Get your Frontiers in Neural Circuits paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.3
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 11 August, 2026
Submitting to Frontiers in Neural Circuits goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Frontiers in Neural Circuits 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits 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 the journal's submission system.
| Element | Frontiers Neural Circuits requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstract should be no longer than a single paragraph and should be structured (e.g., according to IMRAD format: Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion). Specific structure depends on article type. Minimize abbreviations and do not cite references, figures, or tables. For clinical trials, include trial registration identifier and URL. No specific word limit stated in guidelines; requirement is 'single paragraph' |
| Main text | Main text word limits by article type: Original Research 12,000 words; Review 12,000 words; Systematic Review 12,000 words; Methods 12,000 words; Hypothesis and Theory 12,000 words; Technology and Code 12,000 words; Brief Research Report 4,000 words; Mini Review 3,000 words; Perspective 3,000 words; Data Report 3,000 words; Opinion 2,000 words; General Commentary 1,000 words; Editorial 1,000-5,000 words depending on number of articles. Word count includes main body text, footnotes, and citations, but excludes abstract, section titles, figure/table captions, funding, acknowledgments, and 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 | Minimum 5, maximum 8 keywords required for all article types. Authors should pick 5-8 keywords using a mix of generic and more specific terms on the article subject(s) |
| References | Harvard (author-date) reference style. Guidelines state that Frontiers journals use either Harvard or Vancouver, with journal-specific requirements. Examination of published articles in Frontiers in Neural Circuits confirms Harvard style is used, with author-date format such as '(Smith et al., 2020)'. First six authors should be listed followed by et al., given names abbreviated to initials, DOI included when available |
| Peer review | Open/transparent peer review. The names of reviewers and editors are disclosed and appear on published articles. As stated: 'Peer review is handled by active researchers, carefully appointed according to strict excellence criteria, and who certify the validity of research with their names on the published article.' Authors and reviewers engage in direct online dialogue during the interactive review process |
| Submission | www.frontiersin.org/submission/submit?domainid=1&fieldid=55&specialtyid=740&entitytype=1&entityid=11 |
Read the Frontiers in Neural Circuits 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Frontiers Neural Circuits 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 Frontiers in Neural Circuits journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Frontiers in Neural Circuits guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.