Discovery welcomes original research articles, theoretical studies, methods papers, and critical reviews across its multidisciplinary scope. Submit work that has a clear scholarly purpose and is ready for critical assessment. The manuscript must not be under consideration by another journal. Disclose related publications and any earlier public version in the submission comments so that overlap can be assessed. Every listed author must approve the submission and accept responsibility for their contribution.
Submission, peer review, and publication are free of charge. Submit manuscripts in English through the online submission system. Clear, precise language is more useful than elaborate phrasing; define terms that readers outside your immediate specialty may not know.
Prepare for double-anonymous review
Upload an anonymized main manuscript and a separate title page. The title page should give the article title, author names and affiliations, the corresponding author's details, and complete acknowledgments and author contributions. Enter author information accurately in the submission system as well.
Remove names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and identifying document metadata from the main manuscript and review files. Cite your own published work in the third person, using the same approach as for other sources. Where an ethics statement, funding detail, data link, or repository record would identify the authors, provide the full information separately and use an anonymized version for review. Do not remove information needed to assess the research itself.
Organize the manuscript
Begin with an informative title, a self-contained abstract, and relevant keywords. The abstract should state the question or purpose, the approach, the principal findings or argument, and the main conclusion. Avoid claims that the manuscript does not substantiate.
Research articles should explain the background and question, describe the methods, present the results, and discuss their meaning and limitations. Theoretical and humanities contributions may use a structure appropriate to their argument. Reviews should state their purpose, describe how sources were identified and selected, and distinguish synthesis from the authors' interpretation. Methods papers should include sufficient detail for others to understand and assess the proposed approach.
Use informative headings and a legible, consistent layout. Describe the work at the length needed to support its contribution. Include supplementary material when it supports assessment without interrupting the main account. Retain editable source files for production if the manuscript is accepted.
Report methods and evidence clearly
Provide enough detail to allow a suitably qualified reader to understand what was done and, where applicable, reproduce the work. Explain study design, sampling, measurements, analysis, and relevant software or equipment. Report exclusions, missing data, uncertainty, and departures from a registered protocol where these apply. Distinguish exploratory analysis from tests of prespecified hypotheses. Use reporting guidance appropriate to the study design and field, and explain methodological choices that materially affect interpretation.
Ethics and research integrity
Describe relevant ethical approval, participant consent, animal welfare safeguards, permissions, and study registration where applicable. Do not include identifiable personal information without the necessary consent and justification. Authors must report findings honestly and avoid plagiarism, inappropriate image alteration, duplicate publication, and unsupported attribution. Disclose funding and any financial or nonfinancial interests that could reasonably influence interpretation. Include a statement when there are no competing interests.
Authorship should reflect substantive contribution and accountability. Explain each author's contribution and acknowledge other assistance appropriately. If a significant error is discovered during review or after publication, inform the journal through the submission system promptly and explain its effect on the work.
Data, materials, and code
Include a data availability statement explaining where supporting data, materials, and code can be accessed. Where sharing is restricted, state the reason and describe any conditions for access. Ethical, privacy, consent, and legal restrictions must be respected. For computational work, identify important software versions and dependencies. Cite datasets and software as research outputs, and provide persistent links where available. An anonymized repository link may be used during review.
Use of artificial intelligence
Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, citations, and integrity of everything submitted. Disclose substantive use of generative AI or other AI tools in research, analysis, image creation, or manuscript preparation, including the tool and its purpose. Describe research-related use in the methods when it affects reproducibility. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Do not present generated references, data, quotations, or images as verified source material.
Figures, tables, and references
Number figures and tables in the order cited and provide captions that explain them clearly. Label units, define abbreviations, and make the presentation legible. Identify image processing and obtain permission for third-party material when required. Use a consistent reference style, verify bibliographic details, and cite sources that directly support the associated claims. Include DOI or other stable links where available.
Completing your submission
Upload the anonymized manuscript, separate title page, and supporting files. Explain the contribution and any information relevant to editorial assessment in the submission comments. Check that all files are readable and that review materials preserve anonymity. Authors retain copyright; accepted articles are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license. Follow the submission record for editorial correspondence and respond clearly to requests for revision.
Submission Preparation Checklist
The work is original, is not under consideration by another journal, and all authors have approved this submission. Related publications and earlier public versions have been disclosed.
The main manuscript and review files are anonymized. Author details, acknowledgements and identifying disclosures are provided separately and accurately entered in the submission system.
The manuscript is in English and includes an informative title, abstract, keywords, appropriate references and the information needed to assess the evidence or argument.
Relevant ethics approval or exemption, consent, funding, competing interests, author contributions, data availability and substantive AI use are declared.
The authors have the necessary rights or permissions for included material and agree to publication under CC BY-NC 4.0 if the work is accepted.
The manuscript and supporting files are readable, and figures and tables are clearly labelled and cited.
Research Articles
Original empirical research, including replication and well-supported negative or inconclusive findings. Describe the question, methods, results and limitations.
Reviews
Critical or systematic reviews that synthesize existing scholarship and explain how sources were identified, selected and assessed.
Methods & Resources
Methodological contributions, tools or research resources with a clear purpose, sufficient documentation and evidence supporting their usefulness.
Theory & Analysis
Theoretical, conceptual and interpretive studies with a well-developed argument and substantive engagement with relevant scholarship.
The license permits non-commercial sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution, a license link and identification of changes. Reuse beyond the license requires permission unless otherwise permitted by law. Follow any separate license or credit line for third-party material. Read the open access, copyright and fees policy for details.
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Journal staff use this information for the relevant editorial or administrative task. Reviewers receive the material assigned to them under the journal’s review policy. Author identities are withheld from reviewers during double-anonymous review through the journal workflow and the preparation of anonymized files.
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