Writing Guidelines for Review and Commentary Section of Science and Technology Foresight

Title

Title serves as the overarching theme of the paper, revealing a logical combination of appropriate and concise terms that reflect the significant and specific content of the paper. The title should accurately summarize the main research focus and outcomes, be brief and precise, avoid generalities, and not use abbreviations or simplified words. Punctuations should be avoided as much as possible, and the title should generally be controlled within 25 characters. Examples include: “Research on XXXX Development Strategy”, “Progress and Development Recommendations for XXXX”, and “Development Opportunities and Challenges of XXXX”.

Author Information

Author information typically includes the author’s name and affiliation. The author’s name and affiliation should be placed below the title and written formally and accurately in their full form. The affiliation should cover the name of the institution (preferably specified to the second-level unit), the city where the institution is located, and the postal code. Multiple authors’ names should be separated by commas.

Each author listed must have made a substantial contribution to the paper, and the order of authorship should be reasonable. Unauthorized individuals should not be listed as authors, and changes to the authors or the order of authorship are not allowed. Authors can also be listed under the name of a project group. If authors belong to different institutions, superscript numbers should be used to indicate their respective affiliations. Information about the corresponding author can be provided in the footnote on the first page.

Abstract

Abstract is a concise statement of the paper’s content without annotation or commentary, and it should be self-contained and clear, providing necessary information without the need to read the full text. The abstract should not use special characters, charts, mathematical expressions made up of special characters, or reference numbers. English abbreviations in the Chinese abstract should be preceded by their full Chinese terms, i.e., full Chinese term (English abbreviation).

The abstract should be written in a descriptive/indicative style and must include the following elements: research concept, research method (optional), main research content, major findings, viewpoints, countermeasures, or suggestions. The abstract should generally not exceed 500 characters. The English abstract should correspond to the Chinese abstract and may include more information than the Chinese abstract to facilitate international communication.

Keywords

Keywords are terms or phrases selected from the title, abstract, or main body of the text to represent the main content of the paper and facilitate literature retrieval. Keywords should be meaningful for searches and should not be too general. For example, terms should be avoided, such as “method”, “theory”, “analysis”, “development strategy”, “development trend”, “measures and suggestions”, and “key technology”. Generally, three to eight keywords should be selected. Keywords should be separated by semicolons and arranged in order of their scope from broad to specific.

English Section

English section should include the title, author names (in “pinyin”, with the surname in all uppercase letters and the given name with only the first letter capitalized, e.g., ZHANG Yihan), institution names, abstract, keywords, figure titles, table titles, and English translations of the references cited in Chinese.

Footnote on the First Page

The funding sources should be listed in the footnote, including the project approval numbers, such as Funding Projects: National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 1, Project No. 2, and Project No. 3) and National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Project No.). The full name of the funding project should be provided, but the specific subject name is not required.

Main Body

Main body typically includes the introduction, main content, and conclusion. The main body usually starts with a brief introduction highlighting the importance of the paper. The introduction generally includes the research background, objectives, rationale, expected outcomes, and their significance and value. It should be concise and theme-centered, highlighting key points and innovations and providing an objective evaluation of previous research. The introduction should not have a heading.

The main content should be reasonably divided into sections and subsections and primarily include the following content:

Development Status: Cover the development status of new viewpoints, theories, methods, technologies, and achievements within the past five years. Briefly introduce advancements in academic institutions, talent cultivation, research platforms, and key research teams.

Comparison of Chinese and International Research: Compare developments in China and abroad.

Problems or Challenges: Discuss existing problems or challenges faced.

Development Trends and Recommendations: Consider and propose development strategies for the next five years from the perspective of strategic decision-makers.

Section headings should be accurate and highly generalized, ensuring consistency in the format and presentation of content. The numbering of headings should be up to four levels: first-level heading “1”, second-level heading “1.1”, and third-level heading “1.1.1”, each on a separate line; fourth-level heading “(1)” should have punctuation at the end, not on a separate line, or on a separate line in the form of “1)” without punctuation.

Specialized terms should be defined, and symbols, abbreviations, or acronyms should be written out in full (Chinese full name, English full name, and abbreviation) upon their first appearance. Non-standard abbreviations should be defined and explained. The writing should be concise and easy to understand, avoiding excessive use of mathematical models, derivations, or overly obscure technical terms.

Figures and tables should complement the text appropriately, following the text they illustrate. Cited figures and tables must indicate the source of data and obtain permission to avoid copyright issues. The data source must be specific and verifiable, avoiding vague statements like “according to the National Bureau of Statistics.”

Tables should use a three-line format. The table number and title should be placed above the top line of the table. The resolution of images should generally be no less than 300 dpi. The figure number and title should be centered below the figure. Concise legends and notes can be included if necessary. Notes should be left-aligned above the figure title, ending with a period. The text in figures and tables should generally be in Chinese.

When quantities are expressed, international symbols for legal units of measurement should be used with regular letters. In specific scientific fields where there are special needs, non-legal units of measurement such as bar, var, Å, Ci, and mmHg may be used if allowed by the relevant international organization standards. There should be a space between the unit symbol and the preceding number.

Author Introduction

A photograph and introduction for the first author and the corresponding author should be provided. The introduction should include the author’s title/position, major academic appointments, main research areas, significant research achievements (recommended but not mandatory), awards (recommended but not mandatory), and email address.

References

References should follow a sequential numbering system for in-text citations and the bibliography. The references should be numbered in the order they are cited in the text, with numbers enclosed in square brackets, placed at the upper right corner of the text where the author, citation, or narrative ends. Specific requirements can be found in the reference format and examples of Science and Technology Foresight. Each article should have no fewer than 10 references.

Word Count and Confidentiality

The total word count for each paper should not exceed 12,000 words based on the Word document count. Content involving confidential information must undergo security review by the relevant departments and obtain the necessary written approval before submission to the editorial office.

Papers should emphasize strategic importance, foresight, countermeasures, and readability, offering reference value for national or departmental scientific decision-making and providing insights for strategic research in the field. The paper should have a clear theme, highlight key points, be well-organized, and emphasize academic rigor, normative standards, and precision. Data should be detailed, and conclusions should be reliable. The paper must comply with national academic publishing requirements and relevant confidentiality laws and regulations.