Get your Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies. 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 Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies 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 | Electoral Studies requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract, maximum 250 words. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Abstracts must be able to stand alone. Avoid references and non-standard abbreviations |
| Main text | Original research articles: 8,000-10,000 words. Research notes: 4,000-6,000 words. Notes on new data sets: maximum 4,000 words. Word counts include all text content |
| 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 only if firmly established in the field |
| References | No strict requirements on reference formatting at initial submission. References can be in any style or format as long as the style is consistent. Author names, journal/book titles, year of publication, volume numbers, and pagination must be included where applicable. The journal reference style will be applied to accepted articles at proof stage |
| Peer review | Double anonymized review process (also called double-blind review). Author identities are concealed from reviewers and vice versa. Manuscripts are typically sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/JELST |
Read the Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Electoral Studies 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 Electoral Studies journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Electoral Studies guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.