Manuscript Preparation

Manuscript Preparation & Submission Guidelines

At Heighten Science Publication Incorporation (HSPI), we believe that clear, consistent manuscript guidelines are the foundation of rigorous, transparent, and high-impact scholarly publishing. Our recommendations align with international open-access mandates (including Plan S, DOAJ criteria, and CC BY 4.0 licensing), COPE and OASPA best practices, and SEO-optimized terminology—so your work is not only compliant but also readily discoverable.

Structured Manuscript Components

To facilitate reader comprehension and indexing, please organize your paper with these standard sections (unless your target HSPI journal specifies otherwise):

  • Title Page: Concise yet descriptive title; full author names with ORCID iDs; institutional affiliations; and clear corresponding-author contact details.
  • Abstract (150–300 words): A standalone summary covering background, objectives, methods, key results, and conclusions. Use structured subheadings if required (e.g., Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion).
  • Keywords (4–6 terms): Select terms that reflect your study’s core themes and improve search engine visibility—think “molecular immunology,” “climate modeling,” or “machine learning in genomics.”
  • Main Text: Introduction; Materials & Methods (with enough detail to ensure reproducibility, citing any reporting guidelines such as CONSORT, PRISMA, or ARRIVE); Results; Discussion; and Conclusion.
  • Acknowledgements: Funding sources (with grant numbers), technical assistance, and any non-author contributions.
  • References: Complete citations in your chosen style (see section 3).

By following this structure, you ensure consistent presentation across HSPI’s portfolio and help indexing services (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) parse your work accurately.

Formatting & Layout

Well-formatted manuscripts speed up peer review and production. Please observe:

  • Text: Times New Roman, 12 pt; double-spaced; 1″ (2.5 cm) margins on all sides.
  • Line & Page Numbers: Continuous line numbering throughout; page numbers in the header or footer.
  • Templates: Use our Word or LaTeX template (available on each journal’s “Instructions for Authors” page) to ensure compliance with house style and XML tagging for online publication.
  • Units & Nomenclature: SI units only; chemical nomenclature per IUPAC; gene/protein names in italics.
  • Manuscript Files: Main text and supplementary files uploaded separately. Embed figure/table callouts in the text; supply high-resolution files (see section 5).

Adhering to these requirements reduces revision cycles and accelerates time to first decision (our current average is 10 business days).

Reference Management & Citation Style

HSPI supports both Vancouver (numeric) and APA (author-date) formats, depending on journal preference. To streamline this process:

  • Citation Managers: We recommend EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley with our custom style files—available for download.
  • DOIs & ORCIDs: Include DOIs for every cited article; link your own ORCID iD on the title page to enable automatic author disambiguation.
  • Recent & Relevant: Prioritize up-to-date studies (within the last five years) and seminal works. Unpublished data, personal communications, or preprints must be clearly identified.
  • CrossRef & PubMed Linking: Ensure that each reference is fully formatted so that online systems can generate active links, boosting SEO and reader engagement.

Consistent, accurate referencing demonstrates academic rigor and facilitates knowledge discovery.

Ethical Standards & Originality

HSPI is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards. All submissions must include:

  • Ethics Statements: Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Animal Care and Use Committee approval numbers; informed consent declarations for human subjects.
  • Conflict of Interest: A transparent disclosure of any financial or non-financial relationships that could bias your work.
  • Originality & Exclusivity: A signed statement confirming the manuscript is original, not published elsewhere, and not under simultaneous consideration.
  • Data Availability: A clear Data Availability Statement indicating where raw data, code, and materials are hosted (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, Dryad) under an open license.
  • Plagiarism Check: All submissions undergo iThenticate screening; similarity indices above 15% may require justification or revision.

By aligning with COPE, ICMJE, and local data-protection laws (GDPR, CCPA), we protect participants, authors, and the integrity of the scientific record.

Figures, Tables & Supplementary Files

Visuals are central to conveying complex data. Please provide:

  • Figures: High-resolution (≥ 300 dpi) TIFF, JPEG, or PNG files; legends self-contained and numbered in order of appearance.
  • Tables: Editable formats (Word tables or Excel spreadsheets); each with a succinct title and footnotes explaining abbreviations or statistical tests.
  • Permissions: For previously published material, submit written permission from copyright holders.
  • Supplementary Material: Datasets, extended methods, multimedia, code repositories (with DOI), or large tables should be uploaded as separate files and cited in the main text (e.g., “Supplementary Table S1”).

Clear labeling and accessibility of supplemental content enrich the reader experience and support reproducibility.

Language, Clarity & Accessibility

To maximize impact and readership:

  • English Proficiency: Manuscripts should be grammatically correct and stylistically polished. We strongly recommend professional language editing or review by a native speaker if English is not your first language.
  • Plain-Language Summary: Where applicable, include a 50–100-word lay summary to broaden outreach beyond specialists.
  • Inclusive Writing: Use gender-neutral pronouns and avoid jargon where possible. Define all acronyms at first use.
  • Accessibility: Ensure tables and figures are screen-reader friendly (e.g., include alt text for key images in supplementary HTML versions).

These practices enhance clarity, comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and expand your article’s global reach.

Final Checks & Submission

Before hitting “Submit,” please:

  1. Run Our Pre-Submission Checklist: Available on each journal webpage, covering formatting, ethical compliance, and file completeness.
  2. Register ORCID & Update Profiles: Link your ORCID iD in your HSPI account for automated metadata integration and increased discoverability.
  3. Verify Licensing: Confirm that you agree to publish under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0 by default), ensuring immediate open access.

When you’re ready, upload all components via our online submission portal. Our editorial team is here to assist at every step—email us at editorial@hspioa.org for any queries about formatting, templates, or policy clarifications.

By rigorously following these guidelines, you not only streamline your path through peer review but also help HSPI disseminate your findings swiftly, ethically, and widely across the global research community.