Write a submission-ready Materials Research Express manuscript: correct structure, abstract, and references from the first draft, so it clears editorial screening.
4.1
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 26 August, 2026
Submitting to Materials Research Express goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Materials Research Express 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 Materials Research Express. 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 Materials Research Express 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 Materials Research Express 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 Materials Research Express 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 ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Materials Research Express requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured: the abstract should be informative, accessible, complete in itself, and state the methodology, main results and conclusions; it should normally be no more than 300 words. It must not contain undefined acronyms/abbreviations or refer to table numbers, figure numbers, references or equations. Articles relying on clinical trials should quote the trial registration number at the end. The guide says some journals require a particular structure and directs authors to the specific-journal instructions; no MRX-specific structured headings are stated |
| Main text | Research papers: unlimited length. Topical reviews: typically 10,000–15,000 words and usually commissioned by the Editorial Board, although unsolicited proposals meeting the criteria are considered. The general article structure is normally Title; Authors; Keywords; Abstract; Introduction; Method; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; Ethical statement (where required); References. No separate MRX overall word limit is stated for technical notes or tutorials |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Authors are asked to supply some keywords relevant to their work. The guide gives no required count/range and does not require MeSH; keywords are displayed on the published article and used for indexing |
| References | Either Vancouver numerical or Harvard alphabetical author-date may be used consistently. Vancouver numbers references sequentially and lists them in numerical order; Harvard uses author and year in the text and an alphabetical reference list. The guide says references will be conformed to house style during production |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous, with double-anonymous available at author choice (the journal's peer-review summary states: identity transparency—single-anonymous, double-anonymous (author choice)) |
| Submission | mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/mrx-iop |
Read the Materials Research Express 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 Materials Research Express in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Materials Research Express 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 Materials Research Express journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Materials Research Express guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).