A manuscript title page is a separate file that holds everything identifying a submission: the full title, a running title, each author with an ORCID iD and affiliation, corresponding author details, word count, numbers of tables and figures, funding, conflicts of interest, acknowledgements and contributions. In double-blind review, editors see it and reviewers do not.
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) describes title page contents in its Recommendations. Each journal then adds items and sets its own order. This post builds the page one field at a time, gives a complete template, and shows where the title page and the rest of the submission must agree.
At Directive Publications, peer review is double-blind and manuscripts are sent by email to the editorial office. The format we ask for is in our Author Guidelines, and where this post and those guidelines differ, the guidelines win. Taking your identity out of the main file is a separate job, covered in how to anonymise a manuscript for double-blind review.
What the ICMJE Recommendations place on a manuscript title page
The ICMJE section on preparing a manuscript says a title page usually includes the article title, author information, any disclaimers, sources of support, a word count and sometimes the numbers of tables and figures. It also covers a short title and disclosures. The descriptions below paraphrase the Recommendations, which are revised periodically, so check the current version.
| Item | What the Recommendations describe |
|---|---|
| Article title | A distilled description of the whole article that, with the abstract, makes electronic retrieval sensitive and specific; reporting guidelines recommend, and some journals require, naming the study design |
| Author information | Each author's highest academic degrees, which some journals do not publish; the departments and institutions to which the work should be attributed; the corresponding author's telephone number and email address. ICMJE also encourages listing authors' ORCID iDs |
| Disclaimers | For example, a statement that the views expressed are the authors' own and not an official position of their institution or funder |
| Source(s) of support | Grants, equipment, drugs and other support that made the work, or the writing of the article, possible. Funders and affiliations that did not contribute should not be listed |
| Word count | The text only, excluding the abstract, acknowledgements, tables, figure legends and references |
| Number of figures and tables | Lets editorial staff and reviewers confirm that every table and figure was included, and judge whether the paper fits the space |
| Disclosure of relationships and activities | ICMJE offers a uniform disclosure form, but editors may ask for each author's disclosures on the title page instead |
| Short (running) title | Where a journal asks for one, ICMJE notes it is normally capped at 40 characters, counting letters and spaces; give it on the title page or in the submission system if that has its own field |
Items a journal may add to the manuscript title page
Journal instructions extend the title page in different ways. Look for these items in the target journal's guidance.
- ORCID iDs. An ORCID iD is a free, persistent identifier that separates you from researchers with similar names. ICMJE encourages them, and many journals require them. Register at ORCID and give the full https://orcid.org/ link for every author who has one.
- Keywords. Keywords identify topic, not people, so they can sit on the title page and under the abstract in the blinded file. Use the same list in both places.
- Acknowledgements. Named helpers, technicians and departments identify the group, so this section belongs on the title page when review is blinded.
- Author contributions. Journals may ask for Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) roles. CRediT defines 14 roles; see who counts as an author and how CRediT works.
- Ethics approval and trial registration. Some journals ask for the committee name, reference number and registry number here as well as in the Methods. Repeating them does not remove them from the manuscript.
- Data availability and generative AI use. Journals may ask for short statements, here or at the end of the main text. ICMJE says journals should require authors to disclose at submission whether they used AI-assisted technologies, and to describe how in the cover letter and in the relevant section of the manuscript.
Write names and affiliations in the form they will be published
The names on the title page are the names that go into the published record and the DOI metadata. Spell each one exactly as the author wants it to appear permanently, with the same given name and initials used on earlier papers.
The author order must be the order every co-author agreed. Changing it after submission can require a signed statement from all authors, so settle it first.
Write each affiliation in four parts: department, institution, city and country. Link authors to affiliations with superscript numbers, and give each numbered affiliation its own line. The affiliation is the place where the work was done. If an author has since moved, keep the original affiliation and add a "present address" note.
A Research Organization Registry (ROR) identifier, found in the ROR registry, removes doubt about which institution is meant. Add it only if the journal asks.
Count words, tables and figures the way the journal counts them
A word count is only useful if editors know what it covers. The ICMJE definition counts the main text and excludes the abstract, acknowledgements, tables, figure legends and references. Some journals use a different rule, so state beside the number what you counted.
Give the abstract word count separately if the journal sets an abstract limit. The numbers of tables and figures must match the files you attach and the callouts in the text. List supplementary files apart from the main tables and figures.
A complete manuscript title page template to copy
The template below is a generic layout, not a Directive form. Replace every bracketed slot, delete lines your target journal does not ask for, and keep the order its guidelines give. The ORCID iD shown is the demonstration record ORCID publishes for illustration.
Title page
Title: [full title, identical to the title in the manuscript file]
Running title: [short title within the journal's character limit]
Article type: [article type as named by the journal]Authors: [first author full name]1, [second author full name]2, [last author full name]1,3
ORCID iDs:
[first author full name]: https://orcid.org/[orcid id, in the form 0000-0002-1825-0097]
[second author full name]: https://orcid.org/[orcid id]
[last author full name]: https://orcid.org/[orcid id]Affiliations:
1 [department], [institution], [city], [country]
2 [department], [institution], [city], [country]
3 [department], [institution], [city], [country]
Present address of [author name]: [department], [institution], [city], [country]Corresponding author: [full name], [department], [institution], [postal address], [city], [country]
Email: [institutional email address]
Telephone: [number with country code]Word count (main text, excluding abstract, acknowledgements, tables, figure legends and references): [number]
Abstract word count: [number]
Tables: [number]. Figures: [number]. Supplementary files: [number]Keywords: [keyword]; [keyword]; [keyword]; [keyword]
Funding: This work was supported by [funder name] under grant [grant number]. [Or: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency.] The funder had [no role / the following role] in [study design, data collection, analysis, writing or the decision to submit].
Conflicts of interest: [author initials] reports [relationship] with [organisation]. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest. [Or: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.]
Acknowledgements: We thank [name, role, institution] for [specific contribution]. Everyone named has agreed to be acknowledged.
Author contributions (CRediT): [author initials]: [roles]. [author initials]: [roles]. [author initials]: [roles]. All authors approved the submitted version.
Ethics approval: Approved by [committee name], reference [reference number], on [date]. [Or: consent for publication obtained from [patient or representative] on [date].]
Trial registration: [registry name], [registration number], registered on [date].Data availability: [where the data are held and on what terms]
Use of generative AI: [tool, version and purpose, or none]
Disclaimer: [statement, or none]
Prior presentation: [meeting, city and date, or none]
Keep identifying details off the blinded manuscript
Everything on the title page that points to a person or a place stays out of the file reviewers receive. That means names, initials, ORCID iDs, affiliations, the corresponding author's email, acknowledgements, grant numbers, the contribution statement and interest declarations that name an organisation.
The title, abstract, keywords and article type appear in both files, word for word. Ethics and registration details are the exception to blinding, because a reviewer needs them to verify the work. The anonymising post explains how to handle them and how to strip document properties.
Check that the title page matches the rest of the submission
A submission is several documents that describe one paper, and editors compare them. Because submission to Directive is by email, no portal cross-checks your fields. The corresponding author has to make the comparison. The journal submission checklist lists every file, and the checks below cover the title page itself.
| Title page field | Must match |
|---|---|
| Title and running title | The manuscript file, the cover letter and the email subject line |
| Author names and order | The cover letter and any signed authorship or licence forms |
| Corresponding author email | The address the submission is sent from, or a note explaining the difference |
| Word, table and figure counts | The final file after the last edit, and the files attached |
| Funding and interest declarations | Any separate disclosure forms and the funder's own grant record |
| Contribution roles | What each co-author agreed they did |
Declarations need the most care, because an omission discovered later can lead to a correction. What to declare as a conflict of interest sets out which relationships count. If you find an error in something we have published, report the problem to us.