Get your Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.1
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 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 | Dev Med Child Neurol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for original articles, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews with headings: AIM, METHOD, RESULTS, INTERPRETATION, up to 200 words. Unstructured abstract (without headings) up to 150 words for invited reviews, clinical practice guidelines, and case series. No abstract required for letters to the editor, editorials, and commentaries |
| Main text | Original articles: 3000 words (excluding references). Invited reviews: 3000 words. Clinical practice guidelines: 3000 words. Case series: 1500 words. Letters to the editor: 600 words. Editorials and commentaries: 600 words. Systematic reviews and scoping reviews: as appropriate (no specific limit stated) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | Vancouver style. Original articles, invited reviews, and clinical practice guidelines: maximum 30 references. Systematic reviews and scoping reviews may have more references (no specific limit stated). Case series: maximum 15 references. Commentaries, editorials, and letters to the editor: maximum 5 references |
| Peer review | Peer reviewed; blind model not specified in the official author guidelines |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/DMCN |
Read the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Dev Med Child Neurol 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 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.