Journal of Planning Literature Template
Format your manuscript to the Journal of Planning Literature requirements — abstract, a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) references, and required declarations — and submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts without a formatting rejection.
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How to Use the Journal of Planning Literature Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
A strong study can still bounce at Journal of Planning Literature before review if the manuscript ignores the journal’s formatting requirements. This template is built around JPL’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the JPL author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
What is the Journal of Planning Literature Template?
It’s a manuscript shell set up to JPL’s specifications for reviews and syntheses of urban and regional planning research. Journal of Planning Literature is published by SAGE. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in a structured review with an introduction, thematic sections, and a synthesis order, and a reference list in a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) style.
What’s actually in a standard JPL submission:
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a concise abstract per the author guidelines. The body follows a structured review with an introduction, thematic sections, and a synthesis, and the reference list uses a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide). Close with the declarations block: conflict of interest and funding.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through ScholarOne Manuscripts — email submissions aren’t processed.
What does this Journal of Planning Literature Template include?
The shell mirrors what JPL’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the JPL journal home page. JPL offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through ScholarOne Manuscripts, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page — you land on the Scispace Agent prompt screen with the template already loaded.
- Use the loaded template as-is, or upload your own version if you have one.
- Edit the prompt with your actual details: topic, article type, and any word or figure limits specific to that type.
- Run it. The agent drafts directly into the correct structure — abstract, a structured review with an introduction, thematic sections, and a synthesis body, figure placeholders, a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) references, and the full declarations block — with no manual reformatting afterward.
- Review the draft in View Outputs and regenerate any section that needs tightening.
- Export to Word or LaTeX once it’s ready for submission.
Journal of Planning Literature Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | JPL requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a concise abstract per the author guidelines |
| Main text | a structured review with an introduction, thematic sections, and a synthesis |
| Declarations | Conflict of interest and funding |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Quick Tips for Using the JPL Template
Read the JPL author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent JPL papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the JPL author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, a Harvard author-date style (confirm in the guide) references, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts.
