Get your Environment and Planning A 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 11 August, 2026
Submitting to Environment and Planning A goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Environment and Planning A 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 Planning A. 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 Planning A 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 Planning A 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 Planning A 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 Planning A requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of 250 words maximum. For research articles including clinical trials, trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract |
| Main text | Original Manuscripts: 7000 to 9500 words including all text (abstract, title page, keywords, acknowledgements, references, appendices) and visual aids (calculated as 500 words per journal page, e.g., half-page figure = 250 words). Commentaries: 1000 to 3000 words including everything. Exchanges: 2500 to 4500 words including everything |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 3 keywords, listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic |
| References | Sage Harvard reference style |
| Peer review | Double anonymized (double-blind) |
| Submission | mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/epa |
Read the Environment and Planning A 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 Planning A in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Environ Planning A 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 Planning A journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Environment and Planning A guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).