Get your Government Information Quarterly paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Government Information Quarterly goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Government Information Quarterly 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 Government Information Quarterly. 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 Information Quarterly 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 Government Information Quarterly 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 Government Information Quarterly 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 journal's submission system.
| Element | Government Information Quarterly requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract required, maximum 250 words. Should briefly state the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Abstracts must stand alone, avoid references (cite author and year if essential), and avoid non-standard abbreviations (define at first mention if essential). No differentiation by article type stated |
| Main text | The guide does not specify word or page limits for the main text of manuscripts |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 1 to 7 keywords required for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Use abbreviations in keywords only if firmly established in the field |
| References | APA style (American Psychological Association, Publication Manual 7th Edition, 2020). Reference list arranged alphabetically then chronologically. Multiple references from same author(s) in same year identified by letters 'a', 'b', 'c' after year |
| Peer review | Double-blind/double-anonymized peer review process (author identities concealed from reviewers and vice versa) |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/GIQ |
Read the Government Information Quarterly 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 Information Quarterly in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Government Information Quarterly 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 Information Quarterly journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Government Information Quarterly guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.