Get your Harm Reduction Journal 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 Harm Reduction Journal goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Harm Reduction Journal 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 Harm Reduction Journal. 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 Harm Reduction 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 Harm Reduction Journal 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 Harm Reduction Journal 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 | Harm Reduction J requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Research articles, Case studies, Methodology articles, Systematic reviews, and Study protocols. Maximum 350 words for most article types (Research articles, Reviews, Case studies, Methodology, Systematic reviews, Study protocols); 250 words for Brief reports. Research articles require: Background (context and purpose), Methods (how study was performed and statistical tests used), Results (main findings), Conclusions (brief summary and potential implications), Trial registration (if applicable). Case studies require: Background (why case should be reported and its novelty), Case presentation (brief description of patient's clinical and demographic details, diagnosis, interventions and outcomes), Conclusions (brief summary of clinical impact or potential implications). Systematic reviews require: Background (context, purpose, review question), Methods (how review was performed, data sources, eligibility criteria, participants, interventions, study appraisal and statistical tests), Results (main findings, search results, assessment of evidence base), Conclusions (brief summary and potential implications for policy/management and research), Registration (if available). Study protocols require: Background (context and purpose), Methods (how study will be performed), Discussion (brief summary and potential implications), Trial registration (required as last line). Reviews: 350 word limit, unstructured format acceptable. Brief reports: 250 word limit. No abbreviations or citations in abstract |
| Main text | The submission guidelines state that 'as the length and quantity of data is not restricted for many article types, authors can provide datasets, tables, movies, or other information as additional files.' No specific word or page limits for main text are stated for any article type |
| 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 |
| References | Vancouver style (Index Medicus/MEDLINE). Journal abbreviations follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE. All web links and URLs should be given a reference number and included in the reference list rather than within the text, provided in full including title of site, URL, and date accessed (e.g., 'The Mouse Tumor Biology Database. https://tumor.informatics.jax.org/mtbwi/index.do. Accessed 20 May 2013') |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous (single-blind) peer review. Reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous |
| Submission | submission.nature.com/new-submission/12954/3 |
Read the Harm Reduction Journal 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 Harm Reduction Journal in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Harm Reduction J 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 Harm Reduction Journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Harm Reduction Journal guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.