Smart Materials and Structures Template
Writing for Smart Materials and Structures? This template gives you a submission-ready structure—sections, abstract, and references—so you focus on the research, not the formatting.
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How to Use the Smart Materials and Structures Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Smart Materials and Structures goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This journal specifically expects a Highlights list, a data availability statement; build these in from the start. This template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Smart Materials and Structures Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Smart Materials and Structures. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Smart Materials and Structures journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a SMS submission:
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Smart Materials and Structures Template include?
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (IOP).
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The Scispace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for SMS.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through ScholarOne (IOP).
Smart Materials and Structures Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | SMS requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract. Maximum 300 words. Should concisely describe the contents, include key terms (especially in the first two sentences for search engine discoverability), be informative and accessible, state the methodology used, main results obtained and conclusions drawn. The abstract should be complete in itself; should not contain undefined acronyms/abbreviations and no table numbers, figure numbers, references or equations should be referred to. Articles relying on clinical trials should quote the trial registration number at the end of the abstract. If an abstract is longer than 300 words, the manuscript may be rescinded and authors asked to re-write it. |
| Main text | Section order and length per article type |
| Declarations | Ethics, competing interests, funding, data as required |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Keywords are required. Authors are asked to supply keywords relevant to their work during submission. No specific count or range is stated in the guide. Keywords are used to index the article and make it more discoverable. Authors should choose terms they would use when searching online for related articles. |
| References | Vancouver numerical system or Harvard alphabetical system (author choice). Either system can be used for Smart Materials and Structures. In Vancouver, references are numbered sequentially in square brackets [1], [6-7] and listed in numerical order. In Harvard, author name and year appear in text (Smith 2001) with reference list in alphabetical order. References are formatted to house style during production regardless of initial submission format. |
| Peer review | Single-anonymous or double-anonymous (author choice). Reviewers interact with the Editor. Authors and reviewers can opt-in to publish review reports and reviewer identities. Author/editor communication is also published. |
| Submission | mc04.manuscriptcentral.com |
Quick Tips for Using the Smart Materials and Structures Template
Read the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Smart Materials and Structures in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent SMS papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Smart Materials and Structures journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Smart Materials and Structures guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (IOP).
