Writing Manuscripts
Alfred Scholar includes a full-featured rich text editor designed specifically for academic writing. Create manuscripts, insert citations from your library, and collaborate with your team - all in one place.
Creating a manuscript
- Click Manuscripts in the sidebar.
- Click New Manuscript.
- Enter a title for your manuscript (or leave it as "Untitled Manuscript" and change it later).
- Click Create.
The editor opens immediately and you can start writing.
Note: Creating a manuscript costs credits. See Credits & Usage for details.
The editor
Alfred Scholar's manuscript editor is a block-based rich text editor with everything you need for academic writing.
Text formatting
The editor toolbar provides:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Headings | Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 levels for document structure. |
| Bold | Bold text for emphasis. |
| Italic | Italic text for titles, emphasis, and species names. |
| Underline | Underlined text. |
| Strikethrough | |
| Superscript | Superscript text for exponents and ordinals. |
| Subscript | Subscript text for chemical formulas and notation. |
| Code | Inline code formatting for computational methods. |
Font controls
- Font family - Choose from Default, Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Times New Roman, or Verdana.
- Font size - Select from a range of sizes (8pt to 72pt).
Structure and layout
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bullet list | Unordered lists for items without sequence. |
| Numbered list | Ordered lists for steps, procedures, and ranked items. |
| Blockquote | Indented quotes for citing passages. |
| Horizontal rule | A divider line between sections. |
| Text alignment | Align text left, center, right, or justify. |
Content elements
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Link | Add hyperlinks to text. |
| Image | Insert images from your uploaded manuscript images. |
| Table | Create and edit tables for data presentation (up to 8 rows and 8 columns). |
| Citation | Insert a citation from your citation library. |
Keyboard shortcuts
Speed up your writing with keyboard shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl/Cmd + B | Bold |
| Ctrl/Cmd + I | Italic |
| Ctrl/Cmd + U | Underline |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z | Redo |
Inserting citations
To insert a citation from your library into your manuscript:
- Place your cursor where you want the citation to appear.
- Click the Citation button in the toolbar.
- Use the Search tab to find a citation by title, author, or DOI. Or use the Manual tab to enter citation details directly.
- Select a citation style from the dropdown.
- Click on the citation to insert it.
The citation appears as a formatted in-text reference (for example, "[Smith et al., 2024]") that links to the full reference in your citation library.
Auto-save
The editor automatically saves your work as you type. A status indicator in the toolbar shows the current save state:
- Saving - Your changes are being saved.
- Saved - All changes have been saved.
- Offline - No internet connection. Your changes will be saved when the connection is restored.
You never need to manually save - your changes are preserved automatically. If you lose your internet connection, the editor will retry saving when the connection is restored.
Word count
A real-time word count is displayed in the editor, updating as you type. This helps you track your progress toward word count targets set by journals or advisors.
Manuscript status
Each manuscript has a status:
- Draft - The manuscript is being worked on. You can edit the title, content, and all settings.
- Final - The manuscript is complete and locked. The content and title become read-only to prevent accidental changes. You can change the status back to draft at any time.
You can change the status from the manuscript editor.
Note: Some features like plagiarism checking are only available when the manuscript is in Final status.
Editing the title
To change your manuscript's title:
- Click on the title at the top of the editor.
- Type the new title.
- The title saves automatically.
Note: The title can only be edited while the manuscript is in Draft status.
Deleting a manuscript
- Go to Manuscripts in the sidebar.
- Find the manuscript you want to delete.
- Click the Delete button.
- Confirm the deletion.
Deleted manuscripts are moved to the Trash and can be recovered.
Next steps
- Add images to your manuscript - Upload and insert figures and diagrams.
- Apply manuscript guidelines - Set formatting and style rules for your manuscript.
- Request peer reviews - Share your manuscript for feedback.
- Check for plagiarism - Run a similarity check before submission.