< Submission Guidelines

Writing a Scientific Manuscript

Before You Start Writing

Manuscripts for JEI often have their beginnings in at-home science experiments, class assignments, science fair projects, and internships in university labs. There are several important steps to take before you begin writing your manuscript:

  • Review the scientific literature relevant to your question
  • Use previously published research as a guide when designing your experiments and your data analysis
  • Work closely with your senior mentor to help guide your ideas and compose your thoughts before writing
  • Review all appropriate sections of a scientific manuscript
  • If your project involves vertebrate animals and/or human subjects, carefully review all mandatory requirements before conducting research
  • Begin drafting your manuscript

Citations and Plagiarism

Any statement of fact that is not common knowledge must be cited properly. Failure to properly cite sources will be considered plagiarism and manuscripts will be sent back to the authors. In extreme cases, manuscripts may be rejected. Please review our References page for citation guidelines.

You should not quote sentences or phrases directly from a source, even if the source is cited properly. Instead, you should paraphrase the sentence in your own words. See the following resources for examples of paraphrasing.

Resource Accessibility

JEI understands that scientific papers published in professional journals can be inaccessible by students, both in terms of difficulty and public availability. We encourage students to use and cite readily available resources such as textbooks, encyclopedias, and science magazines. All internet sources will be assessed by the reviewers and editors. Our Resources page contains helpful links for literature search.

Questions?

During the writing process, students can email [email protected] with any questions related to the submission process. If students have scientific questions, please use JEI’s Ask A Scientist feature.