Write in the editor

The editor is where the body of your work lives. It looks like a page, and what you see is close to what reviewers and readers will see.

The parts of the page

Part	What it is for
Title	The title of your work. A call may limit its length.
Abstract	A summary. Some kinds, such as an abstract-only submission, have nothing else.
Keywords	A few words that describe the topic. Advice appears while you type.
Authors	Everyone who should be named. See Authors and co-authors.
Body	The text, with its headings, figures, tables and equations.
References	The reference list, kept in its own panel. See References and citations.

An abstract-only submission has no body to write: the title, abstract, keywords and authors are the whole of it.

The toolbar

The toolbar stays at the top of the screen while you scroll.

To add	Use
A heading	The heading menu. Use headings in order: a section, then its subsections.
A list	The bullet or numbered list buttons.
A figure	The image button, or paste or drop a picture into the page. Give every figure a caption.
A table	The table button. You can also paste a table from Word or a spreadsheet.
An equation	The formula button. Write it in LaTeX: inline in a sentence, or on its own line.
Code	The code block button, then choose the language.

For each of these shown by example, with what to type, see The editor: worked examples.

Figures and tables are numbered for you. Do not type “Figure 1” in the caption: the number is added, and it stays right when you move things.

Tip

Tables are drawn in the plain academic style, with rules at the top and bottom and no vertical lines. A full grid can be chosen for a table that needs it.

Headings written alike

Under the editor, Headings says where your headings are out of step with each other, or with how this call prints them, and offers a press to put each right:

• a line in bold that reads as a heading, such as 2.1 Study area: Make it a heading;
• headings that begin at the second level, or skip one: Close up the levels;
• a heading in capitals where the call prints headings in ordinary case: Write them in ordinary case;
• some headings With Every Word Capitalised and others with only the first: A capital on the first word only;
• some sections numbered and others not: Number them all, 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, or Take the numbers off; where the call numbers every paper for you, or prints none, Take my numbers off;
• a full stop or a colon at the end of a heading: Take them off.

It also says what the call does with headings when it prints, so you know what is done for you. Each press changes only the headings it names, and Undo takes it back. Where there is much to say, the note is folded to one line; open it to see each. Leave my headings as they are puts it away. It never stops you sending your work.

The heading buttons say what each level is for: H1 a section, such as Introduction or Methods; H2 a subsection inside it; H3 one level further in.

Saving

Your work saves by itself as you type, and the editor tells you when it is saved. You can close the page and come back on another device.

If the connection drops, keep the page open. It saves again when the connection returns.

How to write it

For what goes in each part, see Write well: an abstract, a full paper, a poster, and figures and tables.

Working with co-authors in the same document

Every author can open the submission. You see who else has it open. A corresponding author edits directly. Other co-authors make suggestions, which a corresponding author accepts or rejects one by one. See Authors and co-authors.