Author Guidelines

Author's checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1: The manuscript is original, has not been published, and is not under consideration elsewhere.

2: The manuscript follows the journal’s formatting and style guidelines.

3: All authors have approved the final version and consented to submission.

4: A structured abstract and appropriate keywords are included.

5: References follow the prescribed citation style.

6: Figures and tables are high-resolution and appropriately cited.

7: Ethical approvals and informed consent (where applicable) are clearly mentioned.

8: Conflicts of interest and funding sources are disclosed.

Cover Letter

A cover letter must accompany each manuscript submission, providing a concise explanation of the paper’s significance and placing its findings in the context of existing research. It should clearly justify why the manuscript is suitable for the journal’s scope.

All cover letters must contain the following statements:

    • “We confirm that neither the manuscript nor any parts of its content are currently under consideration for publication with or published in another journal.”
    • “All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to Biological Sciences.”

Types of Articles Accepted

Research Article

Research articles are original, full-length studies that present new scientific findings backed by experimental data, rigorous methodologies, and statistical analysis.

Full-Length Review

A full-length review article provides a comprehensive and critical summary of the current state of knowledge on a specific topic. It synthesizes existing research, identifies gaps, and suggests future directions. Unlike research articles, it does not contain original experimental data but must be based on a systematic analysis of published literature.

Systematic Review

A systematic review follows a structured approach to synthesize all available research on a topic, using a predefined methodology to minimize bias. It often includes meta-analysis (quantitative synthesis) but can also be qualitative.

Short Communication

Short communications are brief reports of significant preliminary findings, new methods, or urgent results that require rapid dissemination. These articles focus on presenting important insights concisely without extensive background or discussion.

Mini Review

Mini reviews provide a focused summary of a specific topic, typically covering recent advancements rather than a broad historical overview. They are similar to full-length reviews but more concise and targeted.

Methods

A methods article describes new experimental techniques, protocols, software tools, or significant improvements to existing methods. These papers should allow other researchers to replicate the described techniques effectively.

Opinion

Opinion articles are perspectives from experts in the field discussing new hypotheses, policy implications, ethical considerations, or challenges in research. These articles do not contain original data but must be well-reasoned and evidence-based.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be formatted in a clear, concise, and professional manner. The text should be in a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt), double-spaced, with continuous line numbering. Use SI units for measurements and standard abbreviations where applicable.

Title

The title of your manuscript should be concise, specific, and relevant to the content of your study. It should clearly indicate the type of study being presented, such as whether it reports on human or animal trial data, a systematic review, a meta-analysis, or a replication study. When mentioning genes or proteins, please use the abbreviated name rather than the full name. Avoid including any abbreviated or short forms of the title, such as a running title or head, as these will be removed by the Editorial Office. The title should effectively reflect the focus and key findings of the manuscript while remaining easily understandable to the broad readership of the journal.

Author's Page

Authors’ full first and last names must be provided. The initials of any middle names can be added if applicable. Affiliations should follow the PubMed/MEDLINE standard format, including the complete address information: city, zip code, state/province, and country. At least one author must be designated as the corresponding author. The email addresses of all authors will be displayed in the published article. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that consent for the display of email addresses is obtained from all authors. If any author (other than the corresponding author) does not wish to have their email address displayed in this manner, the corresponding author must indicate this during the proofreading stage. After acceptance, updates to author names or affiliations may not be permitted.

Equal Contributions: Authors who have contributed equally to the work should be marked with a pound symbol (#). This symbol must be included below the affiliations, with the following statement added: "These authors contributed equally to this work." The equal roles of authors should also be clearly disclosed in the author contributions statement.

Abstract

The abstract should be concise and provide a clear overview of the study’s key elements. For Systematic Reviews and Original Research Articles, the abstract must be structured and approximately 250 words. It should contain the following sections:

  • Background/Objectives: Provide a brief overview to place the research question in a broader context and explain the purpose of the study.
  • Methods: Summarize the main methods or treatments used in the study, including any relevant preregistration details or specimen information.
  • Results: Present a short summary of the primary findings of the research.
  • Conclusions: Offer a final comment, summarizing the main conclusions or interpretations drawn from the results.

The abstract must represent the article objectively and should not contain any data or results that are not directly supported by the main text. Avoid over-exaggerating the conclusions or including speculative interpretations. For Clinical Trials, the abstract should include essential items as outlined by the CONSORT group, ensuring transparency in trial reporting. For other article types (Full-Length Review, Short Communication, Mini Review, Methods, and Opinion), abstracts should also summarize the key content, but they may vary in structure based on the type of article. Please refer to specific article types for more detailed guidance.

Keywords

Three to six pertinent keywords should be provided immediately after the abstract. These keywords must be specific to the article's content and relevant to the subject matter. We recommend that the keywords strike a balance between specificity and common usage within the discipline, ensuring they effectively represent the article’s focus and improve discoverability in searches.

Introduction

The introduction should provide a concise overview, placing the study within a broader context and clearly explaining its importance. It should define the purpose of the work, outlining the specific hypotheses being tested and their significance. A careful review of the current state of the research field should be included, with references to key publications that support the background of the study. If there are any controversial or diverging hypotheses, these should be highlighted and discussed briefly. The introduction should then lead into the main aim of the study, setting the stage for the research presented. It is essential to keep the introduction accessible to scientists working outside the specific topic of the paper, ensuring clarity for a broader scientific audience.

Materials and Methods

The Materials and Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow other researchers to replicate the study and build upon the results. Newly developed methods or protocols must be described thoroughly, while well-established methods can be summarized briefly and appropriately cited. When mentioning software, include the name and version number, and clarify whether the computer code used is available for review or sharing. If any pre-registration codes or study protocols are used, these should also be clearly stated. This section should be thorough enough to ensure transparency and reproducibility, which are essential for advancing scientific research.

Results

The Results section should provide a clear, concise, and precise description of the experimental findings. Present the data without excessive interpretation, focusing on the key outcomes that directly address the study’s hypotheses or objectives. Any necessary statistical analyses should be included to support the findings. Interpretations of the data can be briefly mentioned, but the main focus should remain on presenting the results. Experimental conclusions that can be drawn from the data should also be highlighted in this section. Avoid redundant information or discussions that are more appropriate for the Discussion section.

Discussion

In the Discussion section, authors should interpret the results in the context of previous studies, comparing and contrasting findings with existing literature. The discussion should relate the results to the working hypotheses and explain their significance. Authors should also address the broader implications of the findings, considering their potential impact on the field. It is essential to acknowledge the limitations of the study, highlighting any constraints or uncertainties in the methodology, data, or interpretation. Suggestions for future research directions may also be included to guide ongoing investigations in the area. In some cases, the Results and Discussion sections may be combined, but this should be done in a way that maintains clarity and logical flow.

Conclusion

In conclusion section, authors should briefly summarize the key findings of the study and their implications. The conclusion should provide a clear and concise wrap-up of the research, highlighting the most important takeaways and potential avenues for future work.

Acknowledgments

In this section, authors can acknowledge any support that is not covered by the author contributions or funding sections. This may include administrative and technical assistance, as well as any donations in kind, such as materials or equipment provided for the experiments. Authors should also thank individuals or organizations that contributed to the research in ways that do not qualify for authorship.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the study.

References

References must be numbered in the order of appearance in the text, including in table captions and figure legends, and listed individually at the end of the manuscript. To avoid typing errors and duplicate references, we recommend preparing your references using a bibliography software package, such as EndNote, Mendeley, Reference Manager, or Zotero. We also encourage citing data, computer code, and other citable research materials.

In-Text Citation

In the text, reference numbers should be placed in parentheses (), before the punctuation; for example, (1), (1–3), or (1,3). For embedded citations with pagination, use both parentheses and brackets to indicate the reference number and page numbers, for example, (5) [p. 10] or (6) [pp. 101–105].

Reference List

The reference list should follow the Vancouver reference style, with full titles included as recommended by the ACS style guide. Style files for EndNote and Zotero are available. The following formats should be used for different types of works:

Journal Articles:

Author 1, A.B.; Author 2, C.D. Title of the article. Abbreviated Journal Name Year, Volume (Issue), page range.

Books and Book Chapters

1: Author 1, A.; Author 2, B. Book Title, 3rd ed.; Publisher: Publisher Location, Country, Year; pp. 154–196.

2: Author 1, A.; Author 2, B. Title of the chapter. In Book Title, 2nd ed.; Editor 1, A., Editor 2, B., Eds.; Publisher: Publisher Location, Country, Year; Volume 3, pp. 154–196.

Unpublished Materials Intended for Publication:

1: Author 1, A.B.; Author 2, C. Title of Unpublished Work (optional). Correspondence Affiliation, City, State, Country. Year, status (manuscript in preparation; to be submitted).

2: Author 1, A.B.; Author 2, C. Title of Unpublished Work. Abbreviated Journal Name Year, phrase indicating stage of publication (submitted; accepted; in press).

Unpublished Materials Not Intended for Publication:

Author 1, A.B. (Affiliation, City, State, Country); Author 2, C. (Affiliation, City, State, Country). Phase describing the material, year. (phase: Personal communication; Private communication; Unpublished work; etc.).

Conference Proceedings:

Author 1, A.B.; Author 2, C.D.; Author 3, E.F. Title of Presentation. In Title of the Collected Work (if available), Proceedings of the Name of the Conference, Location of Conference, Country, Date of Conference; Editor 1, Editor 2, Eds. (if available); Publisher: City, Country, Year (if available); Abstract Number (optional), Pagination (optional).

Thesis:

Author 1, A.B. Title of Thesis. Level of Thesis, Degree-Granting University, Location of University, Date of Completion.

Websites:

Title of Site. Available online: URL (accessed on Day Month Year). Unlike published works, websites may change over time or disappear, so we encourage you to create an archive of the cited website using a service like WebCite.

Figures and Tables

Biological Sciences accepts multimedia files for inclusion in articles or as supplementary materials. For further details, please contact the Editorial Office. Below are the guidelines regarding various aspects of figures, schemes, and tables: Resolution, Color, and Format

  • All figures should be of high quality (preferably no less than 300 dpi) and submitted in PNG, JPEG, or TIFF formats.
  • Authors are encouraged to prepare figures and schemes in color (RGB at 8-bit per channel). There is no additional cost for publishing full-color graphics.
  • Images should be combined to avoid any issues during formatting changes, and no editable parts should remain in the images.
  • All table columns must have an explanatory heading. To facilitate copy-editing, smaller fonts (no smaller than 8 pt.) may be used in larger tables. Authors should use the "Table" option in Microsoft Word to create tables.

Order

All figures, schemes, and tables should be inserted into the main text close to their first citation and must be numbered sequentially based on their appearance (e.g., Figure 1, Scheme 1, Figure 2, Scheme 2, Table 1, etc.).

Content

  • Figures should contain only English text and correct mathematical symbols (e.g., using a hyphen instead of an em dash, and a decimal point instead of a comma).
  • The content of figures should be complete, and the characters should not be masked. Unnecessary marks (such as red wavy lines and hard/soft returns) should not appear.
  • A comma should be used in numbers of five or more digits across all figures, schemes, and tables. Scientific enumeration should be correct.
  • All figures, schemes, and tables should include a short explanatory title and caption. Any special characters or icons used in images (e.g., *, **, and #) should be explained in the caption.
  • Images of cells and western blots should be large enough to reveal relevant features. Uncropped, untouched, full original images of western blots should be uploaded with the other figure files.
  • For biological images, scale information is required. If the same image appears at two different scales, authors should indicate the location of the high-magnification inset in the low-magnification image.

Copyright

Reprinted or adapted figures or tables may have copyright issues. It is the author’s responsibility to determine whether copyright permission is required. If so, the relevant content must be added to the caption (please refer to Intellectual Property, including Copyright, Patent, and Licensing).

IR Research Publication offers professional support for creating publication-ready figures that effectively communicate your research. To learn more about the Figure Editing Service, visit the provided link.

Original Image Requirements

To maintain scientific integrity, IR Research Publication requires authors to provide original, uncropped, and unadjusted images for electrophoretic blots, gels, and microscopy images upon request. These should be included as a single zip archive in Supplementary Materials or deposited in a public repository. Preferred formats include TIFF, PNG, GIF, with a minimum resolution of 1000 pixels (width/height) or 300 dpi. Failure to provide original images may lead to paper rejection.

Image Processing and Presentation Guidelines

  • Minimal processing is allowed but must preserve original data integrity. Any adjustments (contrast, brightness, etc.) must be applied uniformly across the image.
  • Cropped images must be supplemented with full original scans. Spliced images should have clear demarcation lines and be explained in figure legends.
  • Software use (filters, deconvolution, etc.) must be declared in the Methods section. Excessive alterations or background “cleaning” using rubber stamps or wipe tools are not allowed.

Electrophoretic Gels and Blots

  • Experimental samples and controls for a comparative analysis must be run on the same blot/gel. If processed separately, this must be stated in the figure legend.
  • Experimental samples and controls for a comparative analysis must be run on the same blot/gel. If processed separately, this must be stated in the figure legend.
  • Molecular weight markers should be included, and unused lanes should be marked with an “X” in the raw image.
  • Splicing lanes is acceptable if originating from the same blot, with a clear separation line and explanation in the legend.
  • Quantitative analyses must include blots/gels from independent biological replicates. Comparisons between separate gels/blots should be avoided unless explicitly justified.

Article Length

There is no limitation of the length of articles; however, mini-review and short-communication should not exceed 3000 words including abstract and references. While opinion should not exceed 2000 words.

Research Involving Humans

Research involving human subjects, tissues, or data must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised 2013). Approval from the local Institutional Review Board (IRB) or an ethics committee is required before conducting the research. The approval details (project ID, approval date, and ethics committee name) must be included in the manuscript.

Example: “The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of XXX (Project ID) on [approval date].” For non-interventional studies (e.g., surveys), participants must be informed about anonymity, purpose, data usage, and risks. Ethical approval is still required, or a justification for exemption should be provided.

Informed Consent Statement

Manuscripts involving human participants must include a statement on informed consent. If verbal consent is used, the rationale must be explained, and a script provided. Written consent is required for any publication involving identifiable human information (images, personal data), with a blank version of the form submitted. Example: “Informed consent for participation was obtained from all subjects.” Or, “Informed consent for publication was obtained from all identifiable participants.”

Vulnerable Groups and Organ Transplants

Studies involving vulnerable groups or organ transplants require additional scrutiny. Consent forms and ethics board discussions must be provided upon request. IR Research Publication does not accept manuscripts involving organs from illegal sources or unethical practices.

Clinical Trials Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a public trial registry before the first patient enrollment. The registry name, trial number, and registration date should be included. Observational studies do not require registration. Authors must follow ICMJE guidelines and include a CONSORT checklist and flow diagram for randomized clinical trials.

Research Involving Animals

The editors require that the benefits of any research involving animals outweigh the harm caused, and procedures should minimize animal distress. Authors must ensure compliance with the "3Rs" principles:

1: Replacement of animals with alternatives where possible.

2: Reduction in the number of animals used.

3: Refinement of experimental conditions to minimize harm.

Details on animal housing, husbandry, and pain management must be included in the manuscript. IR Research Publication endorses the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting experiments involving live animals. Authors and reviewers should use the ARRIVE checklist (available at arriveguidelines.org), which must be submitted with the manuscript. The editors reserve the right to reject submissions that do not follow these guidelines or if the procedure is not justified by the study's value. Studies involving vertebrates or higher invertebrates must obtain approval from the relevant ethics committee, and this approval (project ID, approval date, and ethics committee name) should be included in the manuscript. If ethical approval is not required, an exemption must be provided, with an explanation. For studies involving client-owned animals, informed consent from the animal owner is required. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all relevant national and institutional regulations, and ethical approval must be justified if no ethics committee is available. For further guidance, authors should refer to the following resources:

  • NSW DPI and Animal Research Review Panel on the Three Rs Available online: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/dpi/animals/animal-ethics-infolink/three-rs.
  • Home Office Code of Practice for animal care https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/388535/CoPanimalsWeb.pdf.
  • AALAS on the regulation of animal care https://www.aalas.org/about-aalas/position-papers/scientific-basis-for-regulation-of-animal-care-and-use.
  • EARA on EU animal research regulations https://www.eara.eu/animal-research-law.
  • Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), India, for guidance on animal research ethics and regulations. https://ccsea.gov.in/Auth/index.aspx.

Research Involving Cell Lines

Manuscripts reporting research using cell lines must state their origin in the Methods section.

  • For established cell lines, authors must provide details on provenance and cite either a published reference or a commercial source.
  • For newly developed (de novo) or gifted cell lines, institutional review board or ethics committee approval must be stated. If the cell line is of human origin, confirmation of written informed consent must be included.

Example of Ethical Statements

  • The HCT116 cell line was obtained from XXXX.
  • The MLH1+ cell line was provided by XXXXX, Ltd.
  • The DLD-1 cell line was obtained from Dr. XXXX.
  • The DR-GFP and SA-GFP reporter plasmids were obtained from Dr. XXX, and the Rad51K133A expression vector was obtained from Dr. XXXX.

Supplementary Materials and Data Deposit

IR Research Publication is committed to promoting open scientific exchange and ensuring best practices in sharing and archiving research data. Authors are encouraged to share research data, including but not limited to protocols, analytic methods, raw data, processed data, code, software, algorithms, and study material. Research data should follow the FAIR principles- Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable—to ensure that other researchers can locate and utilize the data effectively.

We recommend depositing data and code in trusted repositories that maximize reuse (see the Data Preservation section). If repository deposition is not possible, authors should provide a justification in the Data Availability Statement and make the material available upon request. Research materials essential for experiment reproduction should be included in the Materials and Methods section. Individual journal guidelines can be found on the respective journal’s Instructions for Authors page.

IR Research Publication's data policies align with Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines and emphasize that the minimal dataset supporting a study’s key findings should be publicly available and properly cited.

Ethical, Legal, and Privacy Considerations

If ethical, legal, or privacy concerns prevent data sharing, authors must state this in the Data Availability Statement and clarify any limitations. Data shared must comply with participant consent agreements and avoid breaching confidentiality or data protection laws. For proprietary or confidential data, authors should clearly explain dataset access restrictions and, where possible, provide data upon request for peer review purposes. Although some institutions and funders require research data to be retained for a finite period, IR Research Publication does not impose retention limits. Authors are encouraged to archive research data in appropriate repositories or include minimal datasets in the Supplementary Material.

Data Availability Statements

A Data Availability Statement is mandatory for all IR Research Publication articles. Authors must indicate whether datasets analyzed in the manuscript will be accessible post-publication. The following recommended statements can be used based on data availability:

Data Availability Status Recommended Data Availability Statement
Publicly available data The original data presented in this study are openly available in [repository name, e.g., FigShare] at [DOI/URL] or [reference/accession number].
Data available on request (due to privacy, legal, or ethical reasons) The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author due to (specify reason).
Third-party data Restrictions apply to the availability of these data. Data were obtained from [third party] and are available [from the authors/at URL] with the permission of [third party].
Data under embargo for commercialization The data supporting these findings will be available in [repository name] at [DOI/URL] following an embargo period to allow for commercialization.
Restricted datasets The datasets in this article are not readily available due to [reason, e.g., ongoing study or technical limitations]. Requests for access should be directed to [contact details].
Public domain data The data presented in this study are available in [repository name] at [DOI/URL], reference number [reference number]. These data were obtained from publicly available resources: [list sources and URLs].
No new data generated No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable.
Data in article or supplementary material The original data presented in this study are included in the article/supplementary material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author(s).
Dataset available on request The raw data supporting the findings of this article will be made available by the authors upon request.

Submission

Manuscripts for Biological Sciences must be submitted online via online submission system. The submitting author (usually the corresponding author) is responsible for managing the manuscript throughout the submission and peer review process.

Key Submission Requirements

  • The submitting author must ensure that all eligible co-authors are included in the author list.
  • All co-authors must read and approve the submitted version.
  • The authorship criteria must be met (refer to Authorship and Contributorship Policy).
  • Authors are encouraged to use the Microsoft Word to prepare their manuscript.
  • The total size of all uploaded files must not exceed 120 MB.
  • Manuscripts must be submitted as a single Word file.
  • All graphics (schemes, figures, etc.) should be inserted in the main text after their first citation.

Free Format Submission

Biological Sciences now accepts free format submissions, allowing authors greater flexibility in manuscript preparation. While there are no strict formatting rules, manuscripts must include essential sections such as Title, Author Information, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Conclusions, Figures and Tables with Captions, Funding Information, Author Contributions, Conflict of Interest, and other Ethics Statements.

References may be formatted in any consistent style, but they must include all necessary details such as author names, journal or book titles, article or chapter titles where applicable, year of publication, volume and issue numbers when relevant, and pagination. Authors are recommended to use reference management software such as EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, or Reference Manager.

Once the manuscript reaches the revision stage, authors will be required to format it according to the journal's guidelines before final submission.

Submitting to a Special Issue

Authors submitting manuscripts to a Special Issue should follow the standard submission process and select the appropriate article type (e.g., Research Article, Review Article).
Since only one section can be selected during submission, authors must clearly indicate that their manuscript is intended for a Special Issue by:

  1. Writing in the Cover Letter:
    “This manuscript is submitted for the Special Issue titled: [Special Issue Title].”

  2. Adding a note in the “Comments for the Editor” box during submission.

This ensures that the editorial team can correctly identify and process manuscripts for the Special Issue.