Progress in Planning Template
Format your manuscript to the Progress in Planning requirements — abstract, author–year (Harvard) references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
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How to Use the Progress in Planning Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Getting past the desk at Progress in Planning is usually less about the research and more about matching the journal’s exact submission rules. This template is built around Progress in Planning’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, author–year (Harvard) references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Progress in Planning Guide for Authors; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
What is the Progress in Planning Template?
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Progress in Planning’s specifications for reviews across urban and regional planning. Progress in Planning is published by Elsevier. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in a review structure (Introduction, themed thematic sections, and a Conclusions/Outlook) order, and a reference list in author–year (Harvard) style.
What’s actually in a standard Progress in Planning submission:
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations. Progress in Planning also expects Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each). The body follows a review structure (Introduction, themed thematic sections, and a Conclusions/Outlook), and the reference list uses author–year (Harvard). Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The details that trip up most first submissions: missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep author–year (Harvard) formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
What does this Progress in Planning Template include?
The shell mirrors what Progress in Planning’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, author–year (Harvard) reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Progress in Planning journal home page. Progress in Planning 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.
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page — you land on the Scispace Agent prompt screen with the template already loaded.
- Use the loaded template as-is, or upload your own version if you have one.
- Edit the prompt with your actual details: topic, article type, and any word or figure limits specific to that type.
- Run it. The agent drafts directly into the correct structure — abstract, a review structure (Introduction, themed thematic sections, and a Conclusions/Outlook) body, figure placeholders, author–year (Harvard) references, and the full declarations block — with no manual reformatting afterward.
- Review the draft in View Outputs and regenerate any section that needs tightening.
- Export to Word or LaTeX once it’s ready for submission.
Progress in Planning Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Progress in Planning requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations |
| Main text | a review structure (Introduction, themed thematic sections, and a Conclusions/Outlook) |
| 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 |
Quick Tips for Using the Progress in Planning Template
Read the Progress in Planning Guide for Authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set author–year (Harvard) as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in. Prepare Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each) early rather than leaving it to the end.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Progress in Planning 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.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Progress in Planning Guide for Authors: scope fit, abstract format, length, author–year (Harvard) references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Then submit through Editorial Manager.
