Author Guidelines

Authors are kindly urged to adhere to the following submission guidelines for IJOCMicro:

Signed Cover Letter: Please submit a cover letter adhering to the specified format. Your signature is required for validation Format

Anonymized Manuscript: Ensure your manuscript is anonymized to maintain a double-blind review process. Remove any author-identifying information from the document.

Copyright Licensing Form: Submission of the copyright licensing form is mandatory Format

Authors are encouraged to thoroughly review these documents. In case of any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Manuscripts lacking either the cover letter or copyright licensing form will not be considered for review.

 

Definition of Authorship

We define authorship as per COPE guidelines. The minimum requirements for authorship, common to all definitions, are:

  • Substantial contribution to the work
  • Accountability for the work that was done and its presentation in a publication

By submitting your manuscript to this journal, you affirm that both you and the other authors linked to the manuscript adhere to the criteria for authorship.

 

Conflicts of Interest Statement

A conflict of interest arises in a manuscript when the author is associated with activities that might unduly influence their judgment, regardless of whether this influence occurs. Financial connections with industry, such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, grants, or expert testimony, either personally or through immediate family, are typically regarded as significant competing interests. Should such conflicts exist, authors are required to disclose them during manuscript submission.

 

Statement on the Incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Writing

The utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, specifically Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, is allowed solely for the enhancement of language and not for deriving insights and/or commentary. This usage must be thoroughly documented in the methods section. It is imperative that AI is not credited or listed as an author.

 

Ethical Guidelines

All studies involving human and animal subjects must address ethical considerations:

Human Subjects:

  • When reporting research on human subjects, authors must specify whether the procedures align with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional or regional) and comply with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964, as revised in 2013.
  • Ethical clearance, obtained in writing from a formally constituted Institutional Ethics Committee, is mandatory for all research studies.
  • The cover letter should explicitly state the name of the ethics committee clearing the study, along with the date and number in the cover letter.

Animal Subjects:

  • When describing animal experiments, authors should specify adherence to institutional and national standards for the ethical care and use of laboratory animals.
  • We endorse the NACLAR guidelines, emphasizing humane and responsible treatment of animals for scientific purposes and offering practical advice. This includes:
    • Replacement: If a research question can be addressed without using animals, authors should opt for methodologies like cell studies or computer modeling, thus avoiding animal use. When possible, consider using morally "lower" species in place of "higher" ones.
    • Reduction: Employ a smaller number of animals when feasible to answer research questions.
    • Refinement: Continuously refine research methods, techniques, concepts, and tools to minimize the necessity for animals in research and mitigate potential harms.

Authors may be asked to provide more detailed information and justify the ethical and moral aspects of the research. Editors may request contact details of the research ethics committee for further inquiry. IJOCMicro editors may consult with editorial colleagues, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), or Ethical advisors to assess the ethical aspects of an article and retain the right to reject a manuscript on ethical grounds, irrespective of institutional ethics committee approval. In addition to manuscript rejection, the journal reserves the right to communicate ethical concerns to the head of the author's institution or the medical council to prevent unethical practices and safeguard patients.

Consent of Human Research Subjects

In the case of identifiable photographs and/or medical data of research subjects, particularly minors and deceased individuals, informed consent should be obtained from the subject themselves, legal guardians, or next of kin respectively. The identity of the patient in clinical photographs should be masked by suitable methods and any sensitive medical data should be anonymized. Format for consent form

 

Funding Sources

Authors must disclose all financial and material support received for the research, providing details such as grant number and funding agency.

 

Type of Article and Manuscript Format

Submitted manuscripts can be original research, case reports, or review articles. For guidelines on the type of articles, please see here. Recommended format for manuscripts can also be accessed here.

 

Enhancing Contemporary Microbiology Impact: Key Considerations for IJOCMicro Submissions

Given the extensive reach of IJOCMicro, it is recommended that authors thoroughly address the following questions to ensure their research resonates with a diverse audience, including contemporary microbiology professionals, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers. Having clear takeaways from the research will improve its relevance and citeability. Authors are requested to address and summarize each of these in the Discussion/Conclusion section:

  1. Research Question/Hypothesis: What is the central research question or hypothesis of your study, and how does your research address it?

  2. Existing Work and Methodology: What existing work has been done on this topic, and how has it informed your hypothesis and research methodology?

  3. Novel Contributions: What are the new aspects of your research? How does your study add to the current discourse on this topic?

  4. Relevance to Contemporary Microbiology: How is your research relevant to the contemporary microbiology community, specifically microbiologists, interdisciplinary scientists, biotechnologists and pharmacologists?

  5. Future Research Directions: What could be potential future research topics and areas stemming from your study?

By addressing these key points, authors can significantly enhance the impact and clarity of their research, making it more valuable to the contemporary microbiology community and beyond.

Publication Process and Criteria for Acceptance

A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted exclusively to IJOCMicro and has not been published, simultaneously submitted, or accepted for publication elsewhere. The journal requires that authors authorize one among them (the corresponding author) to communicate with the journal regarding all matters related to the manuscript. All received manuscripts are duly acknowledged.

Upon submission, editors initially review all manuscripts for suitability for formal review. Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage if they lack originality, have serious scientific or technical flaws, fail to convey a significant message, lack relevance to contemporary microbiology, or do not conform to the journal's guidelines. The initial screening decision will typically be communicated within one week of submission completion.

We are dedicated to upholding elevated editorial standards and maintaining the integrity of our journal. Our commitment to quality is reflected in our rigorous peer review process, which typically takes 1-2 weeks. Here is an overview of the evaluation process your manuscript will undergo post-submission:

  1. Submitting the Manuscript: We encourage you to submit the manuscript through the OJS platform as it maintains transparency and visibility of the publication process. In case you are unable to submit on OJS, you can email us your manuscripts at editor.ijocm@gmail.com.

  2. Relevance to the Aim and Scope: If your article aligns with the journal's scope, it will proceed; otherwise, the editor may suggest incorporating a relevant lens or may reject your article.

  3. Rejection Reasons:

    • Out-of-scope submissions
    • Lack of novelty in research subject
    • Insufficient inclusion of necessary elements, such as research methods
    • Evidence of research misconduct

    • 10% Plagiarism (we use paid Similarity Check/iThenticate services and will check each manuscript)

    • Inability to provide necessary ethical clearances and consent from research subjects

  4. Peer Review Process: Upon the editor's approval, a double-blind peer review will be initiated, involving subject matter experts. Following the review, your manuscript will be returned with comments.

  5. Author Addresses Comments: Implement necessary revisions based on peer review comments and resubmit the revised manuscript to the editor.

  6. Intimation of Acceptance: If the editor is satisfied, you will be informed of your manuscript's acceptance, along with details about the publication timeline. Manuscript handling charges will be required, and an acceptance letter will be issued.

  7. Pre-Release: Before publication, you will receive a pre-release version of your article. Please review it thoroughly and communicate any essential changes to us.

Double-Blind Peer Review Guidelines

We require an anonymized manuscript for our double-blind peer review process, meaning that author information will be concealed from peer reviewers. When submitting your manuscript, please eliminate any identifying details, such as author names or affiliations. Additionally, ensure that the manuscript is appropriately prepared for double-blind review by following these guidelines:

  • Utilize the third person to reference previously published work by the authors, for instance, write 'Sharma and Iyer (2015) have demonstrated' rather than 'we/the authors have previously demonstrated (Sharma & Iyer, 2015)'.
  • Ensure figures and tables do not include any references to author affiliations.
  • Omit acknowledgments and any mentions of funding sources.
  • Provide these details, including declarations of potential conflicts of interest, on the title page, which is not shared with reviewers. The format for the same is available on the journal website.
  • Exercise caution in choosing file names, and anonymize the file's 'Properties'. If using Office 2007 or later, consider employing the Document Inspector Tool before submission.
  • Be vigilant to avoid inadvertently including identifying information within the manuscript as it will be shared with the reviewers.

Change in Authorship or Contributorship

Once an article has been submitted into our system and the review process is underway, modifications to authorship cannot be accommodated. However, if there arises a necessity to alter authors or adjust the order of contributorship pre-publication, we require explicit consent from all the authors. This consent should be provided either through official email addresses or by submitting a no-objection certificate on their institution's letterhead.

If there is a change in authorship or contributorship post-publication, we will follow the same process of needing explicit consent from all authors. We can make the authorship and contributorship changes on platforms controlled by us, primarily the journal website and OJS, but cannot guarantee that the changes will be reflected in third-party platforms and databases that index the journal.

Article Withdrawal Process

You can withdraw your article at any time pre-publication. However, we may not be able to issue you a full refund, especially if your article has been through the review process since we have invested resources in the review process. We will evaluate refunds on a case-by-case basis and may issue refunds to authors under financial duress. We recommend you inform us about your intention to withdraw as soon as possible.

Publication Charges Policy

We operate Open Access publications, implying that we do not charge for online subscriptions to our journal. Our primary goal is to establish high-quality multidisciplinary research platforms. The deliberate choice of adopting an open-access model is driven by the intention to eliminate cost barriers for researchers, especially those based in developing countries, enabling unrestricted access to top-tier research.

To sustain the quality of our journal, nominal publication fees are charged to authors. These fees contribute to covering essential costs associated with maintaining a high-standard publication. Key expense areas include:

  • Host and server maintenance for our online platforms, such as OJS.
  • Crossref fees for generating Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).
  • Paid plagiarism checks through Similarity Check/iThenticate.
  • Editorial office and staff.

While we typically do not offer fee waivers or discounts due to these operational costs, we recognize that researchers, particularly in developing countries, may face financial constraints. In light of this, we are open to considering waivers and discounts on a case-by-case basis.

If you are in a situation where financial considerations may pose challenges, we encourage you to reach out to us, explaining your circumstances. We have previously granted fee waivers to researchers facing conditions such as:

  • Being based in countries experiencing war and/or economic crises.
  • Conducting exceptional research recognized with multiple awards.
  • Facing exceptional financial strain, particularly those from families classified under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.