Sustainability Template
Writing for Sustainability? 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 Sustainability Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to Sustainability goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Sustainability 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 template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Sustainability Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Sustainability. 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 Sustainability journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Sustainability 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 Sustainability 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 Sustainability guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Sustainability 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 MDPI Susy.
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 Sustainability.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Sustainability 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 MDPI Susy.
Sustainability Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Sustainability requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | About 200 words maximum. Single paragraph following the style of structured abstracts but without headings: 1) Background: place the question in broad context and highlight purpose; 2) Methods: describe briefly the main methods/treatments applied; 3) Results: summarize main findings; 4) Conclusion: indicate main conclusions/interpretations. Applies to all article types (Article, Review, etc.). |
| 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 |
| Submission | susy.mdpi.com |
| Keywords | 3 to 10 keywords |
| References | Numbered in order of appearance in square brackets, formatted according to ACS style guide. At initial submission, any consistent style is acceptable; ACS formatting required at revision stage. |
| Peer review | Single-blind (single-anonymized peer review system) |
Quick Tips for Using the Sustainability Template
Read the Sustainability 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 Sustainability in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Sustainability 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 Sustainability 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 Sustainability guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through MDPI Susy.
