Writing for Thomson Reuters in Plant Science? This template gives you a submission-ready structure—sections, abstract, and references—so you focus on the research, not the formatting.
4.6
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Thomson Reuters in Plant Science goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Thomson Reuters in Plant Science 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science. 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science 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 Frontiers submission system.
| Element | TRPS requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract, no longer than a single paragraph. For most article types (Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Mini Review, Policy and Practice Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspective, Brief Research Report, Technology and Code): Abstract is required. For Data Report, General Commentary, Opinion, Editorial, Correction: Abstract is not required or explicitly mentioned. Structure should follow IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion) or article type requirements. For clinical trial articles, must include the unique identifier and URL of the publicly accessible trial registration website. Minimize abbreviations and do not cite references, figures or tables in the abstract. |
| Main text | Section order and length per article type |
| Declarations | Ethics, competing interests, funding, data as required |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 keywords required for all article types. Pick 5-8 keywords using a mix of generic and more specific terms on the article subject(s). Not MeSH-specific, not editor-assigned. |
| References | Harvard (author-date) style. References cited in text by name and year in parentheses. Example: (Huisman, 2010) or (Simpson and Raubenheimer, 2014). For three or more authors: (Lahdenperä et al., 2004). |
| Peer review | Single-blind (single-anonymized) during the review process: reviewers know who the authors are, but authors do not initially know reviewer identities. Upon publication, Frontiers discloses the names of all endorsing reviewers (open/transparent post-publication), acknowledging reviewers for their work in conducting peer review. |
| Submission | frontiersin.org |
Read the Thomson Reuters in Plant Science 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science in under a page.
Skim two or three recent TRPS 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 Thomson Reuters in Plant Science journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Thomson Reuters in Plant Science guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the Frontiers submission system.