Templates · Synthesis
The review article template.
A narrative-review scaffold for the papers that map a field: a citation-dense argument built on a reference library that stays clean at hundreds of entries, with themed sections instead of the IMRaD frame. Built for the review that a journal invites and readers keep open in a tab for years.
What's included
Everything the format demands, seeded.
Theme-led structure
Sections organize around the argument, not IMRaD — background, the state of the field, open questions, and outlook — seeded with guidance and reshaped freely as the synthesis takes form.
References at review scale
A review cites hundreds of papers; import from BibTeX, RIS, or Zotero and let deduplication and DOI resolution keep every entry verifiable and the list free of the duplicates that creep into long bibliographies.
Figures, tables, and timelines
Summary tables and conceptual figures are first-class blocks with automatic numbering and cross-references — the comparison table readers screenshot stays correct as it grows.
Citation–claim checking at length
In a paper that is nothing but claims and citations, validation flags statements a cited source does not support before a reviewer does — across the whole reference-dense draft, not a sampled few.
Structure
The sections this template seeds.
Every section is a structured block: rename, reorder, or remove any of them — the template is where the manuscript starts, not where it must end.
- 01AbstractScope of the review and its central argument
- 02IntroductionWhy this synthesis, why now, and for whom
- 03BackgroundShared foundations the later sections build on
- 04Thematic sectionsRepeatable blocks, one per theme or debate
- 05Synthesis & open questionsWhat the field agrees on, and what it does not
- 06OutlookDirections, predictions, and unanswered problems
- 07DeclarationsFunding, conflicts of interest, AI use
- 08ReferencesHundreds of entries, DOI-resolved, journal-styled
Venues it suits
One draft, formatted for the destination.
The narrative structure suits invited-review series such as Nature Reviews and Annual Reviews, and the reference list restyles to whichever one commissions the piece.
- Nature Reviews
- Annual Reviews
- Trends in…
- Chemical Reviews
- Elsevier
Who it’s for
Built for this kind of writing.
- Researchers writing an invited or narrative review of their field
- Senior authors synthesizing a decade of work into one reference paper
- Teams turning a thesis literature chapter into a standalone review
Export
Formatted for the destination.
Exports to DOCX, PDF, and LaTeX with summary tables and figures intact, and the reference list styled to the commissioning journal — however long it runs.
More templates
Empirical research
Journal article
The full IMRaD structure for empirical papers, with journal-accurate citation styles applied at export.
Long-form
Thesis & dissertation
Chapters, front matter, appendices, and a single bibliography — built to stay manageable at 200 pages.
Funding
Grant proposal
Aims, significance, approach, and budget justification — with per-section length budgets for funder limits.
Open the review article template.
Available on every plan, including Free — sign in with ORCID and the structure is waiting.