Headache Template
Get your Headache paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.6
How to Use the Headache Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to Headache goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Headache 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 Headache Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Headache. 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 Headache journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Headache 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 Headache 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 Headache guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Headache 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 Headache.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Headache 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.
Headache Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Headache requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Research Submissions and Review Articles with mandatory headings: Objective, Background, Methods (or Design or both), Results, Conclusion. Maximum 450 words. Do not cite references or use abbreviations in the abstract. Brief Communications: unstructured abstract, maximum 450 words. Protocols: unstructured abstract, maximum 450 words. Research Letters, Perspectives, Clinical Correspondence, Letters to the Editor, and Residents & Fellows submissions do not include an abstract |
| Main text | Research Submissions: 4,000 words maximum. Review Articles: 4,500 words maximum. Research Letters: 600 words maximum. Perspectives: 1,200 words maximum (4 authors maximum). Clinical Correspondence: 1,000 words maximum (no figures or tables). Brief Communications: 1,500 words maximum. Protocols: no word limit (AHS-led initiatives only). Letters to the Editor: 1,000 words maximum. Residents & Fellows - Headache Rounds: 2,000-4,000 words. Manuscript components arranged as: structured abstract, text, references, tables in numerical sequence, figures with legends |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Up to six keywords from the text for use in indexing and computerized databases |
| References | Vancouver style / numbered citation format based on 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals' developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. List references in the order they first appear in the text (not alphabetically). Cite in text using superscript numerals. References to journal articles include: author(s), title, journal name (as abbreviated in Index Medicus) in italics, year, volume number, and inclusive pages |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized peer review (also called single-blind) according to the official author guidelines. Note: The American Headache Society website describes it as double-blind peer review, creating a discrepancy between official sources |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/HEAD |
Quick Tips for Using the Headache Template
Read the Headache 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 Headache in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Headache 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 Headache 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 Headache guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
