Format your manuscript to the Natural Product Reports requirements — abstract, RSC numbered references, and required declarations — and submit through the RSC online submission service without a formatting rejection.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
A strong study can still bounce at Natural Product Reports before review if the manuscript ignores the journal’s formatting requirements. This template is built around NPR’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, RSC numbered references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the NPR author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to NPR’s specifications for reviews across natural-product chemistry and biosynthesis. Natural Product Reports is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in a review structure (Introduction, themed sections, and Conclusions) order, and a reference list in RSC numbered style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a concise abstract plus a graphical abstract for the contents page. The body follows a review structure (Introduction, themed sections, and Conclusions), and the reference list uses RSC numbered. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: a missing or non-compliant graphical abstract, references not in the RSC numbered format, and an ESI file that isn't cited in the text. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep RSC numbered formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through the RSC online submission service — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what NPR’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, RSC numbered reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the NPR journal home page. NPR offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through the RSC online submission service, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | NPR requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a concise abstract plus a graphical abstract for the contents page |
| Main text | a review structure (Introduction, themed sections, and Conclusions) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| 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 | the RSC online submission service |
Read the NPR author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set RSC numbered as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent NPR 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.
Do one focused pass against the NPR author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, RSC numbered references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — a missing or non-compliant graphical abstract, references not in the RSC numbered format, and an ESI file that isn't cited in the text. Then submit through the RSC online submission service.