Contact Template
Get your Contact 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 Contact Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Contact goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Contact 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 Contact Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Contact. 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 Contact journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Contact 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 Contact 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 Contact guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Contact 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 Contact.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Contact 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).
Contact Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Contact requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstract requirements vary by article type. Original Research & Reports: unstructured abstract reflecting Introduction, Results and Discussion, and Materials and Methods sections, 250 words or less. Reviews & Opinions: unstructured abstract, 250 words or less. Short Reviews: unstructured abstract summarizing content and structure. News and Views & Meeting Reports: abstract less than 150 words. For clinical trials, trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at end of abstract |
| Main text | Word limits include abstract and figure legends, but exclude title page, acknowledgements, tables, and references. By article type: Original Research - 9,000 words, 10 figures; Reports - 2,500 words, 3-4 figures; Reviews - no word limit stated, 125 references max; Short Reviews - 2,500 words; Opinions - 3,000 words; News and Views - 1,250 words (max 3 figures); Addenda - 2,000 words; Meeting Reports - 2,000 words. Sections for Original Research & Reports: Introduction, Results and Discussion, Materials and Methods |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 4 keywords required, listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic |
| References | APA reference style. Only published articles (including 'in press'), books, or web resources should be listed. Reference limits by article type: Original Research - 125 references; Reports - no stated limit but briefer than Original Research; Reviews - 125 references maximum; Short Reviews - 65 references; Opinions - 125 references; News and Views - 10 references |
| Peer review | Double anonymized (double-blind). Manuscripts must be fully anonymized with identifying information removed from main manuscript document and included on Title Page instead. Title Page is not sent to peer reviewers |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/contact |
Quick Tips for Using the Contact Template
Read the Contact 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 Contact in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Contact 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 Contact 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 Contact guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
