Developmental Review Template
Get your Developmental Review 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 Developmental Review Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Developmental Review goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Developmental Review 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 Developmental Review Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Developmental Review. 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 Review journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Dev Rev 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 Developmental Review 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 Developmental Review guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Developmental Review 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 the journal's submission system.
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 Dev Rev.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Developmental Review 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 the journal's submission system.
Developmental Review Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Dev Rev requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Concise and factual abstract which does not exceed 250 words. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of your research, principal results and major conclusions. Abstracts must be able to stand alone as abstracts are often presented separately from the article. No structured format or mandatory headings specified |
| Main text | Literature reviews and meta-analyses: no longer than 10,000 words. Theoretical statements: no longer than 4,000 words. Short syntheses: no longer than 4,000 words. Word limit applies to the main text only (excluding title page, abstract, tables, figures, and reference list) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes |
| References | APA style (American Psychological Association, 7th Edition, 2020). Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. Referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind) |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/DEVREV |
Quick Tips for Using the Developmental Review Template
Read the Developmental Review 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 Review in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Dev Rev 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 Review 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 Developmental Review guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
