Open Palaeontology supports publication of all aspects of the research process, in order to better capture the real work inherent that is often not visible. Open Palaeontology therefore publishes several types of manuscript, outlined below.

Open Palaeontology also supports accessible multimedia publication formats. Video and audio submissions must be accompanied by a full script, a full written description of the methods, and a complete reference list. All code and data should be made available in the same way as with a written manuscript. 

Our publication types are flexible – if you have an idea that does not fit into one of our boxes, or if your submission needs to be longer than the limits given in the table below, please contact us. 

Overview of publication types

Type	Description	Written article	Multimedia article
Hypotheticals	Short opinion pieces outlining a novel idea or hypothesis.	2000 words	15 minutes
Preregistered research protocols	Outline of methods for a planned future study (not a full methods paper).	3000 words	30 minutes
Research articles	A full research article with traditional sections (can be a results- or methods-led article).	10000 words	60 minutes
Reviews	Detailed review articles synthesising previous contributions on a particular topic, and/or highlighting key research gaps.	10000 words	N/A
Comments	Short articles commenting on/refuting/re-analysing (etc.) key research articles published in OPal or other journals.	3000 words	N/A

1 Hypotheticals

Hypotheticals are short, concise pieces outlining a novel idea or hypothesis. This is broadly equivalent to the introduction and aims of a traditional research article. Hypotheticals represent early-stage thought experiments, descriptions of testable hypotheses, new ideas, or open calls for collaborations in key areas.

The suggested length for Hypotheticals is up to 2,000 words (manuscript text only, not including references or figure/table captions) and usually up to one figure and one table. For a multimedia article this should be up to about 15 minutes long.

2 Preregistered research protocols

Preregistered research protocols are plans for work to be done. These plans should include the detailed aims, objectives, and hypotheses to be tested, as well as clear strategies for data collection and analysis to be carried out. Preregistration of research protocols in this way is common practice in clinical and social sciences. These articles may be primarily focused on publishing protocols that represent method developments, or may represent plans for a full study and an anticipated follow-up full Research article.

The maximum length for Preregistered research protocols is 3,000 words (manuscript text only), with an additional reference list, and up to two figures and two tables. This equates to up to about 30 minutes in length for a multimedia article.

3 Research articles

Full research articles containing, broadly, an introduction, methods, results, and discussion. A Research article can be submitted as a standalone paper, or can be a full article comprising a previously published Hypothetical and a Preregistered research protocol plus a follow-up results and discussion. We also accept full research articles that focus on presenting novel methodologies or protocols, and proof of their efficacy.

The maximum length for full Research articles is 10,000 words (manuscript text only), with 10 figures, 5 tables, and an unlimited reference list. Multimedia articles should be up to about 60 minutes long.

4 Reviews

Review papers, synthesising existing research to reach new conclusions or suggestions for future research, are accepted in any area covered by Open Palaeontology.

The maximum length for Reviews is usually 10,000 words (manuscript text only), with a limit of 10 figures and an unlimited reference list. We do not expect the Review structure to be compatible with a multimedia article, but please contact the Editorial Board if you wish to discuss this.

5 Comments

Comments are short papers that directly respond to a published article, which may have been originally published in a different journal. These may focus on any research area covered by Open Palaeontology.

The maximum length for Comments is usually 3,000 (manuscript text only) with one figure, but this may be extended upon contacting the Editorial Board. Comments should be written articles rather than multimedia articles.

6 Publication procedure following submission

Submissions under all of the formats described above will first be made available as online preprints, following initial quality assurance and confirmation of scope by a Handling Editor. This preprint publication will allow all articles to undergo Open Palaeontology’s open peer review (see peer review policy here). The initial submission preprint will be assigned a DOI, and a new version of the DOI issued for the accepted manuscript post-peer review.

7 Additional considerations

Video submissions are also accepted, which can come under any of the publication types described above. These will be subject to the same review process as for all manuscript submissions.

Authors may submit a Hypothetical article, followed by a Preregistered research protocol and later a full Research article, on the same study as it progresses through the stages of the scientific method. In principle, a researcher could write a Hypothetical piece, outlining a knowledge gap and proposing hypotheses to evaluate. They could choose to follow this up with a Preregistration research protocol describing in detail the protocol they will follow to test their hypotheses. Finally, the researcher could publish a full Research article comprising links to their first two articles alongside the results and a discussion of their findings. The journal pages for each article will be updated with each subsequent publication to link the articles under a single study. Authors are not obligated to publish their research in these separate categories, and may publish a full Research article as a complete standalone research paper. 

Open Palaeontology encourages the submission of articles containing or comprising negative or null results. This includes results of statistical analyses, of unsuccessful methodologies (laboratory protocols and otherwise), and field campaigns. Negative or null results and the methods that led to their production are as important to publish as ‘positive’ results, in no small part because they prevent the duplication of unnecessary work within academia, and better evidence the catalogue of work that a researcher has carried out.

If you have an idea for an article that doesn’t fit the publication types defined above, or you’re uncertain which publication type your article falls under, please contact the Editorial Board.