Format your manuscript to the Public Opinion Quarterly requirements — abstract, Chicago author–date references, and required declarations — and submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts without a formatting rejection.
4.8
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
A strong study can still bounce at Public Opinion Quarterly before review if the manuscript ignores the journal’s formatting requirements. This template is built around POQ’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, Chicago author–date references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the POQ author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to POQ’s specifications for public opinion, survey research, and communication. Public Opinion Quarterly is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in Chicago author–date style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an abstract within the journal's stated limit (structured or unstructured per the guidelines). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses Chicago author–date. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: references not in the journal's specified format, an abstract outside the stated word limit, and missing conflict-of-interest and funding statements. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep Chicago author–date formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through ScholarOne Manuscripts — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what POQ’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, Chicago author–date reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the POQ journal home page. POQ offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through ScholarOne Manuscripts, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | POQ requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an abstract within the journal's stated limit (structured or unstructured per the guidelines) |
| 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 | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Read the POQ author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set Chicago author–date as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent POQ 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 POQ author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, Chicago author–date references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — references not in the journal's specified format, an abstract outside the stated word limit, and missing conflict-of-interest and funding statements. Then submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts.