What is a Manuscript?
In academic publishing, a manuscript is the author's version of a research paper, book or chapter, written to be submitted for publication. It is the text before the publisher typesets it. (Historically, "manuscript" meant a handwritten document, and the word is still used for old handwritten texts studied by historians.)
Manuscript Versions
- Submitted manuscript: the version sent to the journal; shared publicly, it is a preprint.
- Accepted manuscript (author accepted manuscript, AAM): the final text after peer review, before the publisher's copyediting and layout. This is usually the version you may deposit in a repository.
- Version of record: the final published article, with the journal's formatting and page numbers.
What a Research Manuscript Contains
- Title page with authors, affiliations and the corresponding author.
- Abstract and keywords.
- Main text, often in IMRaD form: introduction, methods, results, discussion.
- References, then tables and figure legends; figures often in separate files.
- Statements: funding, conflicts of interest, data availability, ethics approval.
Manuscript Format
Most journals ask for a simple layout for review: double spacing, line and page numbers, a plain font, and no complex formatting; follow the journal's guidelines or manuscript template. A citation style such as APA or Vancouver is applied throughout. Papero can export a document to Word as a double-spaced manuscript, with a title page and page numbers.
Manuscript vs Journal Paper vs Dissertation
- Manuscript vs journal paper: the same work at different stages; the manuscript becomes a paper once published.
- Manuscript vs dissertation: a dissertation is a degree requirement, assessed by examiners; a manuscript is written for a journal or publisher. Some programmes accept a "thesis by publication" (manuscript-style thesis), made of several papers plus linking chapters.
- Manuscript vs transcript: a transcript is a written record of speech, such as an interview, or an official record of a student's grades.
Before You Submit
- Have a colleague read it for clarity.
- Check every citation against the reference list.
- Proofread the final file, including figures and tables, then follow the journal submission steps.
Use case: AI writing tools for researchers