Instructions to authors

 

General information

Manuscripts must be submitted by one of the authors of the manuscript, and should not be submitted by anyone on their behalf. The submitting author takes responsibility for the article during submission and peer review.

To facilitate rapid publication and to minimize administrative costs, the Lab and Life Journal accepts online submission and submission by e-mail to the Editor. The submission process is compatible with version 3.0 or later of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and with most other modern web browsers. It can be used from PC, Mac, or Unix platforms. Additional files of any type, such as images or original data files, can also be submitted as part of the publication.

During submission you will be asked to provide a cover letter. Please use this to explain why your manuscript should be published in the journal and to elaborate on any issues relating to our editorial policies detailed in the instructions for authors.

Assistance with the process of manuscript preparation and submission is available from the customer support team (info@labandlife.com).

Research articles

Authors of research articles related to the scope of the journal are invited to submit manuscripts of innovative and well conducted studies. Original research papers should add new insight to the scientific fields related to the journal, including all fields of medicine, biology, biochemistry and life sciences. We are as interested in new research addressed to the understanding and intervention of specific diseases, such as cancer, autoimmunity, HIV, cardiovascular disease etc., as in biological principles and chemical processes in plants and organisms.

Review articles

We also have a particular interest in review manuscripts that include suggestions for future research. It is appreciated if your review manuscript includes ideas from submitted proposals, scheduled research or research that you regard as necessary. The proposed research should have a concrete endpoint either regarding new knowledge or application in the clinic. The benefit and impact of the proposed research should be pointed out and justified.

Paper submission and editorial review process

All papers must be submitted via the Online Submission System. Submitted papers are peer-reviewed by two independent reviewers after approval by the editors. Great importance is attached to fast reviewing and decision making. First decisions on whether submitted manuscripts are approved for peer review are made within one week after initial submission. Review reports on approved manuscripts are normally sent out to the authors within one month after approval.

Publication

The ultimate responsibility for any decision if articles are accepted, rejected or returned for specific revision lies with the Editor-in-Chief, to whom any appeals against rejection should be addressed.

Once your article is accepted for publication it will directly corrected by a native English corrector. After you agreed to the corrected version a PDF designed version of your article, the so-called galley proof, will be created and sent to you. At that time the article does not have a final page numbering, as it appears in the issue selected for this article. Until issue publication the article will already be available through Lab & Life Online, PubMed Central, and it will also be included in PubMed immediately.

Publication costs

The publication costs for articles in the Lab and Life Journal are covered by the journal. Authors do not need to pay an article processing fee. There is neither a submission fee nor a review or a page fee.