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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for West European Politics.

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

Checked 2026-08-02
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Article types

Review
Review Article
Lectio
Book Review
Editorial
Clinical Trial
Protocol
Systematic Review
Letter

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 150 words.
  • Use a structured abstract.
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  • Your abstract should focus on what your research is about, what methods have been used, and what you found out.
  • The instructions for authors for each journal will give specific guidelines on what’s required here, including whether it should be a structured abstract or graphical abstract, and any word limits.
  • A non-structured abstract of no more than 150 words.

Keywords

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

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Harvard style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • A typical manuscript for this journal should be no more than 10,000 words; this limit includes tables, references, figure captions, endnotes.
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  • A typical researchnote for this journal should be no more than 4000 words; this limit includes tables, references, figure captions, endnotes.
  • References or citations should be indicated ALPHABET ICA LLY within the text (e.g. J ones 2000; Smith and Jones 1999), separated with semi-colon, no comma before year.
  • Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ***Do not include the DOI number if publisher name is provided.*** EDITED BOOKS: Neunreither, Karlheinz, and Antje Wiener, eds. (2000).
  • Ox ford: Ox ford University Press. ***Do not include the DOI number if publisher name is provided.*** CHAPTERS IN EDITED BOOKS: Dahl, Robert A. (1966). ‘Patterns of Opposition’, in Robert A.
  • New Haven: Yale Universit y Press, 332–47. ***Do not include the DOI number if publisher name is provided.*** UNPUBLIS HED WORKS OR CONFERENCE PAPERS: Radaelli, Claudio (2000). ‘Whither Europeanization? ’, unpublished paper, University of Bradford.
  • Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
  • Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
  • Precise page references should be given for quotations.
  • The letters a, b, c, etc., should be used to distinguish citations of different works b y the same author in the same year, e. g.
  • 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.
  • All references cited in the text should be listed alphabeticall y and presented in full after the notes, using the following style: ART IC LES IN J OURNA LS: D'Alimonte, Roberto, and Stefano Bartolini (1998). ‘How to Lose a Majority: The Competition in Single-Member Districts’, European Journal of Political Research, 34:1, 163–64. ***Do not include the DOI number if journal volume, issue and page numbers are provided.*** BOOKS: Sartori, Giovanni, John Smith, and Sally Jones (1976).

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
  • Group figures at the end of the manuscript.
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  • Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
  • Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for color, at the correct size).
  • Tables and figures Show clearly in your article text where the tables and figures should appear, for example, by writing [Table 1 near here].
  • Figures should be saved in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, GIF, or Microsoft Word (DOC orDOCX) files for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  • Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
  • It’s very important that you have been given permission to use any tables or figures you are reproducing from another source before you submit.
  • Check the instructions for authors to see how you should supply tables and figures, whether at the end of the text or in separate files, and follow any guidance given on the submission system.

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.

Ethics statement

  • Include or confirm the ethics 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

  • Using third-party material in your paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
  • The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
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  • If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

Author contributions

  • Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process.

Title page and author information

  • All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript.
  • One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

  • The proposal document should not exceed 8 pages.
  • The proposal document should not exceed 4 pages.
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  • Margins Margins should be at least 2.5cm (1 inch).
  • Abstracts should be no more than 150 words.
  • 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.
  • Review Article: Scholars should contact WEP editors beforehand with their idea for a review article to check with WEP for its suitability.
  • Full proposals for special issues should be submitted at least two years before planned publication.
  • Special issue proposals should set out the objectives, research questions and approaches guiding the volume and specifyits content and structure.
  • The research to be presented should be explained clearly.
  • The proposal should also include the abstracts of all articles and short biographical notes on the contributors.
  • Special issue proposals should be submitted to the editors via the WEP office, email: wepsubmissions@gmail.com.
  • A symposium proposal should set out the objectives, questions and approaches and specify the symposium’s content and structure.
  • Symposium proposals should be submitted to the editors via the WEP office, email: wepsubmissions@gmail.com.
  • This could be adapted from your departmental website or academic networking profile and should be relatively brief.
  • Queries 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.
  • Before you submit your article, make sure you’ve checked the instructions for authors for your chosen journal, so you are aware of everything required.
  • Most journals create image descriptions during the production process, but a minority may require authors to provide image descriptions.
  • Review: Running heads and received dates These aren’t required when submitting a manuscript for review.
  • A research note will typically take an accepted research question and make a conceptual contribution, a measurement contribution, or an empirical contribution that is important but does not require a full-length article.
  • Please use SI units (non-italicized).
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: European accents (Greek, Hebrew, or Cyrillic letters, or phonetic symbols): choose Times New Roman font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: Asian languages (such as Sanskrit, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese): choose Arial Unicode font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • If you are at the early stage of your research, you may also need to read how to start writing a journal manuscript.
  • 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.

Preprints and prior publication

  • If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

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.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Preparing your paper Structure Manuscripts should be compiled in the following order: title page (including Acknowledgements as well as Funding and grant-awarding bodies); abstract; 6 keywords; main text; acknowledgements; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages).

Language and text style

  • Please use British -ise spelling style consistently throughout your manuscript.
  • Please use single quotation marks, except where 'a quotation is "within" a quotation'.
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  • Please note that long quotations should be indented without quotation marks.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fourth-level headings should be in bold italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fifth-level headings should be in italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Second-level headings should be in bold italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Third-level headings should be in italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Study reporting guidelines

  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).

Manuscript structure

  • 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.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: First-level headings (e.g. Introduction, Conclusion) should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Authorship and originality

  • Use 'et al.' (in italic) when citing a work by more than two authors, but then use all authors' names (up to 7) in the listing of cited works at the end of the paper (where there are more than 7 authors, please use et al. only).
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What your package checks

Abstract: 150 words
Paper: 10,000 words
References: Harvard
Declarations: Artificial intelligence
Format: Times New Roman

Source transparency

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

Open official guideline source