Get your Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 | Early Child Res Quarterly requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract not exceeding 250 words. The abstract should briefly state 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 needed); avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations (define if essential). Same requirements apply to all article types (empirical research reports and meta-analyses) |
| Main text | All papers (including meta-analyses) should not exceed 40 double-spaced pages including references, figures and tables. Highly technical or detailed materials may be included in appendices or as supplemental materials online only. Divide manuscript into clearly defined sections using headings. Journal uses APA Style as detailed in APA Publications Manual, 7th Ed |
| 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. Keywords should be written in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Use abbreviations in keywords only if firmly established in the field |
| References | APA (American Psychological Association) style. Citations follow the referencing style in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020). Reference list arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. Multiple references from same author(s) in same year identified by letters 'a', 'b', 'c' after year |
| Peer review | Double-blind / Double-anonymous. Author identities are concealed from reviewers and vice versa. Manuscripts initially assessed by editors for suitability, then sent to minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment if deemed suitable. Final decision made by editors |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/ECRQ |
Read the Early Childhood Research Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Early Child Res Quarterly 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 Early Childhood Research Quarterly journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Early Childhood Research Quarterly guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.