EDITORIAL POLICY AND CALL FOR ARTICLES

PDF file of these instructions

The Journal of Biomolecular Techniques (JBT; ISSN 1524-0215) is a peer-reviewed journal with four regular issues and one supplemental meeting issue per year that is published by the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities. The Journal was established to promote the central role biotechnology plays in contemporary research activities, to disseminate information among biomolecular resource facilities, and to communicate the biotechnology research conducted by the Association's Research Groups and members, as well as other investigators.

JBT is published in English and features three types of articles: Communications, Reviews, and Articles. The purpose and requirements for these types of articles are discussed below. JBT is published electronically on PubMed Central and can also be accessed through the Association's Web site.

The publication has an international audience and is intended for professionals engaged in biotechnology research and service, as well as for a broad range of researchers who utilize these technologies and wish to stay current with the state-of-the-art. We welcome contributions from specialists in protein and nucleic acid chemistry, mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, biomolecular resource facility operations and management, and related areas. Articles are also solicited by the Editorial Board. Manuscript submissions or inquiries about the suitability of proposed articles should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief:

Ron Orlando, Ph.D.
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
The University of Georgia
315 Riverbend Road
Athens, Georgia 30602-4712
[email protected]
Tel: 706-542-4429
Fax: 706-542-4412

Submission process and requirements

COPYRIGHT: Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to Ron Orlando, Ph.D. [email protected], Editor-in-Chief. A copyright release form signed by all authors should be included with all manuscripts. Per the United States Copyright Law of 1978, the transfer of copyright from author to publisher must be explicitly stated in writing to enable the publisher to ensure maximum dissemination of the author's work. Articles cannot be published in the Journal if a copyright release form is not provided. Once the copyright release form has been received and the manuscript has been accepted for publication, the article becomes the property of the Journal. Material may not be reproduced or published without the written permission of the Publisher (forward your query to the Editors-in-Chief). The copyright release form can be downloaded here or obtained from the Editors-in-Chief.

Article Highlight Art (Only required with long format articles): Article highlight art will be used to highlight your manuscript on places such as the ABRF website and newsletters. Highlight art should be colorful and eye-catching, ideally without text, that conveys the importance and significance of the research

PEER REVIEW: All material submitted for publication, including solicited articles and supplements, is subject to editorial and peer review. Material submitted to the Journal must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Only unpublished material will be considered for publication. After peer review has been completed, authors will receive notification of acceptance or rejection. Articles might also be returned to authors for revision and resubmission.

COVER LETTER: Include in a cover letter the name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of the author to whom correspondence and proofs are to be addressed. Also note in the cover letter the type of article that is being submitted (Communication, Review, or Article; see below). Authors will receive confirmation of receipt of their manuscript from the Editor-in-Chief.

TYPES OF ARTICLES: 

The Journal publishes several types of content to accommodate a diversity of research outputs.  Indicate the requested article type in the cover letter and on the title page. Note that the Publisher reserves the right to place content in the section it deems most appropriate. JBT discourages any reference to “data not shown” or “unpublished data” and requires use of public data repositories.

Long Format Content:

  • Articles: Articles are reports of novel research either in the area of an existing or emerging bioanalytical technique or in the utilization of a particular technique. Articles include abstract, introduction, methods, results and/or discussion. There is no word limit.
  • Perspectives/Reviews: Perspectives/Reviews provide a detailed overview of an existing or emerging technology or a comprehensive description of a particular bioanalytical technique. Perspectives are typically shorter and higher level, while Reviews trend towards longer exhaustive topic summaries of the literature.
  • Technical Notes – Similar to a standard Article, with a focus on verbose methods rather than applications or conclusions. This includes the same sections, and no word limit.

 

Short Format Content:

  • Commentary: A commentary is a short article (2000-word limit) in response to another published article in JBT or other journal. A commentary may include new results (with supporting methods and data), but new results are not required. Commentaries are valuable to the community by providing a public counterpoint or support of a published paper. Commentaries include an abstract, main text and may include a figure.
  • Rapid Communications: Communications are short articles (1000 to 1200-word limit) intended for rapid dissemination of new information and developments in bioanalytical methodology and will receive expedited review. Communications may consist of new techniques, improvements to existing methods, or solutions to common problems. They have the same requirements and sections as the Article type.
  • Tutorial: Tutorials provide detailed instructions of a technique of interest to JBT readership with the beginner in mind. There are no specific sections in this article type, but a degree of background is expected, and data may be presented.

 

Micro-Format Content:

  • Micropublication:  Short submissions limited to reporting data from a single result (1200-word limit). This abbreviated format can include negative results, reproduced studies, or novel results, including those not deemed high impact. There are three sections: abstract, description and methods, and limited to one figure (This article type was inspired by the microPublication journal).
  • Data Descriptor:  Detailed descriptions of research datasets. The aim of a data descriptor is enabling data reuse, rather than testing hypotheses or presenting new interpretations, with an emphasis on data availability and annotation. There are three sections: abstract, summary
    (700-word limit) and methods (no word limit).

Manuscript Preparation

For a thorough explanation of the principles guiding all aspects of manuscript preparation for scientific journals, refer to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication, prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

GENERAL TERMS: Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.), Webster's Third New International Dictionary

GENERAL STYLE: Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.), Words Into Type (3rd ed.)

SCIENTIFIC TERMS: A Dictionary of Genetics (7th ed.), Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary (15th ed.), The Merck Index (14th ed.), and other specialized texts. The following texts will be particularly useful for students, scientists from other disciplines, and nontechnical professionals who need to become conversant in biotechnology: Glossary of Biotechnology and Nanobiotechnology Terms (4th ed.), Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (4th ed.), NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms.

SCIENTIFIC STYLE: American Medical Association Manual of Style (10th ed.), Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (7th ed.), Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals

Manuscript Format

DOCUMENT FORMAT: Submit manuscripts in English in Microsoft Word. Format the document pages with 1-inch margins; double-space all parts of the manuscript and use 12-point Times New Roman. Number the pages consecutively at the top of the page, beginning with the Title Page.

ABBREVIATIONS: The use of abbreviations should be held to a minimum and limited to terms that are lengthy or are most familiar to readers by their abbreviation (e.g., DNA, AIDS). At first mention in the body of the text, the term should be spelled out, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, only the abbreviation should be used.

ORDER OF MANUSCRIPT SECTIONS: Title Page, Abstract and Key Words, the body of the text, Acknowledgments, References, Figure Legends, and Tables. Each of these sections should begin on a new page. Submit figures separately, either as individual files or within a single file (see "Figures" below).

Parts of the manuscript

TITLE PAGE: The title page should include the following information: (1) the title of the article, which should be informative yet as concise as possible; (2) a shortened version of the title (40 characters maximum) to be used as a running head; (3) all authors' full names and affiliations; (4) contact information for the corresponding author, which should include address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address; (5) requested article type (Communication, Review, or Article); (6) a statement of any financial support or associations that may pose a conflict of interest; and (7) when the research involved human or animal subjects, a statement that the project has been approved by the appropriate committee at the institution where the study was performed, and a statement that all human subjects participating in the study have given the requisite informed consent.

ABSTRACT: The Abstract should be no more than 250 words and structured to follow the major divisions of the text: Introduction/Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Do not use abbreviations in the Abstract unless the term is lengthy and used several times or is familiar to readers by its abbreviation (e.g., DNA, AIDS). Do not include literature citations. Since the Abstract may be the only part of the article that is indexed in some databases, it is especially important that it accurately reflect the content of the article.

KEY WORDS: Provide three to seven words or short phrases in alphabetical order. For greater specificity in the indexing of the article, confirm that the Key Words are in the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) vocabulary list-the indexing system used by the MEDLINE/PubMed database.

TEXT: Use the following headings for the major divisions of the article: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Format headings so that they are clearly distinguished from one another.

Introduction: The Introduction should clearly and concisely describe the context and background of the study, the nature of the problem and its significance, and the specific objective of the study. Data and conclusions from the study should not be covered in the Introduction.

Materials and Methods: The methods used in the study should be described in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to repeat and reproduce the results of the study. At first mention, instruments, software, assays, reagents, and other commercial products should be named, followed by the name of the manufacturer and its location in parentheses. Thereafter, only the manufacturer needs to be named. For drugs, provide both generic and trade names. If a trade name is used, capitalize it and name the manufacturer and its location at first mention. Thereafter, only the manufacturer need be named. Do not include registration or trade mark symbols.

Results: Present only the most significant data, observations, and findings. Limit the use of tables and figures to those that contribute further to an understanding of the study rather than repeat data that have already been discussed in the text.

Discussion: Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Link the conclusions to the goals of the study. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results section. The Discussion should begin with a brief summary of the main findings followed by consideration of the possible mechanisms or explanations for the findings, a comparison of the results with other relevant studies, a statement regarding any limitations of the study, and thoughts about the implications of the findings for future research.

Acknowledgments: Grants supporting the research should be named in the Acknowledgments section as well as the names of colleagues who contributed to the research.

REFERENCES: Prepare references as described in the American Medical Association Manual of Style. An extensive, although not complete, list of reference styles is available at the Quick Reference Citation Format for the AMA Manual of Style.

Numbering References: Number citations in the text consecutively using superscript numerals. Numerals should appear outside commas and periods and inside colons and semicolons. When the citation contains several nonconsecutive numbers, separate each number with a comma with no space in between. When the reference numbers are a closed series, use only the first and last numbers of the series and separate them with a hyphen. The reference list should be numbered in the order in which the reference citations appear in the text.

Authors Names and Journal Abbreviations: If there are up to six authors, all should be listed; if there are more than six authors, only the first three should be listed followed by "et al." Abbreviate journal titles according to the style used in the List of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE.

Unpublished References: Unpublished data, personal communications, and manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted for publication should not be included as numbered references but rather should be cited parenthetically in the text [e.g., (Jones SA, personal communication)].

Reference Style: Following are the styles used for the most common reference materials:

Journal Article: Posewitz MC, Tempst P. Immobilized gallium(III) affinity chromatography of phosphopeptides. Anal Chem. 1999;71:2883-2892.

Journal Article (more than six authors): Yang Y, Zhang S, Howe K, et al. A comparison of nLC-ESI-MS/MS and nLC-MALDI-MS/MS for GeLC-based protein identification and iTRAQ-based shotgun quantitative proteomics. J Biomol Tech 2007;8:226-237.

Book: Williams DW. Molecular Weight Markers, 2nd ed, vol 1. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders, 1997;113-215.

Chapter in a Book: Brown PG, Miller FB. Equilibration of the first dimension. In Williams DW (ed): Molecular Weight Markers, 2nd ed, vol 1. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders, 1997;216-228.

FIGURE LEGENDS: Figure legends follow the References, starting on a new page and set double-spaced. Define all parts of a figure (A, B, etc.) as well as symbols and other markings whose meaning is not apparent. Define all abbreviations used in the figure at the end of the legend.

TABLES: Tables should be submitted as editable Microsoft Word or Excel files, not as images. Each table should begin on a new page and should be numbered according to its order of appearance in the text. Tables should be self-explanatory and not require reference to the text discussion to be understood. The title should be brief, with any elaboration placed in a footnote. Footnotes should be indicated by superscript, lowercase letters.

FIGURES: Figures should be self-explanatory and not require reference to the text discussion to be understood. Begin the legend with the title of the figure. Do not present the title of the figure in the figure. Number figures consecutively according to appearance in the text. Spell out the word Figure when it is used in running text and abbreviate it when it appears in parentheses [e.g., (Fig. 1)].

Figures should be easily read at their submitted size or formatted to allow for reduction. Authors will be asked to provide revised figures when those submitted require enlargement to be readable. Line art should be a vector graphic with editable type. Halftones should be 500-800 dpi. Screen shots are low resolution and may reproduce poorly; the quality of a screen shot can often be improved by increasing the display setting to maximum. Figures can be submitted as pdf, tif, eps, or PowerPoint files.

PROOFS

Proofs will be sent to authors electronically as low-resolution pdfs. It is strongly encouraged that corrections be made on the document using the Comments features in Adobe Acrobat. If the author is unfamiliar with or unable to use these features, a page clearly listing the corrections and their locations will be acceptable. Authors will be requested to return their corrected proofs within 72 hours.

DISCLAIMER

The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities cannot be held responsible for errors or for any consequences arising from the use of the information contained in this journal. This publication is protected by copyright. Permission to reproduce must be secured in writing from Ron Orlando, Ph.D. [email protected], Editor-in-Chief. Copyright © 2008 by the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities. All rights reserved.