Instructions to Authors

Save time and energy

1. Choose the format that works best for you.

You can publish all sound science in Stacks Journal, including negative results, datasets, and your biggest breakthroughs. We accept the following article lengths:

Two-Pager – fewer than 1200 words
Long-Form – more than 1200 words

2. Don’t worry about formatting.

As long as your article contains the essential elements of a scientific paper listed below, then it is ready for peer review. You can use this template as a guide.

3. Use our 3-click submission process to upload your research.

There are no cover letters. Just drag and drop your manuscript.

4. Address feedback from reviewers, who have aligned their ideas in one document.

You can address comments and edits in the same document. Stacks Journal’s streamlined process makes it easy for you to respond to reviewers and update your manuscript.

5. Review the final manuscript and approve it for publishing.

Authors retain copyright and ownership of the final article. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0).

Submit Your Article

“Publishing our article in Stacks Journal was a pleasant and constructive experience. The collaborative review process was efficient, thorough, and helped us create better science. Our research can now make the largest impact possible.”

Dr. Joseph Hinton

PRICING

SINGLE ARTICLE SUBMISSION

$399

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YEAR OF UNLIMITED PUBLISHING

$499

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Special pricing for labs and teams.
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“Stacks is motivating and exciting. The process empowers scientists, enhances critical thinking and conversation, and creates better end products.”

Dr. Katie Moriarty

Article FAQs

What fields of research can I publish?

Stacks Journal is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes research across all natural and social scientific disciplines. Most of what we publish is empirical work reporting original data collection with a clearly defined methodology. We also publish review articles and perspective pieces that provide critical insights or propose new directions for science and scientific publishing.

What sections does my article need?

Articles in Stacks Journal have the same elements as a standard scientific paper:

- Title
- Author list (including identifying the corresponding author, up-to-date affiliations, email addresses, and contributions to the article using a CRediT author statement)
- Keywords: 5-7 words or phrases (These identify the areas of expertise needed to peer review your work)
- Abstract and abstract image
- Introduction
- Materials and Methods (including approvals from institutional review boards)
- Results
- Discussion
- Figures & Tables (These can be placed anywhere throughout the article. Each item should include Alternative text to assist readers with disabilities.)
- Acknowledgments
- References (formatted with APA Style (7th edition), including each reference’s DOI where it has one. In-line citations should use author and year, e.g. (Smith & Jones, 2020), not numbers. Don’t worry about perfect formatting: during production we bring every reference into APA style, and you approve each change.)
- Funding Information
- Data Availability Statement (Indicate where your data & code will be made available or why you cannot post it publicly)
- Conflicts of Interest (If no conflicts of interest are present in the submission, authors can report: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”)
- AI Use Statement (State any use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript, naming the tool and what it was used for. If none was used, state: “The authors declare no use of generative AI in the preparation of this manuscript.”)
- Supplemental information

Click here for a sample template of a scientific article.

How does peer review work in Stacks Journal?

Our unique peer review process is double-blind and collaborative. We bring together a small group of vetted reviewers to discuss and align their feedback in a single document so it’s easy for you to respond to their suggestions and update your article. Learn more.

Can my submission be desk rejected?

Sometimes. We do not desk reject submission based on perceived novelty or potential impact. However, we may desk reject submissions that are not ready for peer review—for example, if they lack the core elements of a scientific paper, or if the work falls outside the article types we publish.

What is your policy for plagiarism and unethical behavior?

Stacks Journal upholds the highest standards of scientific integrity. Articles submitted to Stacks Journal must be free of plagiarism, manipulation, and incorrect information.

Reviewers are required to identify any connections or interests that could be interpreted as bias in their work or influence their ability to provide an impartial peer review.

If you believe an article or submission is in violation of this policy, please contact us.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS