Instructions for authors
Instructions for Authors
Everything below applies to every manuscript, whether its evidence is computational, experimental or clinical. Where a requirement depends on the kind of study, that is said explicitly rather than assumed.
- ISSN 2374-9431
- Publisher Open Access Pub
- Access Open access
- Review Peer-reviewed
Manuscript types
Seven types are open for unsolicited submission. Choose the one that matches the work; the editorial office will say if another fits better.
- Research Article
- A full report of original work: the question, what was done, what was found and what follows from it.
- Review Article
- A critical synthesis of published work on a defined question, saying where the evidence is strong and where it is thin.
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- A review carried out to a stated protocol, reporting the search, the selection of studies and, where applicable, the quantitative synthesis.
- Methods Article
- A new or substantially improved method, algorithm, analysis pipeline or laboratory protocol, described so that another group can apply it.
- Data/Resource Article
- A dataset, database, software tool or other resource, described together with how it was produced and how it can be reused.
- Short Communication
- A concise report of a finding that stands on its own.
- Case Report
- A clinical case or short series, presented for what it shows.
Editorial and Perspective/Commentary are commissioned by the editors. They are not part of the routine unsolicited submission categories.
The type follows the work, not the subject: a Methods Article might present an analysis pipeline for metabolomic data, a Data/Resource Article a curated variant or biomarker resource, and a Research Article an experimental diabetes model, an epidemiological study or a computational analysis of expression data. A bioinformatics or data-oriented manuscript does not need a diabetes component to be eligible, and a diabetes or metabolic manuscript does not need a new computational method. Each is assessed on its own terms within the journal’s remit.
Preparing the manuscript
Structure the manuscript so a reviewer can follow the question, the method and the evidence in that order.
| Element | What is required |
|---|---|
| Title | Specific enough to identify the question and, where relevant, the system or population studied. |
| Abstract | A self-contained summary of the question, what was done, what was found and what follows. Structured or unstructured, provided it covers those four. |
| Keywords | Terms a reader would search for, including the organism, data type or clinical population where applicable. |
| Main text | Introduction, methods, results and discussion for empirical work. Reviews and methods papers use a structure that fits the argument, stated in the text. |
| Methods | Enough detail for another group to repeat the work: materials and reagents, instruments and settings, software and version numbers, parameters, and the statistical or computational procedures applied. |
| References | A consistent style throughout, with complete author lists, titles, sources, years and DOIs where they exist. Cite the primary source, not a secondary description of it. |
| Figures | Supplied at a resolution that remains legible in print, with captions that stand alone. Axis labels, units and sample sizes on the figure itself. |
| Tables | Numbered, captioned, and readable without the main text. Units and definitions in the table, not only in the caption. |
| Supplementary files | Cited in the text at the point they are needed, and labeled so each file is identifiable on its own. |
Word, abstract, reference and figure limits for a particular article type are confirmed by the editorial office. Ask before writing if a limit would change how you structure the manuscript.
Declarations that must accompany the manuscript
These are conditions of publication. A manuscript that reaches acceptance without them is held until they arrive.
- Authorship
- Every author made a substantial contribution and approves the submitted version. The corresponding author confirms this on behalf of all of them.
- Competing interests
- Financial and non-financial interests a reader could reasonably consider relevant, or an explicit statement that there are none.
- Funding
- Funders, grant identifiers, and the role of the funder in the design, conduct, analysis or reporting of the work.
- Data availability
- Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement. State where the data are, under what conditions they can be obtained, and the identifier or accession where one exists.
- Ethical approval
- For studies in people or animals: the approving committee, the reference, and the consent obtained. See the Editorial Policies.
- Trial registration
- Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Use of AI
- Disclose any use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript. Authors remain responsible for the content, and AI systems are not listed as authors.
- Permissions
- Written permission for any figure, table or extended quotation reproduced from another source, with the source credited in the caption.
Reporting standards by study type
Use the checklist that matches the study and submit it with the manuscript. The requirement follows the design, not the discipline.
| Study type | Checklist |
|---|---|
| Randomized controlled trial | CONSORT |
| Observational study in epidemiology | STROBE |
| Systematic Review and Meta-analysis | PRISMA |
| Case Report | CARE |
| Diagnostic or prognostic accuracy study | STARD |
| Animal research | ARRIVE |
Computational, methodological and theoretical submissions are not held to a clinical or experimental checklist. They are held to the equivalent standard for their own evidence: the data used and where it came from, the software and versions, the parameters, the comparison or baseline, the validation performed, and access to code or scripts sufficient for the analysis to be repeated.
Review, and how to submit
What happens to the manuscript, and the three routes it can arrive by.
Screening
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
Review model
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request.
Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Requesting double-blind review
For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Decisions
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
Primary route
Alternative route
Assisted route
One route per manuscript
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
Journal of Bioinformatics and Diabetes · ISSN 2374-9431 · Published by Open Access Pub.