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Article types

Research articles
Resources & Methods
Invited articles
Correspondence


 

Research articles

DMM Research articles report significant new insights into the mechanisms, diagnosis and/or treatment of disease using model systems. Descriptive work, such as the characterisation of a model system without demonstration of its usefulness to advance a field, is generally not considered for publication, unless the new model itself is considered by the Editorial team to provide an improved understanding of the disease mechanism and/or to demonstrate clear usefulness for the evaluation of treatment approaches. These articles are always peer reviewed. The main text should be as concise as possible and, although the absolute length is determined by the work described, a typical Research article should contain no more than 8000 words (including figure legends, but excluding references) and eight display items (figures, tables and boxes). For detailed information on preparing a research manuscript, please see our manuscript preparation guidelines.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

DMM welcomes the submission of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of disease biology research topics that have not been recently assessed (within the past 5 years).

A systematic review attempts to gather all available empirical research by using clearly defined, systematic methods to obtain answers to a specific, clearly formulated question. A meta-analysis is the statistical process of analyzing and combining results from several similar studies. DMM publishes such work as Research articles. These articles are evaluated using the same rigorous standards as primary research.

Such articles should be systematically conducted with a highly focused research question and should attempt to compare and evaluate a defined number of similar studies. These studies must detail the search tools used, search terms and strategies, inclusion-exclusion criteria, sample size, analysis of quality of the publications, heterogeneity, and bias assessments. They should be accountable, replicable and updateable.

Authors wishing to prepare a systematic review or meta-analysis are directed to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) web site, which provides guidelines to help transparently report why the review or analysis was carried out, the methods used and their conclusions. Registration of the analysis in PROSPERO is recommended.

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Resources & Methods

Resources & Methods articles describe a novel method, a substantial advance of an existing method, or a new resource that will have a significant impact on disease biology research. Resources & Methods articles must also demonstrate proof-of-principle in the form of newly acquired insight into disease. These articles are always peer reviewed.

  • Papers describing a new dataset or resource should explain how it will be of major value to disease biology research; deposition of the resource described in a suitable repository is mandatory.
  • Genome editing, lineage tracing, drug screening, chemical biology, imaging, microscopy, bioinformatics and software tools, and databases are considered within the scope of Resource & Methods articles.
  • Methods should be described in sufficient detail to be easily replicated in other laboratories, and validated to demonstrate their utility for understanding, diagnosing or treating disease.
  • Detailed protocols may be supplied as supplementary information, but please note supplementary information is not peer reviewed or copyedited.
  • Descriptive work, such as the characterisation of a model system without demonstration of its usefulness to advance a field, is generally not considered for publication, unless the new model itself is considered by the Editorial team to provide an improved understanding of the disease mechanism and/or to demonstrate clear usefulness for the evaluation of treatment approaches.

Authors must provide clear instructions in the Methods section describing where the resource is deposited and how it can be obtained for research purposes. Although the absolute length is determined by the work described, a typical Resources & Methods article should contain a maximum of 8000 words (including figure legends, but not references) and eight display items (figures, tables and boxes). For detailed information on preparing a manuscript, please see our manuscript preparation guidelines.

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Invited articles

DMM invited articles are almost exclusively commissioned and usually peer reviewed (the only exceptions being Editorials and A Model for Life interviews). Invited authors are carefully selected to provide an authoritative view of an area of expertise. The DMM editorial team provides in-depth editorial guidance to authors of invited reviews, in particular to ensure that the article appeals to the broad readership of the journal and aligns with its scope. Full manuscript preparation guidelines for these articles are provided directly to invited authors by the Reviews Editor; general information about the different invited article types is provided below.

Unsolicited review articles are generally not considered for publication in DMM if submitted as a full manuscript, but we do consider proposals on occasion. To suggest a review article, please send the Reviews Editor a brief proposal consisting of a short paragraph (of no more than 250 words) explaining the rationale for the article, the proposed structure and a list of 10-15 key references to illustrate the timeliness of the article.

Perspectives are commissioned peer-reviewed articles that convey the author's expert analysis of a topic important to the disease research community. Authors should identify key challenges in the field and how they can be addressed. Authors are encouraged to use an opinionated voice to address new or potentially controversial ideas or hypotheses, but opinion and fact must be clearly distinguishable. It should include future directions and challenges for the topic.

Perspectives are a maximum of 1500 words (with additional text upon discussion with the Editor), with up to two (but at least one) display items (figures/tables/boxes). Display items can be drawn by the in-house DMM illustrator team to support the authors. A short abstract of 150 words is required.

Reviews are invited, peer-reviewed articles that highlight, critique and analyse recent important findings in a defined field of basic or translational disease research. As well as providing a current, balanced and accessible overview of the topic, the article should discuss future prospects, challenges and outstanding questions. Controversial issues should be addressed and treated with unbiased tact. Reviews contain a summary of up to 250 words, up to 5000 words of main text (depending on the topic and at the discretion of the Editor) and 3–5 display items.

At A Glance poster articles are invited, peer-reviewed illustrative reviews designed to provide a broad overview of a particular topic. The focus of these articles is a large figure that is provided online as a high-resolution JPEG, with the goal of providing a useful visual tool. The accompanying text includes a 150-word summary and generally up to 4000 words of main text.

Clinical Puzzles are invited, peer-reviewed articles written by clinicians to describe rare or understudied human diseases, further study of which would often increase knowledge about the mechanisms and treatment of related diseases. In many cases, the disease discussed in a Clinical Puzzle lacks a relevant or reliable animal model, so the article is useful for identifying some important research questions for the basic science community and discussing how they could be addressed with existing or new model systems. Clinical Puzzles contain a 200-word summary, 2000–4000 words of main text and 1–4 display items.

A Model for Life articles take the form of an interview conveying a personal story inspired by the interviewee's unique experience of or contribution to basic disease research and its translation (including drug development and patient treatment). Although these articles are personal and editorial in style, they can also address timely issues or highlight historical progress relevant to the journal's audience. A Model for Life articles, which are edited by the Editors with approval from the interviewee, contain up to 2500 words and a photograph of the interviewee. Interviewees are selected by the Editors, but recommendations are welcome.

Special Articles are invited, peer-reviewed articles that come in the form of an essay on a topic related to disease research or a review of a technical or applied nature. They contain a summary of up to 250 words, up to 5000 words of main text and 3–5 display items (figures or tables). The format and scope of Special Articles can vary, however, depending on the topic.

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Correspondence

Should a reader have cogent criticisms of a Research or Resources & Methods article published in DMM, the journal will consider publishing them in the form of a letter. The authors of the original paper(s) under discussion are given the final right to reply and any such response may be published together with the correspondence.

Correspondence/Response articles should be a maximum of 1000 words, with no more than 10 references and one figure or table.

The journal reserves the right to edit items of correspondence/response and, where appropriate, to have them peer reviewed. As a courtesy, we usually share the contents of the response with the correspondence authors before publication, but it is intended that the correspondence authors focus on the original paper (and not on the response that results from their correspondence).

Authors of accepted Correspondence and Response articles are not required to pay an Article Processing Charge. This ensures that there is no restriction to the publication of valid and important comment on published work in DMM.

To submit a correspondence to the journal, please contact the Managing Editor with a brief description of the article.

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