Format your manuscript to the Online Information Review requirements — abstract, Emerald Harvard references, and required declarations — and submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts without a formatting rejection.
4.8
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Online Information Review don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around Online Information Review’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, Emerald Harvard references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Online Information Review author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Online Information Review’s specifications for digital information, data, and online behavior. Online Information Review is published by Emerald Publishing. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in Emerald Harvard style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a structured abstract (Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings, Originality/value). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses Emerald Harvard. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: an abstract that omits the required structured headings, references not in Emerald Harvard format, and no highlights or structured keywords where required. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep Emerald Harvard formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through ScholarOne Manuscripts — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what Online Information Review’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, Emerald Harvard reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Online Information Review journal home page. Online Information Review 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.
| Element | Online Information Review requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a structured abstract (Purpose, Design/methodology/approach, Findings, Originality/value) |
| 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 | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Read the Online Information Review author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set Emerald Harvard as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent Online Information Review 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 Online Information Review author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, Emerald Harvard references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — an abstract that omits the required structured headings, references not in Emerald Harvard format, and no highlights or structured keywords where required. Then submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts.