EMBO Reports Template
Get your EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to EMBO Reports goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to EMBO Reports. 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 EMBO Reports journal page before you draft.
What's actually in an EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports guide for authors before you submit.
What does this EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the EMBO Reports 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.
EMBO Reports Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | EMBO Reports requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured (single paragraph) not exceeding 175 words. It should describe all key novel findings of the study and be comprehensible to readers before they have read the paper. Reference citations within the abstract are not permitted and abbreviations should be avoided where possible. For Reports: Abstracts should be accessible to readers outside the discipline |
| Main text | Research Article: no strict format limitations, usually include up to 10 main figures. Report: limited to 25,000 characters (excluding spaces, methods, figure legends and references), with up to 5 figures or tables. Exploratory Report: up to 3,000 words, 3 figures. Review: usually 4,000 to 6,000 words, with up to four figures. Perspective: up to 5,000 words, 4 figures, and 50 references. Comment: typically 3 to 4 pages, up to 25 references, and one figure. Correspondence: must not exceed 900 words, up to 5 references. Opinion: must not exceed 1,600 words including references and affiliation, with one optional figure. News & Views: up to 9,000 characters, 10 references, one figure. Science & Society: should not exceed 3,500 words and 15 references |
| 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 | Harvard style (author-date). In-text citations listed alphabetically by first author's last name in the Reference section. Journal names abbreviated according to Index Medicus and italicized. Where there are more than 10 authors on a paper, 10 will be listed, followed by 'et al.' |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous (default) or double-anonymous (optional). Single-anonymous: reviewers are aware of author names and affiliations, but reviewer reports are anonymous unless a reviewer chooses to identify themselves. Double-anonymous: available on request during submission; authors must anonymize their manuscript. Transparent process: all accepted manuscripts publish a Review Process File with all reviewer comments, author responses, and editorial correspondence (reviewer identities remain anonymous) |
| Submission | embor.msubmit.net/submit |
Quick Tips for Using the EMBO Reports Template
Read the EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports 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 EMBO Reports guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
