Get your Current Opinion in Plant Biology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.9
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Current Opinion in Plant Biology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Current Opinion in Plant Biology 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology 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 (invitation-only).
| Element | Current Opinion Plant Biol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract required, maximum 250 words. The abstract should be concise and factual, briefly stating the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Must be able to stand alone. Avoid references unless essential (cite author(s) and year(s) if included). Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations (define at first mention if essential) |
| Main text | Review Articles: approximately 2000 words (excluding abstract, references and figure captions). No more than 4 tables or figures (include at least one figure to summarize main concepts). No more than 5 authors. Submissions are by invitation only |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Required: 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Use abbreviations only if firmly established in the field |
| References | Vancouver referencing style (numbered references in square brackets). Maximum 50 references. At least 10% must be annotated as papers of special interest (*) or outstanding interest (**) from the past 2 years, with brief descriptions of major findings and importance. Self-citations should not exceed 20% of total references. First 6 authors listed followed by 'et al.' for more than 6 authors. Abbreviate journal names according to List of Title Word Abbreviations (LTWA) |
| Peer review | Single-blind/single-anonymous review process. Submissions are initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to a minimum of one reviewer for independent expert assessment of scientific quality. Final decision made by editors |
| Submission | Invitation-only / commissioned; details provided to invited authors |
Read the Current Opinion in Plant Biology 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Current Opinion Plant Biol 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 Current Opinion in Plant Biology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Current Opinion in Plant Biology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal (invitation-only).