Format your manuscript to the Neuropsychopharmacology requirements — abstract, numbered references, and required declarations — and submit through the Springer Nature submission system without a formatting rejection.
4.6
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Getting past the desk at Neuropsychopharmacology is usually less about the research and more about matching the journal’s exact submission rules. This template is built around Neuropsychopharmacology’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, numbered references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Neuropsychopharmacology author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Neuropsychopharmacology’s specifications for psychopharmacology and the neuroscience of psychiatric disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology is published by Springer Nature (on behalf of the ACNP) on behalf of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in numbered style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an abstract of roughly 150–250 words (structured or unstructured depending on the article type). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses numbered. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: an incomplete declarations block (ethics, consent, competing interests, funding), reference formatting that doesn't match the journal's system, and no ORCID for the corresponding author. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep numbered formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through the Springer Nature submission system — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what Neuropsychopharmacology’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, numbered reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Neuropsychopharmacology journal home page. Neuropsychopharmacology offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through the Springer Nature submission system, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | Neuropsychopharmacology requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an abstract of roughly 150–250 words (structured or unstructured depending on the article type) |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| 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 Springer Nature submission system |
Read the Neuropsychopharmacology author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set numbered as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent Neuropsychopharmacology 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 Neuropsychopharmacology author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, numbered references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — an incomplete declarations block (ethics, consent, competing interests, funding), reference formatting that doesn't match the journal's system, and no ORCID for the corresponding author. Then submit through the Springer Nature submission system.