Get your Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Res Biogeosciences requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured, single paragraph. Maximum 250 words (not 'less than 250 words'). Should avoid reference citations unless dependent on or directly related to another paper (e.g., companion, comment, reply, or commentary). Must define all abbreviations. Should be suitable for indexing and not include table or figure mentions |
| Main text | Research Articles: Up to 25 publication units encouraged (1 PU = 500 words or 1 display element). No strict limit, but excess length fees apply beyond 25 PU. Word count includes abstract, text, in-text citations, figure captions, table captions, and appendices. Excludes title, author list, affiliations, plain language summary, text inside tables, Open Research section, references, and supporting information. Commentaries: Maximum 6 publication units (approximately 2000 words and 1-2 figures). Method Articles: 13 publication units. Review Articles: Recommended 30 publication units. Comments: 5 publication units. Replies: 5 publication units |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Up to five index terms (required, from AGU Index Set, do not use terms ending in '00') and up to six additional keywords (optional, free-form). Keywords are not included in word count |
| References | Author-date format (APA style with AGU-specific modifications). Citations in parentheses: (Smith et al., 2020) or Smith et al. (2020). Use 'et al.' after first author for three or more authors. References follow American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual, latest edition, with specific AGU deviations noted in the Grammar and Style Guide |
| Peer review | Single-blind / single-anonymized: author names and affiliations are visible to editors and reviewers, but reviewer names are kept confidential. Reviewers may voluntarily disclose their names to authors at their discretion during the review process |
| Submission | jgr-biogeosciences-submit.agu.org/submit |
Read the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Geophysical Res Biogeosciences 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 Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.