Get your Human Development 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 Human Development goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Human Development 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 Human Development. 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 Human Development 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 Human Development 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 Human Development 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 | Hum Development requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract, 150 words for research articles. No specific headings required or mentioned in guidelines. The guide states: 'These articles should contain a 150-word abstract.' Letters, Commentaries, Book Reviews, and Editorials do not require abstracts |
| Main text | Research articles: typically 9,000-10,000 words for guidance purposes (no strict limit stated). Letters, Commentaries, Book Reviews, Editorials: typically 1,000 words. Standard structure: Introduction, Results, Discussion, Materials and Methods, Statements section (containing Acknowledgement, Statement of Ethics, Conflict of Interest Statement, Funding Sources, Author Contributions, Data Availability Statement), References |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 3-5 keywords required, listed below corresponding author information on the title page. Authors should avoid abbreviations in keywords |
| References | APA 7th edition for both in-text citations (author-date format) and reference list. Journal names should be written out in full. DOIs should be included at the end of journal article references |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous (single-blind) peer review system - reviewers know the names of the authors, but the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript |
| Submission | auth.karger.com/Identity/Login?returnUrl=https%3a%2f%2fkarger.chronoshub.io%2fJournals%2f%3fq%3d1423-0054 |
Read the Human Development 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 Human Development in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Hum Development 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 Human Development journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Human Development guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.