Submissions

Author Guidelines

As a Diamond Open Access journal, it is completely free to submit and publish research with the Edinburgh Student Journal of Science. You must, however, meet our scope and submission criteria. This page provides all writing and eligibility guidelines.

Scope

We accept articles which present novel, scientific research carried out by Honours undergraduate and Master’s STEM students which focuses on the physical and natural sciences. If you answer ‘yes’ to all three statements below, your work is a great fit for this journal.

1. Does your research focus on the physical, biological, mathematical or other scientific laws governing the natural and technical world?
2. Does your methodology rely primarily on quantitative data, laboratory experiments, quantitative/physical modelling, or technical analyses of natural or artificial systems?
3. Is the primary conclusion of your work a scientific finding rather than a social or policy recommendation?

Before submitting work to the Edinburgh Student Journal of Science, you should discuss your intent with your supervisor(s), then read this page carefully.

Submission Checklist

1. Check your Eligibility: Make sure your research meets our scope (above) and you meet our eligibility criteria (bottom of page).
2. Consult Your Supervisor(s): Discuss your research and intent to publish to ensure your results are able to be published and get advice from your supervisor(s).
3. Prepare Your Manuscript: Write your article, choosing from one of our three available manuscript formats (see below). Ensure your submission is anonymised and includes line numbers; see writing guidelines below. We offer free LaTeX and Word templates to get you started.
4. Complete the Submission Form: This is mandatory and must be signed by both the author(s) and a supervisor(s) – download here.
5. Upload: Register or Login on our website and upload your manuscript and completed submission form via the ‘Make a new submission’ link.

Manuscript Formats

Consider which of the three article categories below best suits your work – all are treated and published equally, differing only in scope and length. You may wish to discuss with your supervisor(s). Keep in mind that high-impact research doesn't always require extensive length; often, the most compelling findings are presented concisely.

• Letters are brief reports (up to 2000 words with up to 2 display items) focused on quickly sharing significant new findings or preliminary data.
• Research Notes (less than 4,000 words & 4 display items) describe new or adapted scientific methods, more contextualised results, or null results.
• Extended Reports present comprehensive original research from student-led research projects (not exceeding 6500 words and 7 display items). These manuscripts should offer a complete scientific narrative with thorough introductions, detailed methods, extensive results, and in-depth discussions, ideal for Master’s or full-year projects.

A display item is a table or figure.

Formatting Guidelines

Manuscripts should be prepared using LaTeX or Microsoft Word; templates for both are available here. You must include line numbers on your submission to facilitate the review process (see help for Word or LaTeX). You must anonymise your initial submission – including any additional materials – by removing all author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and any other identifiable material, which can be added in upon acceptance.

Please follow the guidance above on word-count and the number of figures or tables (visuals) depending on your desired manuscript format. Manuscripts must contain an abstract of no more than 200 words, which, along with references, do not count towards the word limit; figure and table captions are included.

Figures not produced by the author(s) must be CC-BY licensed and reference their origin. References should be provided in a uniform style, preferably with an accompanying .bib file.

It is not necessary to format the style of your manuscript (figure positions, text styles, references); accepted articles will be transcribed into the journal’s own format prior to publication.

If you intend to provide code or other supplementary materials, these materials can be provided with your initial submission.

While artificial intelligence tools can aid scientific research, their application in generating any part of a manuscript – including text, figures, or other content – for submission to this journal is not permitted. Please also consult the following guidance on plagiarism.

The Editorial Process: What Happens Next?

Our industry-standard workflow ensures a professional experience, but we also help guide authors through the process in a supportive environment.

• Submission Received: Automated confirmation sent to authors.
• Initial Decision: Editors review for scope and author eligibility.
• Double-Blind Peer Review: Two independent PhD students from the academic community review the work and provide constructive feedback. Articles may be accepted, have revisions requested, be asked to revise and resubmit, or rejected.
• Revisions: Authors address reviewer feedback to strengthen the manuscript, if required.
• Acceptance & Publication: The article is professionally formatted, proofed by authors, and then published with a DOI, and indexed in Google Scholar, CrossRef and more.

As a guide, we expect to complete reviews for Letters manuscripts within two weeks, with the turnaround time increasing with manuscript length.