Government and Opposition Template
Get your Government and Opposition 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 Government and Opposition Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Government and Opposition goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Government and Opposition 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 Government and Opposition Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Government and Opposition. 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 Government and Opposition journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a GO 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 Government and Opposition 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 Government and Opposition guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Government and Opposition 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 Cambridge Core submission.
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 GO.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Government and Opposition 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 Cambridge Core submission.
Government and Opposition Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | GO requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract (one or two paragraphs in length). No specific word limit stated in the guide. The abstract should contain most or all of the paper's keywords, avoid technical language where possible, and be comprehensible to a wide audience. The abstract is uploaded separately during submission and is not included in the 10,000-word count for manuscripts. |
| 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 | Exactly 5 keywords required, to be included in the body of the manuscript. |
| References | Harvard (author-date) style with a reference section at the end. In-text citations use author surname and year in parentheses (e.g., Smith 1990: 31). For two authors, both names are cited; for three or more authors, use et al. Multiple sources are listed alphabetically with semicolons. Reference list entries must include all cited text references and must end with a full stop. |
| Peer review | Double-anonymous (double-blind) peer review with a minimum of three reviews per paper whenever possible. Neither author nor reviewers know the identity of each other. |
| Submission | cambridge.org |
Quick Tips for Using the Government and Opposition Template
Read the Government and Opposition 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 Government and Opposition in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent GO 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 Government and Opposition 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 Government and Opposition guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Cambridge Core submission.
