Get your Developmental Neurobiology 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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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Developmental Neurobiology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Developmental Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology. 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 Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract required, maximum 250 words. Single paragraph that states the principal results and conclusions. All contribution types (Research Articles, Review Articles, Technical Reports) require a 250-word abstract. The Abstract should include relevant keywords and must be understandable without reference to the text |
| Main text | Research Articles: Follow IMRaD guidelines with sections in order: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion. No specific word/page limit stated for Research Articles. Review Articles: Typically about 3000 words, not including the 250-word abstract, references, figures, and tables. Technical Reports also accepted (no specific length mentioned) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Five to seven keywords required |
| References | APA style (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition). Author-date method in text citations (e.g., Jones, 1998). Complete reference list alphabetically by name at end of paper. Free format submission accepted at initial submission; references formatted by typesetter during production |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/DNEU |
Read the Developmental Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Dev Neurobiology 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 Neurobiology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Developmental Neurobiology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.