Governance Template
Get your Governance paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4
How to Use the Governance Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Governance goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Governance 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 Governance Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Governance. 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 Governance journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Governance 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 Governance 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 Governance guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Governance 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 the journal's submission system.
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 Governance.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Governance 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 the journal's submission system.
Governance Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Governance requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract of about 150 words. The abstract should summarize, not introduce, the manuscript. All required sections should be contained in the manuscript including abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions |
| Main text | Standard submissions: no more than 9,000 words (excluding citations, bibliography, notes, references, appendices, figures, and tables). Practitioner's Perspective: 3,000-5,000 words. Book Review: 800-1,000 words |
| 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 | Any style or format is acceptable at initial submission, as long as it is consistent throughout the manuscript. Interviews must be cited in the references section |
| Peer review | Double-blind (double-anonymous). Each manuscript will be reviewed anonymously by at least two referees |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/GOVE |
Quick Tips for Using the Governance Template
Read the Governance 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 Governance in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Governance 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 Governance 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 Governance guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
