Instructions updated 19 June 2026
We are transitioning to a new submission system called SNAPP. We will make every effort to ensure that the instructions below are accurate. Comments and suggestions can be sent to the Managing Editor Brian Davey (AU@latrobe.edu.au)
To confirm that your paper may be suitable for publication in Algebra Universalis, please read our mission statement. Note that papers of more than 40 pages are discouraged and papers of more than 50 pages are not normally considered.
Please ensure that you read and adhere to the Ethical Responsibilities of Authors.
Note: Submitting authors may be asked to referee future articles for Algebra Universalis, and are asked to consider the necessity and importance of refereeing in assisting the function and quality of the journal.
Submission of manuscripts is via Springer Nature SNAPP using the link below. Before accessing SNAPP, please read the following important instructions carefully.
You must prepare your paper as a single LaTeX file using the Algebra Universalis class file birkau.cls.
Download and unzip AUfiles.zip.
All the files you need to prepare your submission are contained in AUfiles.zip. In it you will find:
birkau.cls (the Birkhäuser document class modified for AU)
AUsample.tex (the LaTeX version of the AU sample article for use with birkau.cls)
AUsample.pdf (the PDF version of the AU sample article)
spmpsci.bst (the BibTeX style file for those who use BibTeX - note that you will need to edit the .bbl file, to remove italics, for example).
N.B. Make sure your file begins:
\documentclass{birkau}
\usepackage{amsmath,amssymb,url}
\usepackage{hyperref}
It is necessary to input the hyperref package at this point in the file to avoid a conflict that has arisen with the latest version of TeXLive.
Please use the checklist given in the final section of the sample article before sending your file to Brian Davey. (This checklist replaces the more extensive list given in Davey's DOs and DON'Ts[6].pdf, which is still available to download for those who would like a more detailed version.)
In accordance with EU data-protection regulations, all submitted papers with more than one author must clearly indicate the corresponding author. This can be done using an asterisk on the name of the corresponding author on the first page of the paper and a footnote as follows: *Corresponding author. The Algebra Universalis document class, birkau.cls, contains a macro \corrauthor for automating this.
All papers submitted to Springer now must contain certain declarations at the end of the paper and before the bibliography. All Algebra Universalis authors must include statements relating to
Ethical approval,
Competing interests,
Authors' contributions,
Availability of data and materials, and
Funding.
Examples of typical statements are given in the AU Sample Article.
You do not need to submit a PDF file of your paper; that will be created automatically.
Please produce a zip file containing:
the LaTeX file of your paper,
our class file birkau.cls,
any graphics files needed for your paper,
the file spmpsci.bst if you used it to produce your bibliography.
You will be asked to upload this zip file during the submission process. N.B. You must include the class file birkau.cls in your zip file.
To access SNAPP, go to the web site
https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/12/3
Follow the on-screen instructions.
Please note that Mailbox articles should be no longer than five pages including references. To submit a Mailbox article, you should choose the choose the article type Brief Report.
An Associate Editor will be assigned to your paper, taking into account any preference you may indicated when submitting the paper. SNAPP will inform you by email of the name of the Associate Editor assigned to your paper.
Once you have an Associate Editor, you correspond with the Associate Editor.
If there is a problem between submission and the final decision on your paper, please email Managing Editor Marcel Jackson (m.g.jackson@latrobe.edu.au).
In all correspondence concerning your paper, please be sure to use the ALUN number that was assigned to your paper.
The refereeing process should be completed in three months; longer papers in nine months. Based on the referee's report, the assigned Associate Editor will recommend acceptance or rejection to the Editorial Office. The possible outcomes of the editorial process are:
The paper is accepted without change.
The paper is accepted subject to minor changes.
The paper will be accepted subject to more substantial changes being made.
The paper might be acceptable but requires major revisions; in this case the paper will be regarded as withdrawn and any new version will be regarded as a new submission, and will be given a new file number.
The paper is rejected.
If your paper is accepted, the final version that you upload will be checked by the Managing Editor, Brian Davey (AU@latrobe.edu.au) to ensure that you have followed the guidelines given in the AU Sample Article. He may ask you to make some changes.
Your LaTeX file will be sent directly from the SNAPP system to production who will send you a set of page proofs. You must check these proofs very carefully as your LaTeX file will be converted by Springer into a proprietary format. The purpose of the page proofs is to allow you to check for typesetting or conversion errors and for the completeness and accuracy of the text, tables and figures. Substantial changes are not allowed. After online publication, further changes can only be made in the form of an Erratum.
As an additional quality assurance measure, the Managing Editor, Brian Davey, will look at the final page proofs before they are approved for publication.
Accepted manuscripts will be published via Continuous Article Publication. Consequently, once you have approved your page proofs, your paper will be published electronically via Online First within a few weeks. It will be published in a printed issue in due course.