Frontiers Journal Submission Requirements
Validate your manuscript against Frontiers' structured section requirements, ORCID policy, and open science standards before submission.
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Frontiers journal submission requirements
Frontiers is one of the largest open-access publishers with over 200 journals across science, medicine, humanities, and education. Frontiers uses a distinctive article structure with mandatory section headings, requires all authors to have ORCID iDs, enforces strict figure file format requirements (TIFF or EPS), mandates data sharing, and uses a collaborative peer review system where reviewers sign their reports. Article types — original research, review, mini review, perspective, hypothesis — each have specific structural requirements and word count limits that must be met at submission.
Frontiers publishes over 200 open-access journals covering science, medicine, humanities, and education. With its distinctive collaborative peer review system and strict submission requirements, Frontiers has a reputation for thorough pre-review editorial screening. Understanding what Frontiers checks before a manuscript reaches peer review prevents unnecessary delays and revision requests.
Article Types and Section Structure
Frontiers enforces specific section headings for each article type. Using the wrong structure is one of the most common reasons manuscripts are returned during the initial editorial check.
Original Research requires: Abstract → Introduction → Materials and Methods → Results → Discussion → (optional Conclusion) → Data Availability Statement → Author Contributions → Funding → Conflict of Interest → Acknowledgments → References.
Review articles require: Abstract → Introduction → [thematic sections] → Discussion/Conclusion → Author Contributions → Funding → Conflict of Interest → References. Reviews do not have a Materials and Methods section.
Mini Reviews, Perspectives, and Hypothesis and Theory articles each have distinct structural requirements available in the Frontiers submission guidelines. Authors reformatting manuscripts from other journals frequently retain the wrong section structure.
ORCID: Mandatory for Every Author
Frontiers requires an ORCID iD for every listed author — not just the corresponding author. This is a hard requirement enforced before submission is accepted. If any co-author does not have an ORCID, they must register at orcid.org before the manuscript can be submitted. The ORCID iD must be verified (connected to the author's Frontiers account), not merely entered as a number.
In multi-author papers, coordinating ORCID registration across all co-authors before submission is a logistical step that experienced Frontiers submitters plan for. Last-minute delays caused by co-authors without ORCID are common and preventable.
Collaborative Peer Review
Frontiers uses a signed collaborative peer review process. After the handling associate editor accepts the manuscript for review, reviewers are invited who agree to eventually sign their reviews. This creates a more transparent but sometimes slower review process than anonymous peer review. Authors can suggest associate editors (Frontiers Review Editors) at submission. Rejected manuscripts at the associate editor screening stage — which happens before formal peer review — are distinct from peer-review rejection.
Figure and File Requirements
Frontiers requires figures as separate TIFF or EPS files, not embedded in the manuscript document. TIFF resolution requirements: 300 dpi minimum for photographs, 600–1000 dpi for line art. EPS files should be vector format. JPEG, PNG, and PDF figures are not accepted at submission. Figure captions must be included in the main manuscript file, not in the image files themselves. Each figure is uploaded as a separate supplementary file with a clear label.
Also see: PLOS ONE checker | MDPI journal checker | Frontiers journals checker
Frontiers compliance checks
Section structure for article type
Verify that manuscript sections match the required headings for your specific article type at Frontiers.
ORCID for all authors
Every author must have an ORCID iD — this is mandatory at Frontiers for all submissions.
Data sharing statement
Confirm a data availability or data sharing statement is present as required by Frontiers' open data policy.
Figure format (TIFF/EPS)
Flag figures that do not meet Frontiers' TIFF or EPS format and minimum resolution requirements.
Abstract word count
Check abstract length against Frontiers' article-type specific word count limits.
Author email addresses
Email addresses required for all authors as specified by Frontiers submission guidelines.
Checks relevant to this topic
Part of our 80+ automated checks
ORCID for all authors
Every author has an ORCID iD as required by Frontiers.
Required section headings
Section structure matches Frontiers' requirements for the article type.
Data sharing statement
Data availability statement present and complete.
Figure format
Figures in TIFF or EPS format at required resolution.
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Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
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Master's Student in Speech Therapy
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PhD Candidate, UFPE
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Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Frequently asked questions
Yes: Frontiers mandates ORCID iDs for every listed author — not just the corresponding author. Submissions without complete ORCID coverage for all authors are returned before peer review. Authors without ORCID must register at orcid.org before submitting.
Frontiers original research articles require specific section headings: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion (optional), Data Availability Statement, Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, and References. Reviews and other article types have different required structures.
Frontiers uses a collaborative peer review model. Authors can suggest associate editors, who invite reviewers. Peer review is signed — reviewers' identities are revealed to authors after the review stage. The 'review forum' approach requires interaction between authors and reviewers. This is distinct from standard anonymous peer review.
Frontiers requires figures in TIFF or EPS format. TIFF files must be at least 300 dpi for half-tone images and 600–1000 dpi for line art. Figures embedded in Word documents are not acceptable at Frontiers — each figure must be submitted as a separate file.
Common Frontiers rejection reasons include: missing ORCID iDs for any author, incorrect section structure for the article type, figures submitted in wrong format or resolution, missing data sharing statement, abstracts exceeding word count, and missing author email addresses.