Condor Template
Get your Condor 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 Condor Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Condor goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Condor 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 Condor Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Condor. 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 Condor journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Condor 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 Condor 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 Condor guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Condor 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 Condor.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Condor 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.
Condor Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Condor requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract with a 300-word limit. Place key results in the abstract's first two sentences. Do not include lists of common methods, discursive explanations of what you set out to accomplish, or citations. Required for: Research Article, Review, Perspective, Insight, Monograph. Not required for: Commentary, Book Review, In Memoriam |
| Main text | Page limits (maximum double-spaced manuscript pages inclusive of title page, body, Literature Cited, excluding figures, tables, and up to 10 pages supplemental material): Research Article: 35 pages; Review: 40 pages; Perspective: 20 pages; Commentary: 15 pages; Insight: 15 pages; Monograph: 60 pages; Book Review: 8 pages; In Memoriam: 8 pages |
| 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 8 keywords ranked in order of primacy. The top 1-2 keywords should appear in the Title and the top 3-5 within the Abstract. Keywords should be provided in alphabetical order after the Abstract with 'Keywords:' in italics. Required for Research Article, Review, Perspective, Insight, Monograph |
| References | Chronological order in-text citations, alphabetical then chronological in Literature Cited section. Format: Darwin and Huxley (1993) or (Darwin and Huxley 1993), (Zar 1973, Giles 1994a, 1994b). Literature Cited section lists references alphabetically and then chronologically. CSE/CBE Manual style for formatting |
| Peer review | Double-anonymized (double-blind) peer review: authors do not know the identity of reviewers; do not know the identity of authors |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/ornithological%20applications/ |
Quick Tips for Using the Condor Template
Read the Condor 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 Condor in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Condor 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 Condor 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 Condor guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
