Get your Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 | Drug Alcohol Dependence requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Two formats accepted: (1) General abstract: max 250 words, concise and factual, stating purpose, principal results, and major conclusions. (2) Structured abstract: with appropriate headings (specific headings not mandated but should provide context/background, purpose, basic procedures/methods, main findings with effect sizes and statistical significance if possible, and principal conclusions), no specific word limit stated in structured section but 250-word limit from general abstract section likely applies |
| Main text | Full-length Reports: max 4000 words for introduction, methods, results, and discussion (excludes references, tables, figures). Review Articles: max 6000 words for main body (excludes references, tables, figures); longer reviews require Editor-in-Chief approval. Short Communications: max 2000 words plus references and illustrations, max 2 illustrations |
| 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 required for indexing purposes. Should be written in English. Avoid keywords with multiple words using 'and' or 'of'. Use abbreviations only if firmly established in the field |
| References | Author-date style (Harvard-like format). In-text: single author by name and year; two authors both names and year; three or more first author et al. and year. Reference list arranged alphabetically then chronologically. Journal names abbreviated per LTWA. Format: Author(s), Year. Title. Journal abbreviation Volume, pages. DOI |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind review). Submissions initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment. Authors can see reviewers remain anonymous |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/DAD |
Read the Drug and Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Drug Alcohol Dependence 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 Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Drug and Alcohol Dependence guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.