistry in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Clin Chem 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 Clinical Chemistry 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 Clinical Chemistry guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
