Get your Journal of Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health. 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 Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health 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 Editorial Manager.
| Element | J Adolescent Health requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for Original Articles and Briefs with bolded headings: Purpose, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Word limits by article type: Original Articles: 250 words; Adolescent Health Briefs: 150 words or less; Review Articles: 200-word unstructured (summary) abstract; Clinical Observations (Case Reports): 200-word unstructured (summary) abstract |
| Main text | Word limits by article type (excluding abstract, references, tables, figures): Original Articles: 3500 words (5 tables/figures, 40 references); Adolescent Health Briefs: 1000 words (combined total of 2 figures/tables, 20 references max); Review Articles: 4500 words (5 tables/figures, unlimited references); Clinical Observations: 1000 words (1 figure/table/illustration, 10 references); Letters to the Editor: 400 words (5 references if appropriate). Original Articles and Briefs should be divided into sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. All require a 50-word Implications and Contribution summary statement (except Clinical Observations which require 200-word summary) |
| 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 to 10 keywords or short phrases required, placed below the abstract. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list in the Index Medicus should be used whenever possible |
| References | AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition. Numbered references in square brackets in line with text. Journal titles abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE. For 4 or more authors, the first 3 should be listed followed by 'et al.' |
| Peer review | Single-blind peer review. Reviewers are anonymous; authors' names are unmasked. Manuscripts accepted for peer review are sent to three external reviewers |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/jah/default.aspx |
Read the Journal of Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Adolescent Health 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 Adolescent Health journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Adolescent Health guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.