Get your European Respiratory Journal 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 European Respiratory Journal goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the European Respiratory Journal 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 European Respiratory Journal. 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 European Respiratory 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 European Respiratory Journal 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 European Respiratory Journal 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 | European Respir J requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Original research articles, Review articles, ERS guidelines, Other task force reports, consensus statements and technical standards: 250 words maximum. For Original research articles: abstract should have four separate paragraphs corresponding to: the question addressed by the study; materials/patients and methods; results; and the answer to the question. One or two sentences of background information can be included in the opening paragraph if necessary. Include only the most important numbers and results, and avoid using abbreviations. Research letters, Correspondence, Editorials, ERJ Viewpoint, ERJ Methods, and ERJ Advances: No abstract required. Note: ERJ adopts a 'my paper, my way' approach to initial submissions - strict formatting not enforced initially |
| Main text | Word limits by article type (excluding abstract, references, tables and figure captions): Original research articles 3000 words (max 8 figures/tables), Review articles 5000 words, Research letters 1200 words (1 figure or 1 table), Correspondence 800 words (1 figure or 1 table), Editorials 1500 words, ERJ Viewpoint 2000 words, ERJ Methods 1500 words, ERJ Advances 1500 words, ERS guidelines 10000 words, Other task force reports/consensus statements/technical standards 8000 words. Title limited to 90 characters (including spaces). 256-character 'take home' message required |
| 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 | Vancouver style (Index Medicus). Number references consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text, using full-sized Arabic numerals in square brackets. The first three authors should be listed followed by et al. Reference limits by article type: Original research articles 40, Review articles 200, Research letters 15, Correspondence 10, Editorials 30, ERJ Viewpoint 40, ERJ Methods/ERJ Advances 30, ERS guidelines 250, Other task force reports/consensus statements/technical standards 250. Note: ERJ adopts a 'my paper, my way' approach to initial submissions - strict formatting not enforced initially |
| Peer review | Single-anonymised (single-blind): reviewers know authors' identities, but authors do not know reviewers' identities |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/erj |
Read the European Respiratory Journal 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 European Respiratory Journal in under a page.
Skim two or three recent European Respir J 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 European Respiratory Journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the European Respiratory Journal guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).