Types of Paper
NewBioWorld publishes several article types: Original Research Articles, Short Communications and Reviews articles, etc.
The text length, including References, Tables and Legends, should not exceed 10000 words for Review articles, 7000 words for Research articles, and 2000 words for short communications and other sections. The text must be divided into appropriate subsections, including the abstract and introduction.
Submission Checklist
Before you begin the submission process, please go through this list to carry out a final check of your submission. Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more details.
Ensure that the following items are present to fill the “Details of the corresponding author” and “Article information” section of “Submit your Manuscript”:
Details of the corresponding author: One author designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
- E-mail address
- Full postal address
Article Information:
- Article type
- Article stream
- Details of all authors/ co-authors, including corresponding author (Name, e-mail ID, and Institution)
- Title
- Abstract (150-250 words)
- Keywords (4-6)
- A single file of “Manuscript” in the given format (Download Template) which includes:
- Concise and informative title
- Author information (name of all the authors, affiliations, and indication and an active e-mail address of the corresponding author)
- Abstract (150-250 words)
- Keywords (4-6)
- Graphical Abstract
- Main text (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References, Figures, and Tables)
- All figures (include relevant captions)
- All tables (including titles, descriptions, footnotes)
- Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided
- Declaration included plagiarism statement, conflict of interest, author contribution statement, funding details/ acknowledgements, and ethical approval (if required).
- Referee suggestions (Minimum two)
Further Considerations
- The manuscript has been ‘plagiarism checked’ ‘spell checked’ and ‘grammar checked’.
- All references mentioned in the Reference List must cite in the text, and vice versa.
- Permission should be obtained for copyrighted material used from other sources.
- A competing interest statement is provided, even if the authors have no competing interests to declare.
Text Formatting
The manuscript should be submitted in a word file.
- Use a normal, plain font (Times New Roman) for text.
- Use italics for emphasis.
- Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages.
- Do not use field functions.
- Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.
- Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables.
- Use the equation editor or MathType for equations.
- Font Size: Manuscript Title: 14 points (bold); Name of Author/ Coauthors: 13 points; Affiliation/ Institute: 9 points; Headings: 12 points (bold), Sub-headings: 12 points (bold+italics); Contents (abstract and main body): 11 points with Line spacing 1.15.
- Save your file in docx format (Word 2007 or higher) or doc format (older Word versions).
Headings
- Please use no more than three levels of displayed headings.
Abbreviations
- Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.
Tables
- All tables are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.
- Tables should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.
- For each table, please supply a table caption (title) explaining the components of the table.
- Identify any previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference at the end of the table caption.
- Table footnotes should be indicated by superscript lowercase letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data) and included beneath the table body.
Figure
- Figures must be in acceptable formats (TIFF, JPEG, PNG) and with the correct resolution.
- Size figures to fit in the column width.
- All figures are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.
- Figures should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.
- Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.).
- Each figure should have a concise caption describing accurately what the figure depicts.
- Figure captions begin with the term Fig. in bold type, followed by the figure number, also in bold type.
- If you include figures that have already been published elsewhere, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements of people, grants, funds, etc., should be placed on the title page. The names of funding organizations should be written in full.
References
Citation
Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). The abstract must not contain any citations. Cite references in the text by name and year in parentheses. Some example:
- Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication, for example: (Chandrawanshi 2021).
- Two authors: both author’s names and the year of publication, for example: (Kumar and Singh 2020).
- Three or more authors: first author's name followed by "et al." and the year of publication, example: (Chandrawanshi et al. 2021); Kramer et al. (2000) have recently shown.
- Groups of references should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication, for example: (Allan 2019a, 2019b, 2020; Allan and Jones 2021; Kelso and Smith 2021; Medvec et al. 2022).
Reference list
The references list should include works are cited in the text and have been published or accepted for publication. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list; they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication. Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work.
Examples:
Journal article:
Kumar NM, Karthikeyan S, Jayaraman G (2013) Thermostable alpha-amylase enzyme production from Bacillus laterosporus: Statistical optimization, purification and characterization. Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology, 2:38-44.
Article by DOI:
Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. Journal of Molecular Medicine. doi:10.1007/s001090000086.
Book:
South J, Blass B (2001) The future of modern genomics. CRC Press, London, p 412.
Book Chapter:
Brown B, Aaron M (2001) The politics of nature. In: Smith J (ed) The rise of modern genomics, 3rd edn. Wiley Press, New York, pp 230-257.
Gamelin FX, Baquet G, Berthoin S, Thevenet D, Nourry C, Nottin S, Bosquet L (2009) Effect of high intensity intermittent training on heart rate variability in prepubescent children. Eur J Appl Physiol 105:731-738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0955-8
Online document:
Cartwright J (2007) Big stars have weather too. IOP Publishing PhysicsWeb. http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/11/6/16/1. Accessed 26 June 2007
Dissertation:
Trent JW (1975) Experimental acute renal failure. Dissertation, University of California
Ideally, the names of all authors should be provided, but the usage of “et al” in long author lists will also be accepted.
Fundamental errors
Authors have an obligation to correct mistakes once they discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their published article. The author(s) is/are requested to contact the journal, explaining the error is impacting the article. A decision on how to correct the literature will depend on the nature of the error. This may be a correction or retraction. The retraction note should provide transparency on which parts of the article are impacted by the error.
Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere. All authors whose names appear on the submission agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Corresponding Author
One author is assigned as Corresponding Author, acts on behalf of all co-authors and ensures that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work should be appropriately addressed.
The Corresponding Author is responsible for the following requirements:
- Ensure that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission, including the names and order of authors.
- Manage all communication between the journal and all co-authors before and after publication.
- Provide transparency on the re-use of material and mention any unpublished material (for example, manuscripts in press) included in the manuscript in a cover letter to the Editor.
- Make sure disclosures, declarations and transparency on data statements from all authors are included in the manuscript.
Changes to authorship
Authors are strongly advised to ensure the correct author group, the Corresponding Author, and the order of authors at submission. Changes of authorship by adding or deleting authors, and/or changes in Corresponding Author, and/or changes in the author’s sequence are not accepted after acceptance of a manuscript.
Authorship issues or disputes
In the case of an authorship dispute during peer review or after acceptance and publication, the Journal will not be in a position to investigate or adjudicate. Authors will ask to resolve the dispute themselves. If they are unable, the Journal reserves the right to withdraw a manuscript from the editorial process or in the case of a published paper, raise the issue with the author’s institution(s) and abide by its guidelines.
Disclosures and Declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding and financial or non-financial interests. Study-specific approval by the appropriate ethical committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on the welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate).
The decision on whether such information should be included is not only dependent on the scope of the journal, but also the scope of the article. Work submitted for publication may have implications for public health or general welfare and in those cases; it is the responsibility of all authors to include the appropriate disclosures and declarations.
Data Transparency
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as a software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards. Please note that journals may have individual policies on (sharing) research data in concordance with disciplinary norms and expectations.
Ethical Responsibilities of Authors
This journal is committed to upholding the integrity of the scientific record. The journal will follow the COPE guidelines on how to deal with potential acts of misconduct.
- Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results which could damage the trust in the journal, the professionalism of scientific authorship, and ultimately the entire scientific endeavour. Maintaining the integrity of the research and its presentation is helped by following the rules of good scientific practice, which include:
- The manuscript should not be submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
- The submitted work should be original and should not have been published elsewhere in any form or language (partially or in full), unless the new work concerns an expansion of previous work. (Please provide transparency on the re-use of material to avoid concerns about text-recycling (self-plagiarism).
- A single study should not be split up into several parts to increase the number of submissions and submitted to various journals or one journal over time (i.e. ‘salami-slicing/publishing’).
- The concurrent or secondary publication is sometimes justifiable, provided certain conditions are met. Examples include translations or a manuscript that is intended for a different group of readers.
- Results should be presented clearly, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation (including image-based manipulation). Authors should adhere to discipline-specific rules for acquiring, selecting and processing data.
- No data, text, or theories by others are presented as if they were the author’s own (‘plagiarism’). Proper acknowledgements to other works must be given (this includes material that is closely copied (near verbatim), summarized and/or paraphrased), quotation marks (to indicate words taken from another source) are used for verbatim copying of material, and permissions secured for material that is copyrighted.
Important note: the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
- Authors should make sure they have permission for the use of software, questionnaires/(web) surveys and scales in their studies (if appropriate).
- Research articles and non-research articles (e.g. Opinion, Review, and Commentary articles) must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made. Excessive and inappropriate self-citation or coordinated efforts among several authors to collectively self-cite is strongly discouraged.
- Authors should avoid untrue statements about an entity (who can be an individual or a company) or descriptions of their behavior or actions that could potentially be seen as personal attacks or allegations about that person.
- Research that may be misapplied to pose a threat to public health or national security should be identified in the manuscript (e.g. dual use of research). Examples include the creation of harmful consequences of biological agents or toxins, disruption of immunity of vaccines, unusual hazards in the use of chemicals, and weaponization of research/technology (amongst others).
- Authors are strongly advised to ensure the author group, the Corresponding Author, and the orders of authors are all correct at submission. Adding and/or deleting authors during the revision stages is generally not permitted, but in some cases may be warranted. Reasons for changes in authorship should be explained in detail. Please note that authorship cannot change after the acceptance of a manuscript.
All of the above are guidelines and authors must respect third party rights such as copyright and/or moral rights.
- Upon request, authors should be prepared to send relevant documentation or data to verify the validity of the results presented. This could be in the form of raw data, samples, records, etc. Sensitive information in the form of confidential or proprietary data is excluded.
- If there is suspicion of misbehaviour or alleged fraud the Journal and/or Publisher will carry out an investigation following COPE guidelines. If, after investigation, there are valid concerns, the author(s) concerned will be contacted under their given e-mail address and allowed to address the issue. Depending on the situation, this may result in the Journal’s and/or Publisher’s implementation of the following measures, including, but not limited to:
If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction:
- An erratum/correction may be placed with the article
- An expression of concern may be placed with the article
- or In severe cases retraction of the article may occur.
The reason will be given in the published erratum/correction, expression of concern or retraction note. Please note that retraction means that the article is maintained on the platform, watermarked “retracted” and the explanation for the retraction is provided in a note linked to the watermarked article.
- The author’s institution may be informed
- A notice of suspected transgression of ethical standards in the peer review system may be included as part of the author’s and article’s bibliographic record.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research, the accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct should be followed. Authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on the welfare of animals if the research involved animals.
Authors should include the following statements (if applicable) in a separate section entitled “Compliance with Ethical Standards” when submitting a paper:
- Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
- Research involving Human Participants and/or Animals
- Informed consent
Please note that standards may vary slightly as per the journal peer review policies (i.e. single or double-blind peer review) and journal subject discipline. Before submitting your article, check the instructions following this section carefully.
The corresponding author should be prepared to collect documentation of compliance with ethical standards and send it if requested during peer review or after publication.
The Editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned guidelines. The author will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfil the mentioned guidelines.
Summary of Requirements
The above should be summarized in a statement and placed in a ‘Declarations’ section before the reference list under the heading of ‘Funding’ and/or ‘Competing interests’. Other declarations include Ethics approval, Consent, Data, Material and/or Code availability and Author’s contribution statements.
Please see the various examples of wordings below and revise/customize the sample statements according to your needs.
When all authors have the same (or no) conflicts and/or funding it is sufficient to use one blanket statement.
Examples of statements to be used when funding has been received:
- Partial financial support received from [...]
- The research leading to these results received funding from […] under Grant Agreement No […].
- This study was funded by […]
- This work was supported by […] (Grant numbers […] and […]
Examples of statements to be used when there is no funding:
- The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
- No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.
- No funding was received for conducting this study.
- No funds, grants, or other support were received.
Open access Publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in NewBioWorld, including information on fees, funding and licenses, visit our Open Access publishing page.