Instructions to Authors

Aims and Scope
Peer Review
Manuscript Submission
Manuscript Types
Manuscript Organization
Acceptance
Open Access
Consent and Approval
Animal Welfare
Crossref Funding Data Registry
Availability of Data and Materials
Contacts at JMCB

Aims and Scope

Journal of Molecular Cell Biology (JMCB) publishes primary research papers with findings of unusual significance and broad scientific interest that contribute to the understanding of major biological processes, with special interest in inter-disciplinary studies at the cross-sections between molecular and cell biology as well as other life science-related disciplines. Subject matter appropriate for JMCB includes, but is not restricted to, the following: cancer biology, stem cell biology, molecular genetics and genome stability, gene editing, developmental biology, immunology, RNA biology, epigenetics, cell biology, metabolic biology, protein science, neuroscience, computational biology, and systems biology. By selecting the high-quality papers for publication, JMCB will provide a first-rate publishing forum for international scientists in life sciences.

Peer Review

Single-blind peer review will be handled by our editorial team composed of in-house scientific editors and Associate Editors for different research fields. The Associate Editor (Editor-in-Chief) handling the manuscript is responsible for the ultimate decision.

Manuscripts that are in principle inappropriate for JMCB due to lack of sufficient novelty or general interest will be returned to the authors as rapidly as possible. If a manuscript is sent out for in-depth peer review, JMCB aims to return reviewers' comments to authors within one month. We will strive for a constructive and fair peer review process. To provide the best possible service to our authors, when the situation is appropriate, we may choose to grant the authors an opportunity to make a tentative response to the reviews before a formal editorial decision is made (e.g. in the case of conflicting comments by the referees).

Revised manuscripts should generally be submitted within two months after the initial editorial decision is received. Request for a further extension will be considered on a case-by-case basis by contacting the editorial office ( [email protected] ).

Manuscript Submission

Please read these instructions carefully and follow them closely to ensure that the review and publication of your paper is as efficient and quick as possible. The Editors reserve the right to return manuscripts that are not in accordance with these instructions.
All material to be considered for publication in JMCB should be submitted in electronic form via the online submission system at online submission website . Once you have prepared your manuscript according to the instructions below, instructions on how to submit your manuscript online.

Manuscripts that meet the following criteria can be submitted through 'Fast & Green Track'.
Fast Track allows urgent and competitive research to start the peer review immediately after submission. Peer review of manuscripts submitted using the Fast Track can be completed within 1-2 weeks. If you want to submit your manuscript using the Fast Track, please first contact the editorial office ( [email protected] ).
JMCB recognizes that excellent manuscripts may have been erroneously rejected by other journals. Authors are encouraged to submit such papers in the original format, together with the reviewers' and/or editorial comments from peer review by other journals, for consideration by JMCB. In some instances, the article may be accepted based on the previous review using the Green Track. If you want to submit your manuscript using the Green Track, please contact the editorial office ( [email protected] ) with the manuscript materials and the previous review.

Manuscript Types

JMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review:

• Articles
• Reviews
• Letters to the Editor

Some other types of manuscripts, e.g. Research Highlights, Perspectives, Retrospect, and Meeting Reports, are usually commissioned, but reports and suggestions may also be submitted for the editors' consideration. These papers, classified as ‘Editorial Materials’, do not contain primary research data and thus do not undergo peer review.

Articles

Articles are original papers whose conclusions represent a substantial advance in understanding of an important problem and have immediate, far-reaching implications. Articles have an abstract, separate from the main text, of fewer than 200 words, which does not have references, and does not contain numbers, abbreviations, acronyms or measurements unless essential. It is aimed at readers outside the discipline. Articles should begin with an introduction expanding on the background to the work (some overlap with the abstract is acceptable), before proceeding to a concise, focused account of the findings, ending with some paragraphs of discussion. Materials and methods should be after the discussion and before the acknowledgements. For an original article, the total words for the main text (including references and figure legends) are expected to be no more than 8000, and figures more than 8 can be set as the Supplementary material.

Reviews

Reviews should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field being covered, but should also be written with a view to informing readers who are not specialized in that particular field, and should therefore be presented using simple prose. Please avoid excessive jargon and technical detail. Reviews should capture the broad developments and implications of recent work. The opening paragraph should make clear the general thrust of the review and provide a clear sense of why the review is now particularly appropriate. The concluding paragraph should provide the reader with an idea of how the field may develop or future problems to overcome, but should not summarize the article. Reviews should include an abstract of fewer than 200 words and should cite no more than 150 references. The total words for the main text (including references and figure legends) are expected to be no more than 10000, and figures more than 3 can be set as the Supplementary material.

Letters to the Editor

These are short experimental papers that may present as little as a single experiment or observation and should constitute unusually interesting data combined with a discussion of what the data might mean, or an explanation of why the data contradicts current paradigms. There is no abstract and no subsection on introduction, results or discussion. Nevertheless, the beginning paragraphs should present concise but yet sufficient background information that would allow the readers to appreciate the rationale of the work, and put the study in a proper perspective. Generally, the information on materials and methods is not needed, but in the case when such information is unique and important to the study, it could be submitted as the supplementary data. The total words for the main text (including references and figure legends) are expected to be no more than 1500, with less than 10 references, and figures more than 1 can be set as the Supplementary material.

Research Highlights

Research Highlights comment on recent advances, which were reported by one or several breaking papers, in a certain field. A Research Highlight piece is intended for our general readers, and it should be readily accessible to the non-expert audience without a need to look into additional literatures. Each Research Highlight should be contributed by no more than 3 authors. There is no abstract and no subsection. Generally, the total words for the main text (including references and figure legends) are expected to be no more than 1000, with less than 10 references and 1 figure.

Perspectives

Perspectives provide views from scientists with high reputation in the field on the developments and implications of key findings in the proper context of the field. Each Perspective is expected to be contributed by no more than 3 authors. The Perspective has an abstract of fewer than 200 words to outline the main message. Subheadings can be included where necessary to break up the main text. But there is no strict hierarchical organization as required in a Review. Generally, the total words for the main text (including references and figure legends) are expected to be no more than 3000, with less than 30 references and 3 figures. Additional detailed description on the topic, references, figures, and tables should be submitted and set as the Supplementary material.

Retrospect

Retrospect essays are authored by respected and recognized researchers in a certain field to share with general audience the personal experiences, major events of the field, and stories behind those achievements. Retrospect follow the similar formatting guidelines as Perspectives, except for not including the Supplementary material.

Meeting Reports

Meeting reports are short descriptions of key scientific progress presented and discussed at a conference that author(s) have attended. A meeting report is written by one or several attendees who aim to record the major talks during the conference. It is a summary of the latest advances in the field, but does not contain any detailed original data. Meeting Reports follow the similar formatting guidelines as Research Highlights.

Manuscript Organization

Overview

Manuscripts should be written in concise and correct English, and at a level that will be accessible to the broad readership of JMCB.
The manuscript should be organized in the following order:

• Cover letter
• Title page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Results
• Discussion
• Materials and methods
• Acknowledgements
• Funding
• References
• Tables
• Figure legends
• Graphical abstracts and teaser text
• Supplementary material

Cover letter

Each submission must be accompanied with a cover letter emphasizing any novel and special points to draw the editors' attention. A brief illumination of what had been done previously, the scientific advance contained in the findings and the significance of the work to the readership of JMCB should be provided. The corresponding author is asked to sign on the letter. Email address, telephone and fax numbers must be present.

Title page

The title should occupy no more than 100 characters. Serial titles are not allowed. The title should be short and informative, and should not contain unconventional abbreviations. A running title of less than 50 characters is necessary to convey the significance of the paper. The keywords (≤7) should also be listed. Authors' full names and affiliations must be provided in an informative format. It is important to indicate a corresponding author, together with the email address.

Each author must have contributed substantively to justify inclusion as an author; any other contributors should instead be acknowledged appropriately in the Acknowledgments section. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have made bona fide, substantive contributions to the research and have seen and approved the manuscript in final form prior to submission.

Abstract

This part consists of a single paragraph not exceeding 200 words. In particular, the Abstract should summarize the background of the research, novel finding of the paper and the importance of the results as briefly as possible. It should convey clearly and completely the significance and advance of the work to the readership before they have read the paper. Abbreviations and reference citation should generally be avoided.

Introduction

The introduction should provide the necessary background information with succinct words to give a proper perspective for the study. Only the necessary background information should be provided, instead of a detailed review of the field. Previous publications that provided the groundwork for the paper submitted must be mentioned. All symbols and abbreviations used must be defined, unless they are common abbreviations, symbols of chemical elements or standard units of measurements. Subheadings are not used in this section.

Results

This section could be subdivided with subheadings to give the manuscript more clarity. Concise and precise description should be used to present to a wide readership. Footnotes and sidenotes are not allowed in this section. Up to 8 figures and/or tables may be contained in an article.

Graphic preparation guidelines:

• All the Figures (line drawings, histograms and photographs) must be labeled in consecutive Arabic numerals, and must be referred to in the text (as Figure 1, Figure 2,...). For figures with multiple panels, the labels should be set in upper case letters such as Figure 1A, Figure 1B.
• For initial online submission, images could be submitted in one of the following formats: JPEG (.jpg), TIEF (.tif), Portable Document File (.pdf) or Encapsulated Postscript (.eps). These images should be placed after the References section.
• Figures should be submitted in their desired final size to fit the width of the text. Please keep file size as small as possible. The minimum resolution for the figures is 300 dpi (dots per inch) for tone or color and 1200 dpi for line art at the correct (dimension) size for publication. Large file sizes (30 MB or greater) may occasionally be needed, but should be avoided if possible. Any lettering should be approximately in proportion to the overall dimensions of the figure. We can only accept one file per figure, so please do not submit separate panels on several pages. Micrographs should be provided with a scale bar.
• The authors are responsible for ensuring that all figures correctly appear in black and white or in color.

Discussion

The Discussion may be subdivided or combined as appropriate. The Discussion should not repeat the Results, instead, more implications of the results and relevant information should be explored to bring the results into a broader context.

Materials and methods

This section must be described with sufficient details so that others could repeat the procedures, in conjunction with cited references. Procedures such as appropriate experimental design and statistical methods should be described. Methods for quantification of levels or differences in levels of molecules in biological samples must be described fully and shown to be quantitative and reproducible, using appropriate replicates and statistical analyses. Additional information could be included as Supplementary material if necessary. If there is any novel material, the authors are required to make it available for non-commercial research purposes.

Acknowledgements

These may be used to list the contributions of non-authors, funding sources and financial supports. Personal acknowledgements should precede their institutions or agencies. The Acknowledgements section should be listed at the end of the text, before the References.

Funding

Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section entitled 'Funding'. This should appear after the Acknowledgements section.

The following rules should be followed:

• The sentence should begin: 'This work was supported by ...' .
• The full official funding agency name should be given, i.e. 'the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health' or simply 'National Institutes of Health' not 'NCI' (one of the 27 sub-institutions) or 'NCI at NIH' ( full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies ).
• Grant numbers should be complete and accurate and provided in brackets as follows: '(grant number ABX CDXXXXXX)', '(grant numbers ABX CDXXXXXX and EFX GHXXXXXX)', etc.
• Agencies should be separated by a comma or semi-colon (plus 'and' before the last funding agency).
• Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding, the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to (author initials)'.

An example is given here: 'This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (P50 CA098252 and CA118790 to R.B.S.R.) and the Alcohol & Education Research Council (HFY GR667789).'

References

References should include only articles that are published or in press. Unpublished data, submitted manuscripts, abstracts, and personal communications should be cited within the text only. Personal communication should be documented by a letter of permission. Submitted articles should be cited as unpublished data, data not shown, or personal communication. Note: 'et al.' should only be used after 3 authors. Please use the following style for references:
Article in a Periodical:
Lieberman, H.B., Bernstock, J.D., Broustas, C.G., et al. (2011). The role of RAD9 in tumorigenesis. J. Mol. Cell Biol. 3 , 39-43.
Article in a Book:
Pyle, A.M., and Lambowitz, A.M. (2006). Group II introns: ribozymes that splice RNA and invade DNA. In: Gesteland, R.F., Cech, T.R., and Atkins, J.F. (eds). The RNA World, 3rd edn. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 469-506.
An Entire Book:
Gesteland, R.F., Cech, T.R., and Atkins, J.F. (2006). The RNA World, 3rd edn. New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Tables

When creating a table, please use the Microsoft Word table function in a Word document. Word tables should not be tab or space delineated and should not use color. Tables should include a title, footnotes and/or concise legend. Tables in the submitted manuscript should be a separate section. Tables not created using the Microsoft Word table function will need to be revised by the author.

Figure legends

This is an independent section in the submitted manuscript. A brief title describing the entire figure must be included in each figure legend. Each panel should be described exactly in this section. The information in the text, especially the experimental details, should not be repeated in figure legends. Bars, sample sizes, and scales must be indicated clearly in figure legends. Figure numbers should be given in Arabic numerals and figure parts in upper case letters (1A, 1B,...).

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.  

Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs. 

Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article. 

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text. 

Graphical abstract and teaser text

JMCB uses graphical abstract and teaser text to promote articles via email content, social media, newsletters and online search results. Authors are encouraged to submit a graphical abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract.

Graphical abstract

Graphical abstract is a single image that summarises the focus and main findings of the article. It could be the key ‘results’ image from the paper itself, or a specially designed figure that captures the key takeaway message of the paper and enables the viewer to understand what the paper is about.  It does not have to replicate all the information in the text abstract, or be a comprehensive account of the paper.

Abstract can also take video or audio form, provided that they also convey the key message or finding of the paper.  On the article page, abstract content will be displayed in the following sequence in line: text, graphical, video, audio.

As part of the article, the graphical abstract will be displayed on both article page and PDF. For examples of how this is displayed on the article page, please visit here.

Note that graphical abstracts will be subject to any print reproduction charges that the journal levies for colour figures.

Teaser text

Teaser text is a non-technical summary stating the novelty of the article, is displayed on the Table of Contents page (TOC) and search results, under the article title. See the example.

The language in the teaser text used should be understood by a non-specialist. Please ensure you use the third person, not first person (i.e. do not use 'I' or 'we').

Teaser text is an online only element, will not be included in the article content.

How do the graphical abstract and teaser text display on the TOC?

On the TOC, a thumbnail image of graphical abstract will display under the article title, sits next to the teaser text. See the example. If no teaser text is supplied, the TOC will display an excerpt of the article.

When should the author submit the graphical abstracts and teaser text?

Authors are encouraged to provide graphical abstract as a separate file when submitting to the journal. Teaser text should be provided to the editor after acceptance.

For articles without graphical abstract and teaser text, the editors may contact the authors for this content after acceptance.

The graphical abstract file should be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics. Please ensure graphical abstracts are in landscape format.

Please check that your graphical abstracts are clear and eye-catching. This will help to attract readers to your publication.

Supplementary material

Data that are integral to the manuscript but impractical to include in the printed journal may be presented as Supplementary material. We encourage authors to include all necessary data in the manuscript body. If large datasets or videos are necessary and cannot be accommodated in the text body, supplementary material can be submitted. However, each supplementary file must be less than 5 MB.
Supplementary material should be submitted with the original manuscripts. It will be linked to the online article published on JMCB website. All text and figures must be provided in suitable electronic formats in this section. All the figures and tables should have titles and legends just as what should be done in the original article.

Acceptance

Copyediting

Accepted manuscripts will be copyedited for grammar and style before proofs are generated. The authors should check the finalized manuscript carefully to make sure that all the sections are correct. After copyediting, the accepted manuscript will be posted online ('Advance Access') as part of the continuous online publication of JMCB.

Proofs

The electronic page proofs in PDF format will be delivered to the corresponding author. Corrections should be returned within 48 hours. 'Note added in proof' should only be inserted when there are essential changes. Notes added will be reviewed for appropriate content and style, and are subjected to approval by the editors. Excessive changes on the proof should be avoided unless they are for correction of errors introduced during production.

Policies

Upon receipt of accepted manuscripts, authors will be invited to complete an online copyright licence to publish form on the Oxford Journals Author Portal. This system also allows you to pay any charges relating to your paper. Please note that by submitting an article for publication, you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that Oxford University Press ('OUP') may retain your email address for the purpose of communicating with you about the article. You agree to notify OUP immediately if your details change. Please note that OUP does not retain copies of rejected articles.
All the authors are required to ensure that they are all appropriate contributors for the paper and have agreed to the author list. The article's content and its submission to JMCB must be approved by all the contributors. Manuscripts submitted under multiple authorship are reviewed on the assumption that all listed authors concur in the submission and that the final version has been seen and approved by all authors. All the listed authors are therefore responsible for concerns including but not limited to questions regarding plagiarism, duplicate publication, access to data, and integrity of data or undeclared conflicts of interest.

JMCB policy encourages that each author reveals any financial conflict of interest, direct or indirect, that might influence the results or opinions stated in their manuscript. In a very rare instance that editors receive notification or allegations of misconduct related to studies submitted to JMCB, the process for responding to such notification will be initiated and certain actions will be taken accordingly. Any such conflict must be disclosed in cover letter and in the Acknowledgements section. The corresponding author will sign a potential conflict of interest form on behalf of all the authors at the time of acceptance.
Authors are encouraged to provide materials and protocols used in the article to promote scientific research in the field. All the clones, plasmid vectors, and genetically modified animals are implied to be deposited in a public repository. If there are restrictions to the availability of any material, data, or reagents, they must be noticed in the cover letter at submission.

Plagiarism

Manuscripts submitted may be screened with iThenticate anti-plagiarism software in an attempt to detect and prevent plagiarism. Any manuscript may be screened, especially if there is reason to suppose part or all of the text has been previously published. Prior to final acceptance any manuscript that has not already been screened may be put through iThenticate. Please see more information about iThenticate.

Copyright

When submitting a manuscript, it is considered with the understanding that the work has not been published previously and the paper is not under consideration by another journal or book. It is a condition of publication for JMCB that the authors grant an exclusive licence to our editorial office.

Open Access

JMCB is a fully open access journal, and all articles are published in the journal under an open access licence immediately upon publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence.

Details of the open access licences and open access charges.

CC BY, CC BY-NC licence – Articles, Review articles - $2,900
CC BY, CC BY-NC licence – Letter to the Editor, Application note, Perspective articles - $1,850
CC BY, CC BY-NC licence – Research Advance, Highlight, Editorial, Erratum, Corrigendum, Retrospect articles - $0 

Corresponding authors based in countries and regions, that are part of the developing countries initiative are eligible for a full waiver of publishing fees in our fully open access journals. For further details, please see our APC Waiver Policy.

OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which provide funding for open access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating.

Please note that some article types may have different rates for open access.

Consent and Approval

Manuscripts reporting on biomedical studies involving human subjects must include explicit assurance that written informed consent was obtained from each subject or from his or her guardian. Such manuscripts must include a statement that the human investigations were performed after approval by a local institutional review board and in accord with an assurance filed with and approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other equivalent regulatory agency, where appropriate. When a pedigree or family tree is depicted, assurance must be given that written informed consent was obtained from each living individual represented. In addition, authors must state in writing that they have not modified the pedigree or family tree to avoid potential identification of the family or its members. In rare instances, the editorial board may permit modification of a pedigree to preserve patient anonymity, if the authors present compelling reasons for making such modifications and the changes made do not affect interpretation of the data. In such cases, authors must provide the original, unmodified data for examination by peer reviewers and the editorial board and must include a statement in the manuscript explaining that the pedigree has been modified.

Animal Welfare

Any study involving experiments with animals must state that their care was in accord with institution guidelines. Where applicable, the dose and schedule of anesthetics and analgesics should be reported.

Crossref Funding Data Registry

In order to meet the funding requirements, authors are required to name their funding sources, or state if there are none, during the submission process. For further information on this process or to find out more about the CHORUS initiative, please click here.

Availability of Data and Materials

Where ethically feasible, JMCB strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. For information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by subject area, please see Choosing where to archive your data.

Data and Software Citation

JMCB supports the Force 11 Data Citation Principles and the recommendations of the FORCE11 Software Citation Implementation Group. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list.
For details of the minimum information to be included in data and software citations see the guidance on Citing research data and software.

Preprint Policy

Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiving policy page.

Contacts at JMCB

JMCB Editorial Office
Room 408, Building 31B, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
Tel: +86-21-5492-0951 or +86-21-5492-2831
For pre-submission inquiries, e-mail: [email protected]
For assistance with online submission, e-mail: [email protected]
For status inquiries about submitted papers, e-mail: [email protected]
For production queries, including proofs, e-mail: [email protected]
For queries regarding permissions, e-mail: [email protected]

Manuscript Transfer

Journal of Molecular Cell Biology sends and receives transfers from other journals on related topics published by Oxford University Press. All transfers are sent according to the choice of the authors. Unless a reviewer declines to have their feedback shared, reviewer reports and the original decision letter are included in the transfer, but the reviewer identities are not shared.

Transferred manuscripts may be sent out for additional peer review, and a decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all reviewers and the judgment of the editorial team.