Get your Criminology and Public Policy paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.3
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Criminology and Public Policy goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Criminology and Public Policy 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 Criminology and Public Policy. 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 Criminology and Public Policy 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 Criminology and Public Policy 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 Criminology and Public Policy 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 the journal's submission system.
| Element | Criminol Public Policy requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | 300 words total, divided into two sections with the headings 'Research Summary' and 'Policy Implications' |
| Main text | No firm page or word limit, but authors are encouraged to limit text to approximately 30 pages double-spaced or around 8,000 words (not including references, footnotes, and tables) |
| 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 relevant to the article |
| References | APA 7th edition (American Psychological Association, 7th edition). Author-date citation style with complete bibliographic entries in a reference list at the end of the paper. Authors should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition, 2020) or consult https://apastyle.apa.org/ |
| Peer review | Single-blind (single-anonymized). Authors must submit an anonymized main document; reviewers know author identities but authors do not know reviewer identities |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/CAPP |
Read the Criminology and Public Policy 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 Criminology and Public Policy in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Criminol Public Policy 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 Criminology and Public Policy journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Criminology and Public Policy guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.