GigaScience Template
Get your GigaScience 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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How to Use the GigaScience Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to GigaScience goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the GigaScience 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.
What is the GigaScience Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to GigaScience. 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 GigaScience journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a GigaScience submission:
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 GigaScience guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
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 GigaScience guide for authors before you submit.
What does this GigaScience Template include?
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 Editorial Manager.
Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The SciSpace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for GigaScience.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the GigaScience guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through Editorial Manager.
GigaScience Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | GigaScience requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for most article types, 250 words maximum for Research, Data Note, Technical Note, and Review articles. Research: 3 sections (Background, Results, Conclusions). Data Note: 3 sections (Background, Findings, Conclusions). Technical Note: 3 sections (Background, Findings, Conclusions). Review: structured with background, main body, and short conclusion. Commentary: unstructured, preferably not exceeding 100 words. All types prohibit citations and minimize abbreviations in abstracts. Technical Note abstracts may include software URLs at the end |
| Main text | Commentary: 1,200 words maximum (includes abstract, excludes figure/infographic content and legends), maximum 10 references. Research, Data Note, Technical Note, Review: No word limit stated; journal states 'length and quantity of data is not restricted for many article types' |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Three to ten keywords representing the main content of the article (required for all article types) |
| References | Numbered consecutively in square brackets in order of citation (Vancouver style). Journal abbreviations follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE. Example: Smith JJ. The world of science. Am J Sci. 1999;36:234-5 |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review (reviewers' names not disclosed to authors; reviewers' identities remain confidential; if article is published, anonymous reviewers' comments are published online as pre-publication history) |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/giga/default.aspx |
Quick Tips for Using the GigaScience Template
Read the GigaScience 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 GigaScience in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent GigaScience 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 GigaScience journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the GigaScience guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
