Draft for PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET with the abstract rules, body order, and reference style the editors check before peer review.
4.9
Jesús Pérez‐Moreno
Malin Rivers
Mark van Kleunen
Martin Cheek
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 26 August, 2026
Submitting to PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET. 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 | PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The guide refers to the abstract as a Summary. For Research articles, the Summary must not exceed 250 words and must use four bullet points covering (1) the research conducted or aims, including rationale, (2) methods, (3) key results, and (4) the main conclusion, including key discussion points; it must not contain citations. For Reviews, authors should keep to the word limit, but the bullet points do not apply. Flora Obscura articles require an Abstract of 100–150 words. No general abstract rule is stated for the other article types |
| Main text | Research articles are usually 3500–4000 words, up to 60 references and 6–8 display items; longer articles may be considered with justification in the cover letter. Methods and Techniques are usually 3000–4000 words, with up to 6 display items. Brief Reports are usually 1500–2000 words, with 20 references and 2 display items. Reviews should be around 4000 words, with up to 6 display items. Opinion articles should be 2000–4000 words. Flora Obscura articles are typically 1500–2000 words (up to 5000 where required), with 2–4 figures; their order is Abstract, Introduction, three to four brief appropriately subtitled sections, and Concluding Remarks, with Materials and Methods required for papers presenting novel data. Open Letters should typically be around 500 words, with up to 15 references, and do not require a Societal Impact Statement or Summary. Letters to the Editor are no more than 500 words, with up to one display element and no more than 10 references. Research articles should be arranged: Societal Impact Statement, Summary, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Author Contribution, Data Availability Statement, Conflict of Interest Statement, References |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Five to eight keywords, in alphabetical order, must be given at the end of the Summary |
| References | Author-date citation method: the author's last name and publication year appear in the text (for example, (Smith, 2017)); the complete reference list is ordered alphabetically by surname. A DOI should be provided where applicable |
| Peer review | Single-anonymised peer review (single-anonymous); manuscripts sent for review are typically assessed by two or three independent reviewers |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/plantspeopleplanet |
Read the PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET in under a page.
Skim two or three recent PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET 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 PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).