hLife Template
Get your hLife 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 hLife Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 13 August, 2026
Submitting to hLife goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the hLife 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 hLife Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to hLife. 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 hLife journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a hLife 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 hLife 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 hLife guide for authors before you submit.
What does this hLife 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 Editorial Manager.
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 hLife.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the hLife 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 Editorial Manager.
hLife Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | hLife requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract required with no more than 200 words for Articles and Reviews. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, basic methods, principal results, and major conclusions. Must be able to stand alone. References avoided but if essential cite author(s) and year(s). Non-standard abbreviations avoided but if essential must be defined at first mention. Perspective, Letter, Commentary, News & Views, and Editorials do not require an abstract |
| Main text | Article: approximately 6000 words in main text (excluding references and figures/tables), no less than 6 figures/tables. Review: no less than 8000 words in main text (excluding references and figures/tables), no less than 6 figures/tables. Perspective: not exceed 1500 words. Letter/Commentary/Editorial: not exceed 1000 words. Case report: approximately 5000 words. Resource: approximately 6000 words. Dialogue: not exceed 3000 words. Note: Word limits are for guidance only; editors will consider submissions that exceed recommended limit subject to peer review feedback |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Maximum of six keywords. Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible |
| References | Numbered style with square brackets in line with text. References numbered in the list in the order they appear in text. Examples show Vancouver-like style with journal abbreviations: author names, article title, journal abbreviation, year;volume:pages |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind). All contributions initially assessed by editor for suitability. Papers deemed suitable typically sent to minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess scientific quality |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/hlife/default2.aspx |
Quick Tips for Using the hLife Template
Read the hLife 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 hLife in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent hLife 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 hLife 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 hLife guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
