Author Guidelines

Sections

1. Submission and Peer Review Process
2. Article Types
3. After Acceptance

1. Submission and Peer Review Process

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/NRF. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact [email protected].

The Editorial Office may be contacted on [email protected].

This journal does not charge submission fees.

Article Preparation Support

Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design – so you can submit your manuscript with confidence.

Also, check out our resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.

Format Guidelines
Free Format Submission

Natural Resources Forum now offers Free Format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process. Before you submit, you will need:

• Your manuscript: this should be an editable file including text, figures, and tables, or separate files – whichever you prefer. All required sections should be contained in your manuscript, including abstract (which does need to be correctly styled), introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Figures and tables should have legends. Figures should be uploaded in the highest resolution possible. If the figures are not of sufficiently high quality your manuscript may be delayed. We also encourage you to include your figures within the main document to make it easier for editors and reviewers to read your manuscript. References may be submitted in any style or format, as long as they are consistent throughout the manuscript. Supporting information should be submitted in separate files. If the manuscript, figures or tables are difficult for you to read, they will also be difficult for the editors and reviewers, and the editorial office will send it back to you for revision. Your manuscript may also be sent back to you for revision if the quality of English language is poor or prevents understanding of the work.
• An ORCID ID, freely available at https://orcid.org. (Why is this important? Your article, if accepted and published, will be attached to your ORCID profile. Institutions and funders are increasingly requiring authors to have ORCID IDs.)
• The title page of the manuscript, including:
• Your co-authors’ details, including affiliation and email address. (Why is this important? We need to keep all co-authors informed of the outcome of the peer review process.)
• Statements relating to our ethics and integrity policies, which may include any of the following (Why are these important? We need to uphold rigorous ethical standards for the research we consider for publication):
• data availability statement
• funding statement
• conflict of interest disclosure
• ethics approval statement
• patient/participant consent statement
• permission to reproduce material from other sources
• clinical trial registration

Important: the journal operates a double-anonymous peer review policy. Please anonymize your manuscript and supply a separate title page file.

Manuscripts should be 6,000-8,000 words in length, and preferably in Microsoft Word format. 

Open Access

This journal is a subscription journal that offers an open access option. You'll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC, unless a waiver applies. For more information on this journal’s APCs, please see the Open Access page. Read more about APCs here.

Preprint Policy

Please find the Wiley preprint policy here.

This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.

The journal will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. You are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.

This Journal operates a double-anonymized peer review process. Authors are responsible for anonymizing their manuscript in order to remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout the peer review process (see “Main Text File” below for more details). Since this journal also encourages posting of preprints, however, please note that if authors share their manuscript in preprint form this may compromise their anonymity during peer review.

Data Sharing and Data Availability 

This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission. 

Data Citation

Please review Wiley’s Data Citation policy.

Data Protection

By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication. Please review Wiley’s Data Protection Policy to learn more.

Funding

You should list all funding sources in the Acknowledgments section. You are responsible for the accuracy of their funder designation. If in doubt, please check the Open Funder Registry for the correct nomenclature.

Authorship

All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.

Author Pronouns

Authors may now include their personal pronouns in the author bylines of their published articles and on Wiley Online Library. Authors will never be required to include their pronouns; it will always be optional for the author. Authors can include their pronouns in their manuscript upon submission and can add, edit, or remove their pronouns at any stage upon request. Submitting/corresponding authors should never add, edit, or remove a co-author’s pronouns without that co-author’s consent. Where post-publication changes to pronouns are required, these can be made without a correction notice to the paper, following Wiley’s Name Change Policy (see below) to protect the author’s privacy. Terms which fall outside of the scope of personal pronouns (e.g. proper or improper nouns), are currently not supported.

ORCID 

This journal requires ORCID. Please refer to Wiley’s resources on ORCID. 

Reproduction of Copyright Material

If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, all sources must be credited and shown in the manuscript. At minimum, the title and author should be provided. It is the author’s responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.

The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material "in print and other media" from the publisher of the original source, and for supplying Wiley with that permission upon submission.

For more information, review Wiley’s Guidelines for Obtaining Permission to Reproduce Material.

Title Page 

The separate title page should contain: 

1. A brief informative title containing the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations (see Wiley's best practice SEO tips);
2. A short running title of less than 40 characters;
3. The full names of the authors;
4. The author's institutional affiliations where the work was conducted, with a footnote for the author’s present address if different from where the work was conducted;
5. Acknowledgments;
6. All research ethics and integrity statements as outlined above (under Free Format Submission).

Main Text File

Manuscripts can be uploaded either as a single document (containing the main text, tables and figures), or with figures and tables provided as separate files. The main manuscript file can be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.

Important: this journal operates a double-anonymized peer review policy. Please anonymize your manuscript and supply a separate title page file.

Your main document file should include:

• A short informative title containing the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations;
• Abstract structured (intro/methods/results/conclusion) or unstructured;
• Up to seven keywords;
• Main body: formatted as introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, conclusion;
• References;
• Tables (each table complete with title and footnotes);
• Figure legends: At initial submission, figures can be included in the manuscript or can be submitted in separate files. Should your manuscript reach revision stage, figures and tables must be provided as separate files (see below).

Reference Style

This journal uses APA reference style. Review your reference style guidelines prior to submission. As this journal offers Free Format submission, however, this is for information only and you do not need to format the references in your article. This will instead be addressed by the typesetter during article proofing.

Preferences for Tables, Figures and Other Illustrations

All illustrations must have captions. Tables/figures should be arranged with their captions in the text itself (not as separate files) as they will appear in the final printed form (see specific style of each below). If captions are included inside electronic artwork, MS Excel charts, electronic figures etc, they should be removed and typed separately. Please make sure all illustrations and their captions are clearly cross-referenced by your manuscript main text, otherwise we will recommend their removal.

Please indicate the source of all illustrations, if other than the author(s), or indicate “Source: Author’s elaboration.” underneath it. All illustrations should be referenced in the text, e.g. (see Figure 1). Please note that the journal publishes online only from 2025 volume onwards, so please use graphic patterns (dotted, cross hatched, striped, etc.) or colors within figures.

Tables. Tables should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and given a suitable title/caption (appearing above the table, e.g., "Table 1. [caption]". Notes and source for tables should appear below the table (in a smaller font). Multiple notes to a table should be referred to by superscript letters. All table columns should have an explanatory heading.

Figures. Figures, graphs, diagrams and other drawings should be referred to as Figures and should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. For Figures, the caption should appear under the figure, preceded by the figure number, e.g., "Figure 1. [caption]". Authors should minimize the amount of descriptive matter on graphs or drawings, and refer to curves, points, etc, by their symbols. Descriptive matter should be placed in the caption, as a “Note:” and appear before the source reference. Scale grids should not be used in the graphs, unless required for actual measurements.

Photographs. Photographs are to be referred to as Plates, be numbered/sourced as Figures and Tables, and be at least 300DPI. Please insert photos at their approximate location in the text.

Read the basic figure requirements for manuscripts for peer review, as well as the more detailed post-acceptance figure requirements. Authors of newly accepted manuscripts may be requested by the Editorial Office to provide separate figure, table and photograph files for the production process.

Supporting Information

Supporting information, and appendices should be supplied as separate files. View Wiley’s FAQs on supporting information.

Peer Review

This journal operates a double-anonymized peer review policy. NRF uses a two-tier reviewing system. In the first stage, the editorial team evaluates the paper on the basis of length and construction, clarity of the exposition, English language, and relevance of the topic to the Journal. The Editor also assesses whether the paper's findings are novel and ground-breaking enough to warrant publication in NRF.

Papers that pass the first stage are sent out for review to anonymous external referees. Reviewers are queried not just on the scientific quality and correctness, but also on whether the findings are of interest to the Journal readership. The Editor relies on the referees' comments along with his own opinion of the manuscript to make a decision regarding publication. Decisions from the Editor are chosen from the following options:

• to accept the manuscript as submitted or pending minor changes;
• to request major or minor revision to the manuscript;
• to reject the manuscript, but encourage revision and invite resubmission;
• to reject the manuscript.
• to reject the manuscript with referral (see below)

In order to expedite the decision process, authors sending a revised version of their manuscript may also wish to include a note describing how the revised manuscript addresses the referees' comments. Revised manuscripts may be sent back to referees for a second review. The review process continues until the Editor either rejects or accepts the paper. The role of the referees to NRF is advisory. The final decision to accept or reject a manuscript rests with the Editor.

In-house submissions, i.e. papers authored by Editors or Editorial Board members of the title, will be sent to Editors unaffiliated with the author or institution and monitored carefully to ensure there is no peer review bias.

Wiley's policy on the confidentiality of the review process is available here.

Disclaimer

The ideas presented in the NRF are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. Authors are fully responsible for their statements, and publication of articles does not imply official UN or DESA policy or endorsement. While the Editorial Board of the journal may not always support the ideas contained in the articles, it is our belief that a free, open-ended discussion — a Forum — of ideas, will give rise to plausible alternatives that can be of significance to the advancement of sustainable development.

Refer and Transfer Program

Wiley believes that no valuable research should go unshared. This journal participates in Wiley’s Refer & Transfer program. If your manuscript is not accepted, you may receive a recommendation to transfer your manuscript to another suitable Wiley journal, either through a referral from the journal’s editor or through our Transfer Desk Assistant.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they feel that the decision to reject was based on either a significant misunderstanding of a core aspect of the manuscript, a failure to understand how the manuscript advances the literature or concerns regarding the manuscript-handling process. Differences in opinion regarding the novelty or significance of the reported findings are not considered as grounds for appeal. To raise an appeal, please contact this journal by email on [email protected], quoting your manuscript ID number and explaining your rationale for the appeal. The editor’s decision following an appeal consideration is final.

To raise a complaint regarding editorial staff, policy or process please contact the journal in the first instance. If you believe further support outside the journal’s management is necessary, please refer to Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.

Generative AI

Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools—such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs)—cannot be considered capable of initiating an original piece of research without direction by human authors. They also cannot be accountable for a published work or for research design, which is a generally held requirement of authorship (as discussed in the previous section), nor do they have legal standing or the ability to hold or assign copyright. Therefore—in accordance with COPE’s position statement on AI tools—these tools cannot fulfil the role of, nor be listed as, an author of an article. If an author has used this kind of tool to develop any portion of a manuscript, its use must be described, transparently and in detail, in the Methods or Acknowledgements section. The author is fully responsible for the accuracy of any information provided by the tool and for correctly referencing any supporting work on which that information depends. Tools that are used to improve spelling, grammar, and general editing are not included in the scope of these guidelines. The final decision about whether use of an AIGC tool is appropriate or permissible in the circumstances of a submitted manuscript or a published article lies with the journal’s Editor or other party responsible for the publication’s editorial policy.

Guidelines on Publishing and Research Ethics in Journal Articles

This journal requires that you include in the manuscript details of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals, ethical treatment of any human and animal research participants, and gathering of informed consent, as appropriate. You will be expected to declare all conflicts of interest, or none, on submission. Please review Wiley’s policies surrounding human studies, animal studies, clinical trial registration, biosecurity, and research reporting guidelines.

This journal follows the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and handles cases of research and publication misconduct accordingly (https://publicationethics.org/core-practices).

This journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read Wiley’s Top 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors and Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines.

2. Article Types

Articles

Natural Resources Forum, A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal (NRF), considers papers on all topics relevant to sustainable development. Articles must be based on original research and must be relevant to policy-making. Contributions that inform the global policy debate based on experience at the local, national and global levels are encouraged. Manuscripts should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length.

Criteria for submitted articles include:

1. Relevance and importance of the topic discussed to sustainable development in general, both in terms of policy impacts and gaps in current knowledge being addressed by the article;
2. Treatment of the topic that incorporates social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development, rather than focusing purely on sectoral and/or technical aspects;
3. Articles must contain original applied material drawn from concrete projects, policy implementation, or literature reviews; purely theoretical papers are not entertained.

Book Reviews

NRF welcomes reviews of recently published books with a focus on sustainable development. Reviews should range between 800-1200 words.

Selected book reviews will appear in the “Book Reviews” section.

For questions regarding book reviews, please contact the editorial board at [email protected].

3. After Acceptance

Wiley Author Services

When an accepted article is received by Wiley’s production team, the corresponding author will receive an email asking them to login or register with Wiley Author Services. You will be asked to sign a publication license at this point as well as pay for any applicable APCs.

Copyright & Licensing

You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License.

Standard re-use and licensing rights vary by journal. Note that certain funders mandate a particular type of CC license be used.

Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies: Note that the journal’s standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions.

Early View

Upon publication, articles are available as full text HTML or PDF in Early View prior to inclusion in an issue and can be cited as references using their Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number.

Proofs

Authors will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing HTML page proofs online. Authors should also make sure that any renumbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt of the email.

Article Promotion Support

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.

Author Name Change Policy

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office on [email protected] with their name change request.

Correction to authorship

In accordance with Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics and the Committee on Publication Ethics’ guidance, NRF will allow authors to correct authorship on a submitted, accepted, or published article if a valid reason exists to do so. All authors – including those to be added or removed – must agree to any proposed change. To request a change to the author list, please complete the Request for Changes to a Journal Article Author List Form and contact either the journal’s editorial office on [email protected] or production office on [email protected], depending on the status of the article. Authorship changes will not be considered without a fully completed Author Change form. Correcting the authorship is different from changing an author’s name; the relevant policy for that can be found in Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines under “Author name changes after publication.”