eLife Template
Get your eLife 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 eLife Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to eLife goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the eLife 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 eLife Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to eLife. 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 eLife journal page before you draft.
What's actually in an eLife 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 eLife 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 eLife guide for authors before you submit.
What does this eLife 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 eLife.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the eLife 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.
eLife Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | eLife requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The abstract would normally be 150-200 words. Subheadings are discouraged. For medical submissions: structured abstract with subheadings (Background; Methods; Results; Conclusions; Funding; Clinical trial number for trials only), approximately 250 words |
| Main text | Research Articles: no maximum length, but suggested not to exceed 5,000 words in main text (excluding Materials and methods, References, Figure legends). Short Reports: should not usually exceed 1,500 words in main text (excluding Materials and methods, References, Figure legends). Review Articles: no restrictions, but welcome short perspectives of 2-3,000 words or longer scholarly reviews up to 10,000 words. Tools and Resources: follow Research Article or Short Report format as appropriate |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | Any reference style accepted at initial submission (eLife will format during production). APA style is suggested as the best match for eLife reference style, but not required |
| Peer review | Open/transparent peer review. Public reviews are posted alongside preprints and signed by eLife as an organization (not by individual reviewers). are revealed to one another during the review process, making it more transparent than single-blind review. Reviewers have the option to be named to authors after peer review |
| Submission | elifesciences.org/submit/ |
Quick Tips for Using the eLife Template
Read the eLife 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 eLife in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent eLife 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 eLife 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 eLife guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
