Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Molluscan Research.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-02

Check readiness free Prepare this manuscript

Article types

Review

Editorial

Lectio

Letter

Original Article

Clinical Trial

Protocol

Systematic Review

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 200 words.
The Abstract should be fewer than 200 words and should state concisely the scope of the work and give the principal findings.

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The first mention in the text of the scientific name of a species or genus, unless they are used in a heading or in the abstract, should be accompanied by the authority author and date, but subsequent use of these names should omit the author and date (e.g., Jones, 1999 or Jones & Brown, 1999).
Do not cite references in the abstract.
Author and date (in the format Smith, 1902 or Smith & Brown, 1902) should be cited following the first introduction of a genus or species name in the text (other than the abstract).
The remainder of the manuscript should normally be arranged with the following components: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, and table and figure captions (see sections below for more details).

Keywords

Provide up to 10 keywords chosen by the author.
All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript, and up to 10 keywords that are not included in the title.

Reference style

Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
Citation of numbers of specimens should follow the registered number in the form (AMS C.3000, 2).

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References should be cited in the text with the year of publication, for example, Shepherd and Cannon (1988) or (Shepherd and Cannon 1988; Smith 1992, 1995).
Headings for Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements and References should be in bold (in 12 pt) and on the left margin and on their own line.
The Introduction should explain why the work was undertaken and include essential background information and references.
These are not references and should not be included in the reference list (unless they are also cited specifically as references or in a synonymy).
It must include the reference to the original description.
If synonymies and references have previously been published these should not be repeated in full if a reference to that source is given.
Statistical tests should be described briefly and, if necessary, supported by references.
Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
Authorities of taxa should NOT be included in the references unless otherwise cited as an actual reference in the text or in a synonymy.
Papers not cited must not be listed in the references.
Online-only publications must include a DOI; a DOI can be given for other references if available.
All pages of the manuscript must be numbered consecutively, including those carrying references, tables and figure captions, all of which are to be placed at the end of the manuscript.
References given (whether to the valid name or synonyms) should include the author, date, page number and any figure numbers, but should exclude the name of the publication, because these details must be given in the list of references at the end of the paper.
Multiple synonyms should be arranged in order of date of the first application of the name in question and, under each name, the separate references (if more than one is given) should be in chronological order.
A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.
References must be listed alphabetically by authors, and then chronologically, at the end of the paper, in the following forms.

Figure and table rules

Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
Group figures at the end of the manuscript.

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Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
The width of tables (using 10 pt font) must not exceed the maximum width of the page (17.6 cm).
Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour, at the correct size).
Figures should be able to fit into half a page (86 mm in width) or take the whole page width (176 mm).The maximum printed size of a full-page figure is 176 x 260 mm.
Computer-generated figures (e.g., vector images such as maps, cladograms, statistical plots) must be provided at 600 dpi saved as tiff files.
Illustrations, both line drawings and photographs, are to be numbered as figures in a common sequence, and each must be referred to in the text (e.g., as Figure 1, or Figures 1–4).
If multiple photographs are to be used in a single figure, they should be provided as a group of figures, trimmed to exclude features not relevant to the paper and be separated from adjacent photographs by uniform spaces that will be 1 mm wide after reduction.
The preferred position of figures and tables should be indicated on a separate line as follows: of.
Illustrations and tables should be numbered in accordance with the order they are referred to in the text.
The description should be as comprehensive as possible and should include a table of standard measurements.
The use of figures to illustrate descriptions is encouraged and should permit some reduction in the length of the verbal description of the parts figured.
Descriptions should include precise measurements of the type material and other relevant information (e.g., counts, colour) in table format.
All tables must be numbered (see Tables below).
Tabs or spaces should not be used to create a table.
When appropriate, scales must be included on the figure; magnifications given in the figure caption are not encouraged.
Explanations of symbols should be given in the caption to the figure.
Grid marks should point inwards; legends to axes should state the quantity being measured and be followed by the appropriate units in parentheses.
As an author, you are required to secure permission if you want to reproduce any figure, table, or extract from the text of another source.
Tables should be placed at the end of the manuscript in a simple MS Word table format without borders to columns and rows within the body of the table, apart from horizontal lines under the column headings.
Each table must be accompanied by a title.
Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
Each description of a new species-group taxon should contain the following subheadings in the order given: Name; Synonymy (if appropriate); Type designations (see format below); Material examined (Type material and Other material); Diagnosis (optional but recommended); Description (including a table of standard measurements preferably of more features than length and width (see under Measurements below) of at least the holotype and, if more material is available, additional specimens); Remarks; Etymology.

Funding statement

You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

Competing interests

Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Data availability statement

Include or confirm the data availability statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Blinded manuscript

Include or confirm the blinded manuscript required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Cover letter

Upon acceptance, copyright becomes the property of the Societies (see below) and the author(s) must complete a copyright form or a non-exclusive licence to publish.
If authors cannot assign copyright, they must provide a non-exclusive licence to publish to Taylor and Francis (see https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-agreements-your-options/ ).

Supplementary files

Lectio: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Letter: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.

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Review: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Protocol: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Editorial: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Clinical Trial: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Original Article: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
Supplementary material should be submitted as separate files.

Article structure and word limits

All text should be in Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Collection date should be given in the form 2 Aug.

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Latitude and longitude data should be given in the format 12°27.45´S, 130°49.33´E.
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (fourth edition, effective from 1 January 2000) and decisions by the ICZN must be adhered to.
Numbers in the text should (unless given as actual units of measurement) be spelt out as words if less than 10 and as numerals if more than 10.
Should be scanned at high resolution, at least 600 dpi at final (printed) size, and saved in black and white bitmap format as TIFF files.
Fine line drawings with a lot of variable grey shading should be saved in greyscale format as TIFF files at a minimum of 600 dpi.
Must be provided electronically and must be scanned at a resolution of at least 300 dpi at final size and saved in greyscale format as TIFF files.
Scale bars should be between 1 and 2 pt width at final size.
The height after reduction (i.e., printing size) should be no more than 3 mm and there should be good contrast with the background.
Leader lines should be a minimum width of 0.5 pt at final size.
Should be about 3 mm in height in the printed version.
Line spacing of text should be 1.5 line.
It should be a maximum width of 525 pixels.
Off Beachport, South Australia, 73 m (SAMA D.14979, ex. D.10113, 2 v). [Example where more than one type specimen is referred to.: i.e. all primary type material should be recorded, not just that of the accepted taxon].
Museum registration numbers should be cited in the form required by the institution concerned, but there should not be a space between the letter and the number (i.e., C.3000 or F4000 not C 3000 or F 4000).
However, for authorities of names, a comma must be included (recommended in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ) (e.g., Jones, 1999 or Jones & Brown, 1999).
These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
Submission of your manuscript must be electronic, via the Editorial Manager system.
Text must be ragged right (i.e., not right justified).
The title should be concise and include higher classification details where appropriate.
It should be complete enough for direct use by abstracting services.
The type species, with author and date, should be cited with the synonymy for each genus treated.
Designation of a lectotype must be accompanied by an express statement of the taxonomic purpose of the designation.
All primary types of new taxa must be lodged in a public museum and paratype material should also preferably be lodged in a public museum.
Authors should be aware of the wildlife protection acts governing the import and export of specimens of wildlife in the countries in which specimens were collected.
Concise lists of specimens examined should be presented for each species.
Records should normally be arranged geographically from north to south and east to west where practical.
Museum acronyms should conform to those normally used.
Information regarding distribution, habitat, host association, seasonality, behaviour, and biology should be summarised in the body of the paper.
The ‘telegraphic’ style is required for both.
Diagnoses should contain only the distinguishing characters or combination of characters for that taxon.
They should include a comprehensive statement distinguishing the new taxon from related taxa.
For shelled species, measurements of more than just length and width should be provided.
Keys should use clear-cut and, preferably, readily accessible characters.
Numbers of individuals, mean values, ranges and measures of variability should be stated.
It should be made clear whether the standard deviation or the standard error of the mean has been given.
Normally data provided graphically should not be repeated in tabular form.
Titles of periodicals are italicised and must not be abbreviated.
Details of plates should only be given if they are not included in the pagination of the article.
Any labels, scale bars etc., must be applied electronically to the scanned images.
Must be submitted electronically in CMYK format.
Should be in Helvetica bold font with only the first letter of any proper names capitalised.
Important features to which attention has been drawn in the text should be indicated.
Should you have any queries, please visit our Author Services website or contact us here.
A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
Right margins should not be justified.
Type datashould be given for each valid species treated, the museum in which the primary type (holotype, syntypes, lectotype or neotype) is preserved should be given or, if the whereabouts of the type are unknown, what steps were taken to ascertain its whereabouts.
Authors should make every effort to ensure that types are lodged in the most appropriate institution in the region from which the species originates and in accordance with the requirements of collecting permits or legislation.
Metric and Celsius units must be used.
Please use SI units (non-italicized).
Authors should note that colours change when converted to CMYK from RGB and when printed from different types of printer; hence it is important to check that your original image matches the CMYK file version.
Lettering should be kept to a minimum.
Please do not embed it in the manuscript file but save it as a separate file, labelled GraphicalAbstract1.
These should be grouped together in the following way: Sydney Harbour: Balmoral Beach, Lat., Long., date (museum registered number, number of specimens); Vaucluse, Lat., Long., date (museum registered number, number of specimens).
Multiple lots from the same locality should be given in the following way: Balmoral Beach, Lat., Long.: subsidiary data (museum registered number, number of specimens; museum registered number, number of specimens); subsidiary data (museum registered number, number of specimens).
Do not give original imperial units unless quoting or for another particular reason.
Add the country after the locality of the publisher only if the town or city is a minor one.
Remove colours from all charts and graphs unless they are intended to be published in colour.
Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.

Reporting guidelines

Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.

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Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Language and text style

All manuscripts must be submitted in English.
The abbreviations ‘n. gen.’, ‘n. sp.’, or ‘n. subsp.’ should be used for indicating a new genus, species, or subspecies.

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They should be spelt out in a list under Materials and methods along with other abbreviations.
Descriptions should be subdivided by appropriate subordinate headings in bold italics at the left margin.
Latin names of genera and species and Latin words or abbreviations of most Latin words (such as sensu lato ) should be in italics.
Italics should not be used for any other purpose.
Use the following format – institutional and other abbreviations can be listed separately.

Article type and manuscript length

The main text should be a MS Word document or RTF file and the figures as editable source files, in formats such as.jpg or.tiff.
For large material examined sections, authors should minimise the information to locality, repository, registered number and number of specimens only, and should summarise the information from label data in distribution maps or in the main text.

Manuscript structure

Materials and methods should provide enough detail to allow the experiments or measurements to be repeated.
For taxonomic papers, the same components (primary headings) as standard papers should be used (see above).

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The introduction to a taxonomic paper should ‘set the scene’ and provide a brief overview of what is known about other related taxa (e.g., in the same genus).
Headings for all taxonomic categories in taxonomic papers should be centred.
Authors’ names and dates should also be used for genus-group and species-group names used in headings.
If a synonymy is provided, it must immediately follow the appropriate centred taxon heading.
Where type material has been examined then details should be listed under a heading Type material at the beginning of Material examined, as illustrated in the paragraph.
Use bold headings for country and state names, etc.
Statements about the significance (e.g., biogeographic, evolutionary, conservation) of the new taxa or taxon should preferably be given in the Discussion.
Footnotes in the text should be used only when essential.
Headings to keys should be self-explanatory.
Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
Information for non-type material should be presented after the heading ‘Other material’ in the following format (items in [ ] are optional): Material examined.

Study reporting guidelines

Authors should take particular care that this is done correctly.
Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).

Statistical reporting

If multiple specimens are available, measurements of more than one specimen should be provided and summary statistics of multiple specimens can also be given.

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What your package checks

Abstract: 200 words

Keywords: Up to 10 keywords

References: Harvard

Declarations: Artificial intelligence

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

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