Get your Journal of Hepatology 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 Hepatology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Journal of Hepatology 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 Hepatology. 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 Hepatology 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 Hepatology 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 Hepatology 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 Hepatol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required for original articles with mandatory headings: Background & Aims, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Maximum 275 words. Case reports, Reviews, Special section articles, and Letters to the Editor do NOT require a structured abstract (unstructured for these types). No non-standard abbreviations, footnotes, or references permitted in the abstract |
| Main text | Original articles: maximum 6000 words including abstract, references, tables, and figure legends; maximum 8 tables and/or figures combined; maximum 100 references. Review articles: maximum 5000 words; maximum 8 tables and/or figures. Expert Opinion (special section): maximum 2500 words excluding summary, references, tables, and figures; maximum 2 tables and 2 figures; maximum 25 references |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum 3, maximum 12 keywords (except Letters to the Editor). MeSH terms recommended (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MeSHonDemand.html). British spelling, avoid general and plural terms and multiple concepts |
| References | Vancouver style (numbered in order of appearance in text). No strict formatting requirements at initial submission. All authors listed if six or fewer; first three followed by 'et al.' if four or more. Original articles: maximum 100 references. Titles of all cited articles required |
| Peer review | Single-blind review process (authors are anonymous to reviewers, but reviewers are not anonymous to editors) |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/jhepat |
Read the Journal of Hepatology 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 Hepatology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent J Hepatol 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 Hepatology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Journal of Hepatology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.