Format your manuscript to the Prevention Science requirements — abstract, APA 7th references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Prevention Science don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around Prevention Science’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, APA 7th references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Prevention Science author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Prevention Science’s specifications for prevention research across health and behavior. Prevention Science is published by Springer on behalf of the Society for Prevention Research. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in APA 7th 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 APA 7th. 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 APA 7th formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what Prevention Science’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, APA 7th reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Prevention Science journal home page. Prevention Science offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through Editorial Manager, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | Prevention Science 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 | Editorial Manager |
Read the Prevention Science author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set APA 7th as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent Prevention Science 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 Prevention Science author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, APA 7th 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 Editorial Manager.