Ecology and Society Template
Get your Ecology and Society 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 Ecology and Society Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Ecology and Society goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Ecology and Society 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 Ecology and Society Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Ecology and Society. 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 Ecology and Society journal page before you draft.
What's actually in an Ecol Soc 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 Ecology and Society 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 Ecology and Society guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Ecology and Society 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 Ecol Soc.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Ecology and Society 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.
Ecology and Society Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Ecol Soc requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstracts should generally be fewer than 300 words. They should not contain citations. Avoid abbreviations – if abbreviations are used they must be spelled out at first instance. The guide does not specify structured vs unstructured or mandate specific headings |
| Main text | Research Articles: core article recommended not to exceed 5000 words (longer articles incur extra word fees); Insights: encouraged not to exceed 3000 words; Synthesis: should not exceed 7000 words maximum (articles over 5000 words incur extra word fees). Word counts are based on the abstract and main text only |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | List keywords alphabetically; separate each keyword with a semicolon. The guide does not specify a required count, range, or whether they are optional, but they are collected during initial submission (Step 3) |
| References | Harvard Referencing System (name-year, author-date): references should be alphabetized by author. In-text citations include author surname and year (Smith 2000). For initial submission, references should adhere to the name-year (Harvard) system; if the paper is accepted, authors must format according to journal specifications |
| Peer review | Double-blind: authors are not told who reviewed their paper and reviewers are not told who wrote the paper. Peer reviewers are informed of the identity of the authors after the manuscript is either accepted or rejected |
| Submission | ecologyandsociety.org/sign-in |
Quick Tips for Using the Ecology and Society Template
Read the Ecology and Society 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 Ecology and Society in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Ecol Soc 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 Ecology and Society 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 Ecology and Society guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
