JAMA Pediatrics Template
Get your JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to JAMA Pediatrics goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to JAMA Pediatrics. 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 JAMA Pediatrics journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics guide for authors before you submit.
What does this JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the JAMA Pediatrics 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.
JAMA Pediatrics Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | JAMA Pediatrics requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for reports of original data, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. Original data reports: maximum 350 words with mandatory headings: Importance, Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention(s) (for clinical trials) or Exposure(s) (for observational studies), Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s), Results, Conclusions and Relevance, and Trial Registration (for clinical trials only). Meta-analyses: maximum 350 words with headings: Importance, Objective, Data Sources, Study Selection, Data Extraction and Synthesis, Results, Conclusions and Relevance. Systematic reviews: maximum 350 words with headings: Importance, Objective, Evidence Review, Findings, Conclusions and Relevance. Narrative reviews: maximum 300 words with 3-part structure: Importance, Observations, Conclusions and Relevance. Research Letters: no abstract required. Viewpoints and Editorials: no abstract required |
| Main text | Original Investigation: maximum 3000 words of text (not including abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references, and online-only material) with no more than 5 tables and/or figures total. Research Letter: maximum 800 words with up to 2 small tables or figures and 10 references. Special Communication: maximum 3000 words (not including tables, figures, or references) with no more than 4 tables and/or figures and no more than 50 references. Viewpoint: maximum 1200 words (or 1000 words with 1 small table or figure) and no more than 7 references. Narrative Review: maximum 3000 words. Systematic Review: maximum 3000 words |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official author guidelines |
| References | AMA style (American Medical Association Manual of Style). References numbered in order of appearance in text (not alphabetized). Use superscript arabic numerals in text. Journal names abbreviated per PubMed. List all authors/editors up to 6; if more than 6, list first 3 followed by 'et al.' Include issue number in parentheses after volume number for journal references |
| Peer review | Single-blind/single-anonymized: peer reviewer identities are kept confidential (unless reviewers choose to reveal their names in their formal reviews); author identities are made known to reviewers |
| Submission | manuscripts.jamapeds.com/submit |
Quick Tips for Using the JAMA Pediatrics Template
Read the JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics 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 JAMA Pediatrics guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
