Project Management Journal Template
Format your manuscript to the Project Management Journal requirements — abstract, APA 7th references, and required declarations — and submit through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) without a formatting rejection.
4.4
How to Use the Project Management Journal Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Project Management Journal don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around Project Management Journal’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 Everything below tracks the Project Management Journal author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
What is the Project Management Journal Template?
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Project Management Journal’s specifications for project, program, and portfolio management. Project Management Journal is published by SAGE on behalf of the Project Management Institute. 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.
What’s actually in a standard Project Management Journal submission:
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an abstract within the journal's stated limit (commonly ≤250 words). 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.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The details that trip up most first submissions: an abstract or title that exceeds the stated limits, references that mix Harvard and Vancouver, and no ethics/consent statement where required. 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 SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) — email submissions aren’t processed.
What does this Project Management Journal Template include?
The shell mirrors what Project Management Journal’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 Project Management Journal home page. Project Management Journal offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts), 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, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) body, figure placeholders, APA 7th 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.
Project Management Journal Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Project Management Journal requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an abstract within the journal's stated limit (commonly ≤250 words) |
| 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 | SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) |
Quick Tips for Using the Project Management Journal Template
Read the Project Management Journal 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.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Project Management Journal 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 Project Management Journal 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 abstract or title that exceeds the stated limits, references that mix Harvard and Vancouver, and no ethics/consent statement where required. Then submit through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts).
