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# How to Use the PLOS Template | A Step-by-Step Guide

Authored by [Sumalatha Gangadhar](https://scispace.com/resources/author/sumalatha/) | Published on 22 Apr, 2026

The PLOS Template is PLOS's recommended format for manuscripts submitted to its journals. PLOS publishes universal submission guidelines across its open-access journals with journal-specific scope overlays. The canonical reference for authors is [PLOS Submission Guidelines](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines).

## What is the PLOS Template?

The PLOS Template is the structural shell that encodes PLOS's manuscript rules: title block, abstract, section order, figures, tables, references, and declarations. PLOS emphasizes data availability, reporting standards, and pre-registration — all of which appear on the submission guidelines page. The [PLOS Author Resources](https://plos.org/publish/) page adds journal-level detail on top of the general template.

### A standard PLOS template usually includes:

- Title, authors, affiliations, and corresponding author
- Abstract and keywords
- Introduction, Methods (or Experimental), Results and Discussion, Conclusions
- Acknowledgements, Funding, and Data Availability statements
- References in the publisher's required style
- Supplementary material where allowed

### A strong manuscript prepared with this template should:

- Follow the target journal's length, figure, and reference rules (not just the base template)
- Include complete declarations (COI, funding, data availability, ethics where applicable)
- Place figures and tables near their first mention for peer review
- Use editable equations (not rasterized) where mathematics is involved
- Match the citation style PLOS specifies exactly

## What does this PLOS Template include?

Beyond manuscript structure, PLOS publishes additional resources on figure preparation, supplementary materials, and peer-review policies. See [PLOS ONE Journal home](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/) for manuscript preparation detail, [PLOS Editorial and Publishing Policies](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/editorial-and-publishing-policies) for submission workflow notes, and [PLOS Reproducibility and data availability](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/data-availability) for policy and ethics expectations that apply across all PLOS journals.

## Steps to Use the PLOS Template with Scispace Agent

1. Click **Start Writing** on this template page. You are redirected to the Scispace Agent prompt page with this PLOS Template and a starter prompt already loaded.
2. On the prompt page, choose whether to **use the existing template** shown in the side panel or **upload a new template** if you already have a program-specific or venue-specific copy.
3. **Modify the prompt** with your custom message: the topic, target audience, document type, scope, and any specific constraints (word limits, required pages, reporting checklists, citation style).
4. Run the prompt. Scispace Agent generates the draft directly in the PLOS Template structure — front matter, main sections, figures or chapters, references — without hand-editing layout code.
5. Use **View Outputs** to review the draft. Regenerate specific sections if the first pass needs tightening on depth, evidence, or wording.
6. When the draft is ready, **save it to your library** inside Scispace Agent or **download it in Word or LaTeX format** so it drops straight into your submission workflow.

This keeps PLOS template compliance on the Scispace Agent side so you can focus on the research narrative and the journal-specific overlays.

## PLOS Template Structure at a Glance

| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Title + authors + affiliations | Identifies authorship and corresponding author |
| Abstract + keywords | Summarizes the article and aids indexing |
| Introduction | Frames the problem the PLOS audience cares about |
| Methods / Experimental | Reproducible description of the work |
| Results and Discussion | Evidence and interpretation |
| Conclusions | Summary of contribution and implications |
| References | PLOS reference style |
| Declarations | COI, funding, data availability, ethics where applicable |
| Submission Package | Single PDF or source set expected by PLOS |

## Quick Tips for Using the PLOS Template

- Pick the target journal before finalising length and figure counts
- Keep equations editable; publishers reject rasterized math in most cases
- Follow the target journal's policy on data availability and ethics
- Prepare supplementary material as a separate file, not embedded in the main PDF

## Best Practices

- Place figures and tables near their first mention for reviewer-friendly reading
- Use a reference manager tied to the journal's style file
- Include ORCID for every author if the journal supports it
- Submit a single compiled PDF for initial submission unless the venue asks otherwise

## PLOS Template Tips

The PLOS Template is strongest when you treat the base structure as your shell and the journal-specific author page as the final overlay. Complete declarations early, manage references with a style-accurate tool, and submit a clean compiled PDF on first upload.

Use this PLOS Template guide to organize your manuscript. Export in Word or LaTeX. Covers title page, abstract, methods, results, figures, FAQs, and submission checks.

PLOS Templates - Free Word & LaTeX Journal Formats | SciSpace