Get your Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance. 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 Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance 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 | Earth System Governance requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract required, maximum 150 words. Must state the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Should stand alone; avoid references unless essential (if included, cite author(s) and year(s)); avoid non-standard abbreviations unless essential (define at first mention) |
| Main text | Research Articles: usually up to 8,000 words (up to 10,000 may be accepted if justified). Review Articles: usually up to 12,000 words. Perspectives: 2,000 to 4,000 words. Commentaries: 1,000 to 2,000 words. Dataset Insights: 3,000 to 5,000 words |
| 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 consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Only use abbreviations if firmly established in the field |
| References | Author-date style. In text: single author by name and year; two authors by both names and year; three or more authors by first author et al. and year. Citations made directly or parenthetically. Reference list arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if necessary |
| Peer review | Double-blind (double anonymized review process). Submissions initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/ESG |
Read the Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Earth System Governance 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 Earth System Governance journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Earth System Governance guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.