There's a way to never face the "let me also reformat it for this journal" chore: format-free submission. This increasingly common policy lets you submit without wrestling with formatting. It saves serious time, especially when moving a paper to another journal after a rejection. Here's what it is and how to use it.
What does format-free submission mean?
Format-free (or Your Paper Your Way / YPYW) submission means you can submit at the initial stage without following the journal's strict formatting rules. You don't fuss over font, margins or reference-style layout; you upload the paper as it is. Formatting is requested only after the paper is accepted — at which point it's going to be published, so the effort isn't wasted.
The logic is simple: science first, formatting later. Editors and reviewers assess the paper on its content; formatting is deferred to after acceptance.
Which publishers offer it?
| Publisher | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Wiley (Free Format) | Over 1,100 journals |
| Taylor & Francis / Routledge | Over 850 titles |
| PLOS (e.g. PLOS ONE) | Waives formatting until acceptance |
Beyond these, there are community-maintained format-free journal lists for the life sciences and biomedicine. You can tell whether a journal is format-free from phrases like "free format", "format-free" or "Your Paper Your Way" in its author guidelines.
What do you still need to prepare?
"Format-free" refers only to formatting — content discipline still applies. Most journals still expect:
- Accurate, complete citations (the style is free, but the references must be complete)
- Full submission metadata (authors, affiliations, corresponding author, statements)
- Mandatory sections (abstract, methods, ethics/conflict-of-interest statements)
- Often a cover letter
So format-free doesn't mean "no rules"; it means "formatting rules are deferred to after acceptance."
Pros and cons
Pro: No reformatting at initial submission; if you'll try several journals (after a rejection) you avoid reformatting from scratch each time. You focus on the science.
Con: Formatting is still needed after acceptance (just deferred). And the absence of strict rules can feel ambiguous to some authors; you must still mind complete citations and sections.
Using it strategically
Choosing a format-free journal when moving a paper after a rejection largely removes the reformatting burden. Cost and access are part of the decision too — weigh it alongside open access and APC costs. Always check first whether the target journal fits your scope (choosing the right journal); being format-free is no substitute for scope fit.
Searching one by one for journals that fit your scope and ease your process can be tedious. Peerfect's free journal recommendation engine matches your paper to journals that fit its scope and shows access and fit information — minimising the formatting chore so you focus on the right door.