Editorial blueprint template
1. Paper promise
- One-sentence paper promise:
- Reader takeaway in plain scientific English:
- Why this is not just an incremental result:
2. Journal calibration card
- Target journal / article type:
- Opening form:
- Heading policy:
- Title texture:
- Legend density:
- Methods placement:
- End-matter order:
- Degree of claim restraint expected:
3. Story spine
Fill one line for each major move in the paper.
- Broad problem:
- Precise unresolved question:
- Why the chosen approach can answer it:
- First load-bearing result:
- Second load-bearing result:
- Mechanistic or explanatory step:
- Limitation or boundary condition:
- Most defensible implication:
4. Figure order
For each figure:
- Figure number:
- Question:
- Key observation:
- Allowed claim:
- Transition to next figure:
5. Opening architecture
- First sentence broad frame:
- Second sentence sharper context:
- Gap sentence:
- Main answer sentence:
- Implication sentence:
- What to leave out of the opening:
6. Discussion commitments
- What the paper establishes:
- What it only suggests:
- Limitation to surface explicitly:
- Broader implication that is justified:
- Broader implication that is too much:
7. Editorial cuts
If the paper must be shortened by 10-20%, cut:
- Paragraph / section 1:
- Paragraph / section 2:
- Paragraph / section 3: