Submission essentials
Elsevier is one of the world’s largest STM publishers, with journals spanning engineering, computing, materials, chemistry, life sciences, social sciences, and more. Review timelines and acceptance rates vary widely by title: from high-impact multidisciplinary journals to field-specific and open-access outlets. Editors and reviewers generally weigh problem importance, appropriateness of methods, whether results support claims, and fair comparison with prior work. Elsevier’s submission systems (often Editorial Manager) ask for detailed metadata on figures, ethics statements, author contributions, and data availability; missing fields can trigger a technical return before peer review.
Common drivers of desk rejection include: the work falls outside the journal’s Aim & Scope; language or structure obscures the scientific contribution; missing ethics approval or trial registration (medical fields); questionable image handling; or clear non-compliance with elsarticle and Vancouver conventions. Unlike many APA-style journals, a large share of Elsevier titles use numbered citations plus Vancouver-style references — if you are switching from author–year, you must replace the system end-to-end, not mix styles.
Reviewers often ask for baselines, ablation studies, statistical tests, sensitivity analyses, depending on the field. For layout, 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 11 pt body text are widely expected baselines; a messy text block suggests lack of care. After acceptance, proof review is strict on high-resolution figures, table notes, and CRediT role labels — keep source files and consistent naming from the first draft.
Formatting in detail
The parameters below reflect common Elsevier practice; the target journal’s Guide for Authors and downloaded template always take precedence.
Document class and layout- The elsarticle class and its options (e.g.
review,3p,5p— per journal instructions) are widely used. - Single- vs double-column layout and anonymized review rules must follow the journal’s current guide.
- All sides are often set to 1 in (2.54 cm), consistent with official templates.
- Body: Times New Roman 11 pt.
- Title: typically ~14 pt, controlled by elsarticle or the journal stylesheet.
- Main text often has an upper bound around 30 pages (whether references and appendices count depends on the journal).
Manuscripts usually include: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, References. Additional sections such as Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and Declarations (Funding, Competing interests, Ethics, etc.) follow discipline- and journal-specific rules. Medical and life-science papers may require CONSORT, PRISMA, or similar checklists; engineering papers often emphasize Limitations and Future work.
Figures, tables, and supplementary material- Elsevier commonly supports Supplementary material; the main paper must stand alone.
- Figure formats, minimum resolution, and color-print policies are set per journal.
Abstract requirements
- Length: abstracts often cap around 250 words (confirm with the journal).
- Structure: aim → methods → main results → conclusions; avoid repeating the title verbatim.
- Keywords: typically 3–6 items; mix retrieval terms and method vocabulary; avoid overly generic labels.
Citations and references
- Style: Vancouver (numbered) — in-text numbers follow order of first appearance; superscript vs square brackets depends on the journal.
- Reference list: numbered in order of first citation; author names, titles, journal abbreviations, volume/issue/pages, and DOI must match the journal’s Reference style.
- Consistency: repeat citations use the same number; do not duplicate the same source as multiple entries.
- Electronic sources: DOI, access date, and database names follow the Vancouver variant required by the journal.
Common formatting mistakes
- Not using elsarticle or the journal-specified template, so text measure and line spacing diverge from production workflows.
- Margins not 1 in, or A4/Letter mixed without following the guide.
- Abstract over 250 words or noncompliant Keywords formatting.
- Vancouver numbering out of sync with citation order in the text.
- Incomplete reference fields (missing DOI/pages/volume) or journal abbreviations not matching ISO expectations.
- Low-resolution figures or fonts not embedded as required.
- Missing or inconsistentdeclarations on competing interests, funding, and ethics versus what was checked in the submission system.
Journal choice and sister journals
Transfers within Elsevier are common: editors may suggest a better-matched title. Templates and reference styles may change — after a transfer, reformat to the new journal’s guide. Reading Recent articles before submission helps match narrative depth and methods, reducing transfer rounds.Open access and APCs
Many Elsevier journals offer OA options; APCs and institutional deals (e.g. READ & PUBLISH) vary. Confirm eligibility and invoicing with your library or research office before submission to avoid delays after acceptance for funding reasons.
Ethics and research integrity
Image manipulation, duplicate publication, authorship, and ghost authorship are scrutinized. Human or animal studies need appropriate ethics statements; clinical trials often need registration numbers. Data fabrication or improper image splicing can lead to rejection or retraction — far beyond ordinary format risk.
LaTeX practice (elsarticle)
Choose the correct documentclass options (preprint, review, etc.); enable line numbers if required for review. Prefer elsarticle-num.bst or the journal-supplied bst over hand-written \bibitem. Keep graphicx paths portable across operating systems.
Peer review and revisions
Reply point-by-point to reviewers; highlighting changes or attaching a response letter is standard. If extra experiments are requested, assess feasibility within the deadline; if not possible, explain in writing. Even “minor” format revisions warrant a full PDF and reference-number check.
How to convert to Elsevier format with AutoSCI
- Upload your paper — PDF or Word
- Select the template — choose Elsevier from the template list
- Export in one click — LaTeX, PDF, or Word
AutoSCI applies the formatting details so your output aligns with Elsevier submission expectations.
Final checks and official resources
Before submission, verify: main text ~30 pages where applicable, 1 in margins on all sides, Times New Roman 11 pt body and ~14 pt title, Abstract / Keywords / Introduction / References complete, and Vancouver numbered citations consistent throughout.
For author resources, see the Elsevier author hub; the journal-specific Guide for Authors is authoritative.
Submission system: confirm title page, highlights, graphical abstract (if required), CRediT, and Funding fields. Keep a working email for the corresponding author before proof. Preprints: some fields allow SSRN, arXiv, etc.; policies differ by journal — check Journal policy before submitting. Moving from Word to LaTeX: watch equation and numbering fields; before final files, search for leftover author–year style(Author, Year).
After acceptance: you may be asked for editable figure sources and high-res PDFs; layer and archive assets from first submission.
Data sharing: in the Data statement, state clearly whether data are public, available on request, or cannot be shared for privacy reasons — consistent with the Methods section.
Statistics and reporting: for medical and psychology manuscripts, align CONSORT/STROBE (or similar) checklist items with the main text so form and substance stay aligned.