Get your Journal of Adolescence 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 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Adolescence goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Adolescence 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 Journal of Adolescence. 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 Journal of Adolescence 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 Journal of Adolescence 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 Journal of Adolescence 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 | J Adolescence requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstracts required for Research Articles, Brief Reports, and International Research Notes: 250 words maximum with four mandatory headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Review Articles require 250 word unstructured abstract |
| Main text | Research articles: up to 5,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables, figures or appendices (qualitative research papers may require additional words in lieu of tables - consult editor). Review articles: up to 8,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables, figures or appendices. Brief reports: up to 3,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables, figures or appendices. International Research Notes: up to 1,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables, figures or appendices. Main body formatted as: introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, conclusion |
| 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 6 keywords, listed immediately after the abstract. Avoid general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid 'and', 'of'). Only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be used. Keywords used for indexing purposes |
| References | American Psychological Association (APA) reference style. Journal offers Free Format submission for initial submission, but APA style is required for final publication, and authors must use a consistent style throughout |
| Peer review | Double-blind peer review. The journal explicitly operates a double-blind peer review policy. Authors must anonymize their manuscripts and supply a separate title page file to remain anonymous to reviewers throughout the peer review process |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/JAD |
Read the Journal of Adolescence 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 Journal of Adolescence in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Adolescence 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 Journal of Adolescence journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Adolescence guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.