Get your Environment and Behavior paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.2
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Environment and Behavior goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Environment and Behavior 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 Environment and Behavior. 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 Environment and Behavior 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 Environment and Behavior 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 Environment and Behavior 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Environ Behav requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of 100-150 words. The abstract should concisely state the purpose of the research, major findings, and conclusions. If research includes clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. No structured format or specific headings are required for any article type |
| Main text | Original Manuscripts/Research Articles: approximately 25 double-spaced pages and no more than 8,500 words (not including references, tables, or figures). General guidance states 'Most articles should be 25 or fewer pages of text, exclusive of cover pages, references, tables, and figures.' Review articles: word/page limits not explicitly stated in the guidelines |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 4-5 keywords minimum. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic. No specific requirement for MeSH terms or indication of editor-assigned keywords |
| References | APA (American Psychological Association) reference style, 7th edition. The journal follows the APA reference style throughout the publication process |
| Peer review | Double-anonymized (also called double-blind). The journal adheres to a rigorous double-anonymized reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties. Two independent reviews are required for a manuscript to reach a Revise or Accept decision |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/eb |
Read the Environment and Behavior 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 Environment and Behavior in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Environ Behav 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 Environment and Behavior journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Environment and Behavior guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).