Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering Sustainable Planet Sciences for your research. Please read these guidelines carefully before preparing and submitting your manuscript.

Before You Submit

Check that your manuscript:

• Falls within the journal’s aims & scope
• Is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere
• Has the agreement of all listed authors
• Complies with our publication ethics
• Includes all required sections and declarations (see below)

Manuscript Preparation

File Format

Submissions are accepted in the following formats: PDF, DOCX, DOC, ODT, RTF, TEX, or TXT. LaTeX users should submit the compiled PDF along with the source files. Maximum file size: 80 MB.

Language & Style

Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English (British or American, used consistently). Non-native English speakers are encouraged to have their manuscripts professionally edited before submission. Technical terms should be defined on first use.

Structure

Research articles should generally follow the IMRaD structure:

1. Title — Concise, informative (max 200 characters)
2. Abstract — 150-300 words summarising background, methods, results, and conclusions
3. Keywords — 4-8 keywords for indexing
4. Introduction — Context, significance, research questions, objectives
5. Materials and Methods — Sufficient detail to allow replication
6. Results — Clear presentation of findings with appropriate statistical analysis
7. Discussion — Interpretation, implications, limitations, future work
8. Conclusion — Concise summary of key findings
9. Declarations — Funding, conflicts of interest, data availability, author contributions
10. References — Formatted per journal style (see below)

References

We accept references in BibTeX, RIS, or DOI list format for automated import during submission. The final published version uses a numbered, journal-neutral format. Please ensure all references are complete and cite the primary literature wherever possible.

Figures & Tables

Figures should be embedded within the manuscript at their appropriate location, with high-resolution versions (≥ 300 DPI) supplied as supplementary files. All figures and tables must have numbered captions. Ensure accessibility by including alt-text for figures.

Mathematics & Equations

Equations should be typeset in LaTeX format where possible. Inline equations may be written using standard notation. Our system renders equations via MathJax on the published page.

Submission Process

1. Register an account on the journal website (if you don’t have one already)
2. Log in and click “Submit Manuscript”
3. Complete the five-step form: metadata, files, authors, references, review & submit
4. You will receive an immediate confirmation email with your manuscript ID
5. Track your submission through your author dashboard

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

We do not charge article processing charges (APCs). Publishing in Sustainable Planet Sciences is completely free for authors, regardless of their country or institutional affiliation.

Licensing

All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright in their work and grant the journal right of first publication. Readers may share and adapt published material with appropriate attribution.

Author Contributions

We require a detailed author contribution statement following the CRediT taxonomy. This promotes transparency about each author’s role in the research.

Data Availability

Authors are strongly encouraged to make their data publicly available in a recognised repository. Include a Data Availability Statement in your manuscript specifying where data are accessible or explaining any restrictions.

Preprints

We support and encourage preprint posting. Submission of a manuscript previously posted on a preprint server (e.g., bioRxiv, EarthArXiv) is welcome.