Get your Journal of Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behavior goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behavior. 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 Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behav requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The guide requires manuscripts to contain an abstract section along with introduction, methods, results, and discussion, but does not specify word limits, structure (unstructured vs. structured), or mandatory headings for the abstract |
| Main text | Original Articles: 6,000-12,000 words (including references). Brief Reports: 2,000-5,000 words (including references). The guide states authors are expected to work within word limits, with some flexibility for articles exceeding 10,000 words, though authors are encouraged to streamline or use supplementary files. Manuscripts should include abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections |
| 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 | Free format at initial submission. The guide states: 'References may be submitted in any style or format, as long as it is consistent throughout the manuscript.' No specific citation style is mandated for initial submission |
| Peer review | Double-blind review. The guide explicitly states: 'If a paper passes preliminary review, it will then be assigned to at least two reviewers for double-blind review.' |
| Submission | authors.wiley.com/journal/JOCB |
Read the Journal of Creative Behavior 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 Creative Behavior in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Creative Behav 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 Creative Behavior journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Creative Behavior guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.