|
 | Log on / register BioMed Central home | Journals A-Z | Feedback | Support |
home | comment | reviews | reports | deposited research | refereed research | interactions | supplements | search | information | my journal |
 | .information |
|
Aims and scope of Genome Biology |
|
|
Genome Biology serves the biological research community as an international forum for the dissemination, discussion and critical review of information about all areas of biology informed by genomic research. Key objectives are to provide a guide to the rapidly developing resources and technology in genomics and its impact on biological research, to publish large datasets and extensive results that are not readily accommodated in traditional journals, and to help establish new standards and nomenclature for post-genomic biology.
The journal offers two distinct types of publication:
The journal provides a preprint depository which allowed authors to distribute their work freely over the web; from January 2006 Genome Biology no longer publishes articles in this section. Discussion and comment on articles published in Genome Biology is encouraged, in particular through the Genome Biology website.
Genome Biology publishes articles from the full spectrum of biology. Subjects covered include any aspect of molecular, cellular, organismal or population biology studied from a genomic perspective, as well as genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, genomic methods (including structure prediction), computational biology, sequence analysis (including large-scale and cross-genome analyses), comparative biology and evolution.
|
|
|
Genome Biology contains the following types of article, all of which are rapidly published on the web with appropriate links and connections:
Genome Biology aims to provide the review material readers need in order to assess and evaluate progress in genomic and post-genomic research. Reviews include systematic and substantial coverage of mature subjects, rapid coverage of fast-moving areas, evaluations of progress in specified areas, and critical assessment of emerging tools and technologies. Reviews are usually commissioned, with the aim of ensuring coverage of all relevant areas of biology and genomics; the editors welcome suggestions of reviews or reports.
2. Meeting, paper and web reports
Meeting reports are short and rapidly prepared, reporting on information presented at at conferences, so as to provide readers with an efficient alerting service. In the past, the journal regularly published paper and web reports which consisted of a description of the salient contents of a particular article or website, together with comment on the article's or website's significance.
3. Research news, comment, and editorials
Genome Biology publishes opinion pieces, commentaries and editorials on a broad range of topics, including political, scientific, and medical issues relating to genomic, post-genomic and genome-scale analyses. In addition, readers will be encouraged to participate in discussions and to comment on articles via the website. In the past, Genome Biology - in association with The Scientist - published research news items online several times each week.
Criteria
Genome Biology publishes primary research articles from the full spectrum of biology and makes all research articles available free of charge on the website. Subjects covered include any aspect of molecular, cellular, organismal or population biology studied from a genomic or post-genomic perspective, as well as genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, genomic methods (including structure prediction), computational biology, sequence analysis (including large-scale and cross-genome analyses), comparative biology and evolution.
In response to changes in the types of datasets and analyses that are generated from genomic resources, publication of research articles by Genome Biology is dependent primarily on scientific validity and coherence, as well as general interest, as judged by our referees. Examples of the types of research that we believe it is increasingly important to make available to the community but which have been difficult to include in traditional print journals include descriptions of the analysis or re-analysis of existing primary data, articles that contain considerable primary data not easily represented in print, methodological articles and descriptions of software, as well as more traditional research articles. Although the general interest level and perceived importance of articles are not absolute criteria for publication, we believe that, as a service to our readers and contributors, it is important to focus on articles of broad or outstanding interest; this will be assessed by the editors and referees in the course of peer review. Genome Biology will work actively with the scientific community to establish standards for the annotation, validation, nomenclature, distribution and analysis of genomic and related information. Peer review and publication schedule Genome Biology offers a very fast publication schedule whilst maintaining rigorous peer review; the use of recommended electronic formats for article delivery will expedite processing. All submitted research manuscripts are subject to immediate rapid screening by the editors, in consultation with the Advisory Board if appropriate, to ensure they fall within the scope of the journal. Contributors who are in doubt about the suitability of their manuscript are welcome to send a presubmission enquiry. The editors will provide an initial response to all presubmission enquiries and submitted articles within two working days and will make every effort to give authors a decision following peer review within four weeks of an article's submission.
Immediate publication on acceptance Once an original research article is accepted, it is published in Genome Biology immediately as a provisional PDF file, with a final citation, and will be included in PubMed. The article will subsequently be copyedited and published in both a fully browseable web form and as a formatted PDF; the article will then be available through Genome Biology, BioMed Central and PubMed Central. Publishing on the web
Subject to reviewers' recommendation, all scientifically valid contributions will be published on the web without restrictions on length. The electronic version of each article will exploit all the possibilities of this medium, including the opportunity to publish large datasets or large numbers of illustrations and moving pictures, to display data in a form that can be read directly by other software packages so as to allow readers to manipulate the data for themselves, and to create all relevant links (for example, to Medline, to sequence and other databases, and to other papers).
As a service to the research community, Genome Biology provides a non-refereed preprint depository which all individuals can access free of charge. Articles in this section of the journal have not been peer-reviewed and authors have sole responsibility for their article's content. Each preprint has a permanent URL, by which it can be cited. From January 2006 Genome Biology no longer publishes new articles in this section.
Publishing a supplement in Genome Biology is an excellent way to disseminate articles with a common theme to a broad readership of biologists. Genome Biology considers the following types of supplement: conference proceedings, thematic review collections and meeting abstracts. All published supplements are fully searchable and freely accessible online and can also be produced in print. Articles published in proceedings or review collections undergo external peer review and are indexed by PubMed. Meeting abstracts are reviewed by the meeting organisers prior to submission, and also included in PubMed, displayed by the title of the supplement. Note, however, that PubMed does not index individual abstracts. Publication charges apply in most cases. If you are interested in publishing a supplement, or have a question about a previously published supplement, please contact us.
|
|
|
The dedicated Genome Biology website includes all the information published in the journal and all relevant supporting data and commentary, as well as useful facilities for the community of subscribers. The website will be developed continually to respond to the needs and interests of users and to new technologies as they develop. Facilities are planned to include:
Readers will have the facility throughout the website to send questions or comments to the editors and the facility to append comments to articles; all such communications will be moderated by the editors. Publisher and editorial organization
Genome Biology is published by BioMed Central Ltd., a member of the Science Navigation Group, which has offices in Philadelphia, New York, London and Tokyo and has established a strong reputation for publishing both on paper and on the web. The publication has a dedicated editorial team in-house, working with an international Advisory Board, advisors and contributors.
Discontinuation of Genome Biology print issues From January 2006 Genome Biology will not be available in print and will only be published online. To subscribe or renew your subscription as an online only customer, use our order form. For more information contact our customer support team at info@genomebiology.com.
|
|
|
|
| © 1999-2008 BioMed Central Ltd unless otherwise stated < info@genomebiology.com > Terms and conditions |