Can I write a template just like the Elsevier LaTeX template? A scientific  institute wants me to write a LaTeX template just like the articles which are published on the ScienceDirect website, in other words, the institute wants a template like the following:


Is it OK to do so with regard to copyright issues?
If you check it on Elsevier web page, it clearly states that modification of the manuscript template is totally ok and they provided the download  link.

On the other hand, there are also some other templates that are specific to a journal that is stated to be ethical if you ask the editors' permission. 

Check the page out to get more instructions and useful information.