Get your Journal of Clinical Virology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.1
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 17 August, 2026
Submitting to Journal of Clinical Virology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Clinical Virology 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 Clinical Virology. 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 Clinical Virology 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 Clinical Virology 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 Clinical Virology 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 Clin Virol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstracts of up to 250 words are required for full-length articles and short communications, with mandatory headings: Background, Objectives, Study design, Results, Conclusions. Unstructured abstracts of up to 250 words are required for review articles. Correspondence articles do not specify abstract requirements |
| Main text | Full-length articles: 2,500 words. Short communications: 1,250 words. Correspondence: 500 words. Review articles: 4,000 words. Word limits exclude the abstract, references, acknowledgements, figure captions and tables. Articles should use clear section headings; full-length articles and short communications follow structure: Background, Objectives, Study design, Results, Discussion, (acknowledgements), COI |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 1 to 7 keywords required for indexing purposes (detailed requirements document specifies 3-6 keywords). should be written in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Use abbreviations in keywords only if firmly established in the field |
| References | Numbered references in square brackets, ordered by appearance in text. Journal names abbreviated according to LTWA (List of Title Word Abbreviations). At submission, references can be in any consistent style with required elements (author names, journal/book titles, year, volume, pagination). Journal reference style will be applied at proof stage after acceptance |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind). Submissions are initially assessed by editors, then typically sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment of scientific quality. Final publication decision made by editors |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/JCV |
Read the Journal of Clinical Virology 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 Clinical Virology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Clin Virol 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 Clinical Virology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Clinical Virology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.