Article types
- Research Articles
- Short Reports
- Tools and Resources
- Fast track
- Reviews
- Cell Science at a Glance posters
- Opinions and Hypotheses
- Correspondence
Research Articles
Research Articles should be fully documented reports of original research and are always peer reviewed. The total length of the article should not exceed 8,000 words, including figure legends but not references, with no more than 8 display items (figures and tables). Additional display items (figures, tables, movies, datasets) may be published online at the discretion of the editor and reviewers. Supplemental material is strictly limited to 50 Mb per article. For more information on how to prepare a Research Article, please see the manuscript preparation page.
Short Reports
Short Reports are short, high-impact, peer-reviewed papers. Reports must not exceed 3,000 words, including figure legends but not references, and can contain up to four display items (figures or tables). The style of a Short Report follows that of a Research Article in Journal of Cell Science, the only difference being that Results and Discussion sections are combined into a single section.
Tools and Resources
These peer-reviewed articles describe a new tool or technique, or a sufficiently substantial advance of an existing tool or technique, or a new resource that will have a significant impact on cell biology research. Tools or techniques must also demonstrate proof of principle in the form of novel biological insight acquired using the method. Tools and Resources papers should follow the standard format for Research Articles, as described above.
Fast track
Have a paper that has been reviewed elsewhere? Journal of Cell Science is pleased to consider such manuscripts for fast-tracked decision making. Send us your manuscript together with the full set of reviews and decision letters, and we will make an initial decision - to accept, send for further review, ask for further revision, etc. - in one week (or less). Please select the 'fast track' option at submission, provide a covering letter that clearly states that you wish your manuscript to be considered for fast tracking, and include all reviews and decision letters as supplementary information. Please note that we may contact the journal from which the reviews originated to confirm details.
Reviews
Reviews in Journal of Cell Science are commissioned by the in-house Editors and undergo peer review. They are ~5,000-word reviews of topical areas of cell biology that provide a timely, insightful and accessible overview of a particular field or aspect of cell biological research. Reviews should appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike, and authors are expected to emphasise recent developments while providing enough background for non-specialists. Unsolicited Reviews are not considered for publication by Journal of Cell Science. If you wish to write a Review for the journal, please send the Reviews Editor a brief proposal consisting of a short paragraph (of no more than 200 words) setting out the rationale for the article as a whole. Please also provide a short list of the key recent references to illustrate the timeliness of the article. Contact Reviews Editor.
Cell Science at a Glance poster articles
Cell Science at a Glance poster articles are commissioned by the in-house Editors and undergo peer review. They are short primers that act as an introduction to, or summarise current knowledge of, an area of cell biology. Our poster articles feature a single detailed figure and accompanying text of no more than 3,000 words. The figure is printed as a large pull-out poster, and the online version may be accompanied by JPEG files of individual poster panels that can be downloaded for use in slide presentations, etc. Cell Science at a Glance poster articles should appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike. Unsolicited Cell Science at a Glance poster articles are not considered for publication by Journal of Cell Science. If you wish to write a poster article for the journal, please send the Reviews Editor a brief proposal consisting of a short paragraph (of no more than 200 words) setting out the rationale for the article as a whole. Please also provide a short list of the key recent references to illustrate the timeliness of the article. Contact Reviews Editor.
Opinions and Hypotheses
These are commissioned by the in-house Editors and undergo peer review. Articles are ~3,000-5,000-words long and allow authors to propose a new hypothesis or suggest a new interpretation of published data. Unsolicited Opinion and Hypothesis articles are not considered for publication by Journal of Cell Science. If you wish to write a an Opinion or Hypothesis for the journal, please send the Reviews Editor a brief proposal consisting of a short paragraph (of no more than 200 words) setting out the rationale for the article as a whole. Please also provide a short list of the key recent references to illustrate the timeliness of the article. Contact Reviews Editor.
Correspondence
Should a reader have cogent criticisms of a scientific paper published in Journal of Cell Science, the journal will consider publishing them in the form of a letter of no more than 1,000 words with no more than 10 references. 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. Items of correspondence may undergo peer review. The Editor reserves the right to edit items of correspondence.
Correspondence and Response articles are free to read. This ensures that there is no restriction to the publication of valid and important comment on published work in Journal of Cell Science.