Interstitium is an independent CRAI publication series exploring organisational structures and overlooked relationships across biological, cognitive, ecological and pharmacological systems.

It publishes Scientific Essays, Research Commentaries and invited Responses developed to a scholarly standard. Contributions undergo editorial assessment and revision, but they are not externally peer-reviewed research articles. The article type and editorial status are stated transparently on every publication.

Publication by Invitation

Interstitium currently publishes contributions by invitation only.

Prospective authors who believe that a proposed contribution is closely aligned with the aims and scope of Interstitium may send a preliminary inquiry to the editorial team. An inquiry should include:

• the author’s name, affiliation and relevant area of expertise;
• the proposed article type;
• a provisional title;
• a synopsis of approximately 150–250 words;
• an explanation of why the contribution is suitable for Interstitium;
• any relevant relationship between the author and the research or publication to be discussed.

Authors should not send a complete manuscript unless requested to do so.

An inquiry is not a manuscript submission and does not imply that an invitation will be issued. Full manuscripts are considered only following an explicit written invitation from the editors.

An invitation indicates editorial interest in the proposed contribution but does not guarantee acceptance or publication. Invited manuscripts remain subject to editorial assessment and may be accepted, returned for revision or declined.

Invitations apply to the specified author or author group, article type and proposed subject. Substantial changes to the authorship, focus or format of the contribution should be discussed with the editors before the manuscript is prepared.

Article Types and Length

Word ranges are indicative rather than absolute. A different length may be agreed upon when justified by the subject or structure of the contribution.

Article type	Typical length	Principal requirement
Scientific Essay	3,000–6,000 words	A clear thesis or question developed through an original, evidence-based argument
Research Commentary	1,500–3,500 words	Focused examination of clearly identified published research
Response	800–2,000 words	Direct and constructive engagement with a Research Commentary published by Interstitium

Word counts normally exclude the abstract, references, figure legends, tables and disclosure statements.

Scientific Essay

A Scientific Essay should develop a clearly identifiable argument rather than merely summarise a body of literature. It may connect different disciplines, reconsider an established assumption or propose a new way of interpreting a scientific problem.

Authors must distinguish between established evidence, reasoned interpretation, working hypotheses and speculative possibilities. The breadth or originality of an argument does not reduce the need for evidential accuracy.

Research Commentary

A Research Commentary should begin with a specific publication, connected group of studies or clearly defined line of research. It should explain the implications, limitations, unresolved questions or overlooked connections arising from that research.

A commentary should not reproduce an abstract, function as a promotional summary or substitute for the original publication. When authors discuss research in which they were directly involved, that relationship must be disclosed.

The principal publication should be supplied separately as the Related Research Article, with its complete citation and DOI or stable URL.

Response

A Response engages directly with a Research Commentary published by Interstitium. It may extend, refine or challenge the interpretation presented in that commentary.

Responses are commissioned at the discretion of the editors. An inquiry proposing a Response may be considered, but a complete manuscript may be submitted only following an invitation.

Responses must address evidence, methods, assumptions or conclusions rather than the motives or character of individuals. They should identify precisely what is being reconsidered and explain how the proposed argument changes, clarifies or extends the discussion.

Manuscript Language and Presentation

Manuscripts should be written in clear scholarly English and remain intelligible to readers beyond a narrowly specialised field. Specialist terminology should be explained where necessary, and unnecessary jargon should be avoided.

Invited manuscripts should normally be supplied as editable Microsoft Word files (.docx). Authors should use simple formatting, clearly differentiated headings and a consistent paragraph structure. Decorative layouts, manually created columns and complex page formatting are unnecessary because accepted manuscripts are prepared for publication by the editors.

Manuscripts should:

• use concise and informative headings;
• define abbreviations at first use;
• use SI units where applicable;
• italicise genus and species names;
• give the complete scientific name at first mention, including the taxonomic authority where relevant;
• use generic rather than commercial names unless the commercial identity is scientifically relevant;
• avoid excessive footnotes.

There is no compulsory IMRaD structure for these article types. The organisation of the manuscript should follow the logic of its argument.

Required Manuscript Elements

Title

The title should be concise, informative and accurately represent the central subject or argument. It should avoid sensational wording, unsupported claims and unnecessary technical detail.

A subtitle may be used when it materially clarifies the scope of the contribution.

Abstract and Keywords

Scientific Essays and Research Commentaries should include an unstructured abstract of approximately 100–200 words. The abstract should identify:

• the question or research under consideration;
• the central interpretative focus;
• the principal argument or conclusion;
• the wider scientific relevance of the contribution.

Responses may use a shorter abstract. The editors may waive this requirement for particularly brief contributions.

Authors should provide four to six keywords that do not merely repeat words already present in the title.

Author Information

For every author, provide:

• full name;
• institutional affiliation;
• city and country;
• ORCID iD, where available;
• email address for the corresponding author.

Affiliations should be numbered and matched to the authors using superscript numerals. Each affiliation should appear on a separate line.

One author must be identified as the corresponding author. Independent scholars may use “Independent Researcher” followed by their city and country when no institutional affiliation applies.

Main Text

The opening section should identify the central question, argument or point of engagement without requiring an extended general introduction.

The manuscript should then develop a coherent line of reasoning supported by appropriate scholarly evidence. Section headings should reflect the intellectual progression of the contribution rather than reproduce a generic format.

The conclusion should state what follows from the argument, what remains uncertain and, where appropriate, which questions or research directions arise from it.

Evidence and Interpretation

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all factual statements, citations, quotations and representations of other authors’ work.

Manuscripts should:

• cite the sources required to support substantive factual claims;
• use primary sources where they provide the most direct evidence;
• represent findings and opposing interpretations fairly;
• distinguish reported results from subsequent interpretation;
• acknowledge evidence that materially limits the proposed argument;
• avoid presenting association as causation;
• avoid presenting hypotheses or extrapolations as established findings;
• refrain from promotional, defamatory or unnecessarily adversarial language.

Critical discussion is welcome when it is specific, proportionate and directed towards advancing scientific understanding.

References

Interstitium uses the author–date system of APA Style, 7th edition.

Examples of in-text citations include:

• one author: (Smith, 2024);
• two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2024);
• three or more authors: (Smith et al., 2024);
• narrative citation: Smith and Jones (2024);
• direct quotation: (Smith, 2024, p. 17).

A section headed References should appear at the end of the manuscript. References must:

• be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author;
• remain unnumbered;
• include every work cited in the manuscript and no uncited works;
• contain complete and accurate bibliographic information;
• include a DOI whenever one is available;
• present DOIs as active links in the format https://doi.org/....

Authors should verify every reference against the original publication. Search-engine summaries, AI-generated citations and secondary references that have not been checked against the original source are not acceptable.

Detailed reference examples are available from the official APA Style reference guidance.

Figures, Tables and Graphical Material

Figures and tables should be included only when they contribute materially to the argument or make a complex relationship easier to understand.

Every figure and table must:

• be numbered in the order in which it is mentioned;
• be cited in the main text;
• have a concise but sufficiently informative caption;
• define abbreviations, symbols and units;
• identify the source of any data or adapted material;
• remain understandable without relying entirely on the surrounding text.

Tables should be submitted in an editable format rather than as images. Final figures should be supplied in a suitable high-resolution raster or vector format. The editors may request revised files after editorial acceptance.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce or adapt copyrighted material. The source and permission status must be stated in the caption. Material available online should not be assumed to be free for republication.

Authors should provide brief alternative text for figures where possible to support accessibility.

A graphical abstract or lead image may be proposed by the author or requested by the editors. It must accurately represent the scientific content and may be adapted editorially to maintain a consistent visual presentation across Interstitium.

Authorship and Contributor Roles

Authorship should be limited to individuals who made a substantial intellectual contribution to the conception, development or writing of the manuscript, approved the final version and accept responsibility for its content.

Individuals who contributed in a more limited capacity may be acknowledged with their permission. Professional position, funding, supervision or institutional authority alone does not justify authorship.

All authors must agree upon the author list and order before submission of the invited manuscript. Any later change requires a written explanation and the agreement of all affected authors.

For multi-author contributions, the editors may request a contributor statement based on the CRediT Contributor Role Taxonomy.

Funding, Interests and Other Disclosures

The following statements should be provided after the main text and before the References section.

Funding

All financial support relevant to the preparation of the contribution or the research discussed must be identified, including the funder and grant number where applicable.

If no external funding was received, state:

This contribution received no external funding.

Competing Interests

Authors must disclose financial, professional, institutional or personal relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the contribution.

If no such interests exist, state:

The author declares no competing interests.

For multiple authors:

The authors declare no competing interests.

Relationship to the Research Discussed

When a Research Commentary discusses work authored, co-authored, funded or otherwise directly influenced by the commentary’s authors, this relationship must be stated explicitly.

A suitable statement may read:

The author was a co-author of the principal research article discussed in this commentary.

Such involvement does not prevent publication, but it must be transparent to readers.

Acknowledgements

Individuals or organisations that contributed to the manuscript without meeting the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged with their permission.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Artificial-intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot approve the final manuscript, accept responsibility for its content or respond to questions concerning research integrity. This is consistent with the COPE position on authorship and AI tools.

Authors remain fully responsible for every part of the submitted manuscript, including text, interpretations, references and visual material produced or modified with the assistance of an AI system.

The use of generative AI must be disclosed when it contributed to:

• drafting or substantive rewriting;
• literature identification or synthesis;
• the development of arguments or interpretations;
• translation beyond routine linguistic correction;
• data analysis or coding;
• the generation or substantial modification of figures or images.

The disclosure should identify the tool, its version where known, the purpose for which it was used and how the resulting material was reviewed and verified.

Routine spelling, grammar and formatting assistance does not normally require disclosure.

AI output must not be cited as scholarly evidence. Authors must independently verify all factual claims and references. Fabricated, inaccurate or unverifiable citations constitute grounds for rejection or post-publication correction.

AI-generated illustrative material requires prior editorial approval and must be clearly identified. Generative AI must not be used to fabricate, obscure or misleadingly alter data, documentary evidence or scientific images.

Originality and Previous Publication

Invited manuscripts must be original contributions that have not been published in substantially the same form and are not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere.

Authors must disclose:

• earlier versions available as preprints or online manuscripts;
• substantial overlap with their own previous publications;
• translations or adaptations of previously published material;
• related manuscripts under consideration elsewhere;
• previous public presentation of the central argument when this could affect originality.

Previous dissemination does not necessarily prevent publication, but it must be evaluated by the editors before the manuscript is prepared or accepted.

Research Commentaries may discuss an author’s own published work, but they must not reproduce substantial passages, tables or figures without appropriate citation and permission. Their contribution must extend beyond summarising or promoting the underlying publication.

Plagiarism, fabricated sources, manipulated evidence, undisclosed redundant publication and material misrepresentation are incompatible with publication in Interstitium.

Editorial Assessment

Invited manuscripts are assessed by the editors according to:

• relevance to the aims and scope of Interstitium;
• suitability for the designated article type;
• clarity and originality of the central contribution;
• quality and relevance of the evidence used;
• accuracy and fairness in representing published research;
• distinction between evidence, interpretation and speculation;
• proportionality of the conclusions;
• scholarly tone and readability;
• completeness of ethical and contextual disclosures.

The editors may seek specialist advice when factual or technical clarification is required. Such consultation does not constitute formal external peer review.

Authors may be asked to revise the structure, argument, evidential support, terminology, title, abstract or presentation of the manuscript. Acceptance occurs only after the editors are satisfied that the contribution meets the relevant scholarly and editorial requirements.

Following acceptance, manuscripts may undergo copy-editing for clarity, consistency, grammar, reference style and web presentation. Authors receive an opportunity to review material editorial changes and approve the final version before publication.

Substantial new arguments or alterations cannot normally be introduced at the proof stage.

Corrections and Post-Publication Responsibility

Authors should inform the editors promptly if they identify an error after publication.

Minor errors that do not affect the interpretation of the contribution may be corrected directly. Material errors are addressed through a clearly identified correction notice. A publication may be withdrawn or retracted when necessary to preserve the accuracy and integrity of the published record.

Responses, corrections and editorial notices are linked to the publication to which they refer.

Copyright and Licence

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant Interstitium the right to publish, distribute and archive the accepted contribution.

Unless otherwise stated, contributions are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. This permits sharing and adaptation provided that the original author and publication are appropriately credited, a link to the licence is supplied and any changes are indicated.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all third-party material included in their contribution can lawfully be published under the applicable terms or is accompanied by a clearly stated alternative permission.

Publication Fees

Interstitium does not charge authors any fees at any stage of the inquiry, editorial assessment or publication process.

Submission Checklist for Invited Authors

Before sending an invited manuscript, please confirm that:

• a written invitation has been received;
• the manuscript corresponds to the agreed article type and subject;
• the title, abstract and keywords are included;
• all author names, affiliations and ORCID iDs have been checked;
• one corresponding author has been identified;
• all authors have approved the manuscript and author order;
• factual claims and references have been verified;
• references follow APA 7 and include active DOI links where available;
• figures and tables include captions, sources and necessary permissions;
• funding, competing interests and relevant relationships have been disclosed;
• any substantive use of generative AI has been declared;
• the manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration elsewhere;
• any previous or overlapping publication has been disclosed.

Editorial Inquiries

Prospective authors may contact the editorial team with a preliminary proposal as described under Publication by Invitation.

Please do not send a complete manuscript unless the editors have issued a written invitation.