Get your Global Sustainability 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 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Global Sustainability goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Global Sustainability 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 Global Sustainability. 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 Global Sustainability 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 Global Sustainability 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 Global Sustainability 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 | Global Sustainability requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required (except not mandatory for Intelligence Briefings). Must include two parts with subheadings: (1) Non-Technical Summary (100 words max) - should outline the article for a lay audience by giving context and significance of the work against the problem being addressed; (2) Technical Summary (200 words max) - a traditional abstract summarizing the background, findings, and implications. The Technical Summary should not duplicate the Non-Technical Summary but provide a more detailed description of the work |
| Main text | Word limits by article type (excluding title, abstract, text boxes, figures, tables, and references): Long Form Research Paper - 7,000 words max; Research Report - 1,500 words; Review Article - 8,000 words max; Intelligence Briefing - 3,000 words max; Commentary - 1,500 words (without figures); Concepts and Perspectives - 5,000 words max; Editorial - 2 pages max |
| 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 | APA 6th edition citation style. In-text citations by author surname(s) and year (e.g., Smith, 2012; Smith & Wright, 2013; Smith et al. for 3+ authors). Reference list in alphabetical order by first author's surname. Research articles should not exceed 75 references in the main text; reviews should not exceed 150 references |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous peer review (reviewers know author identities, but authors do not know reviewer identities). Manuscripts are reviewed by a member of the Editorial Board and at least two reviewers |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/gsus |
Read the Global Sustainability 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 Global Sustainability in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Global Sustainability 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 Global Sustainability journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Global Sustainability guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).