Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. Submission Preparation Checklist (new text)

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors must confirm that their manuscript meets all of the following requirements. Submissions that do not comply may be returned for revision before peer review.

• The manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration by another journal. If there is any overlap with other work, this is clearly explained in the “Comments to the Editor”.

• The submission file is prepared in an editable format (OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF).

• Where possible, URLs or DOIs have been provided for all references.

• The text follows the journal’s formatting rules: 12‑point font, double‑spaced, standard margins, italics instead of underlining (except in URLs), and figures and tables inserted near their first citation in the text.

• The manuscript follows the structure and style described in the Author Guidelines, including referencing according to APA 7th edition.

• All in‑text citations have a matching entry in the reference list, and all references are cited in the text.

• The current SRLS reference format and updated rules (as provided in the manuscript template) have been applied, and journal titles are written in full (not abbreviated).

• The official SRLS manuscript template has been used or carefully followed:
  https://www.scientific-reports.com/index.php/srls/$$$call$$$/api/file/file-api/download-library-file?libraryFileId=1

• The signed copyright form has been completed and uploaded, using the form available at:
  https://scientific-reports.com/index.php/srls/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/2

2. Author Guidelines – main structure and formatting (new text)

Author Guidelines

Scope and article types

• Authors should ensure that their submissions fall within the journal’s Aims and Scope (see the “Aims and Scope” page).

• SRLS publishes:

  • Original research articles (normally up to 6,000 words, maximum 8,000 words, excluding references).

  • Review articles (up to 7,000 words, typically by prior arrangement with the Editor‑in‑Chief).

  • Short communications / short notes (up to 2,000 words, with a maximum of 20 references and 3 display items).

Original research articles should normally be structured as:
Title; Authors and affiliations; Abstract; Keywords; Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Acknowledgments; References.
Figures and tables should be placed within the text near their first mention. The journal may adjust layout after acceptance.

Short communications are concise research contributions that present new data, records, or methods of immediate interest. They should include an abstract (maximum 75 words), combined Results and Discussion section, and follow the general structure of a research article in shortened form.

Review articles should provide an up‑to‑date, critical overview of a defined topic in the life sciences, synthesize recent advances, and identify open questions and future directions. The internal structure of reviews is flexible, but they must include a title page and abstract and follow SRLS formatting.

Manuscript format

• Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear English. Authors who are not native speakers are strongly encouraged to have their text checked by a fluent English speaker or a professional editing service.

• Template: Authors should use the SRLS manuscript template:
  https://www.scientific-reports.com/index.php/srls/$$$call$$$/api/file/file-api/download-library-file?libraryFileId=1

• Layout: Use Times New Roman, 12‑point font, double spacing throughout, line numbering, and A4 page size with standard margins.

Title, authors, affiliations

• The title should be concise, informative, and free of unnecessary abbreviations or formulas.

• List full names of all authors and provide complete institutional affiliations (including country) for each author. Use superscript letters to link authors to their affiliations if needed.

• Clearly indicate the corresponding author and provide a valid email address. The corresponding author is responsible for all communication with the journal.

Abstract and keywords

• The abstract (maximum 300 words) should briefly state the purpose of the study, key methods, main results, and the principal conclusions. Avoid unexplained abbreviations and references.

• Provide at least three and normally up to six keywords that do not repeat words in the title.

Sections of the main text

• Introduction: Explain the background, rationale, and objectives. Keep the literature review focused and concise.

• Materials and Methods: Describe study sites, organisms, experimental design, analytical methods, and statistical procedures in enough detail that the work can be replicated. Cite sources for established methods and clearly explain any modifications.

• Results: Present findings clearly and logically, using text, tables, and figures as appropriate. Do not duplicate the same data in both tables and figures.

• Discussion: Interpret the results in relation to previous work, highlight the main contributions and limitations, and suggest implications or future research directions.

• Acknowledgments: Mention funding sources, data repositories or accession numbers (if applicable), and individuals or institutions that contributed to the study but do not meet authorship criteria.

References

• SRLS uses the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition style for references.

• SRLS uses APA 7th edition reference style. Authors should follow the official APA guidance (e.g. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references).”

• Include DOIs for journal articles whenever possible.

• Reference management tools (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, EndNote) may be used, but authors remain responsible for ensuring accuracy and consistency.

To avoid reproducing long examples from external guides, SRLS does not list all APA patterns on this page. Instead, authors should follow a standard, current APA 7th edition guide.

Figures and tables

• Number figures and tables consecutively in the order they appear in the text.

• Each figure and table must have a clear, self‑explanatory legend.

• Indicate scale bars, units, and the meaning of symbols. Avoid unnecessary 3D effects, especially in graphs.

• If reproducing material (figures, tables, or large parts of text) from previously published work, authors must obtain written permission from the copyright holder and provide appropriate acknowledgement.

3. Copyright Notice and Privacy Statement (short confirmation)

Copyright Notice
Scientific Reports in Life Sciences is an open‑access journal. All articles are published under the “Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)” license, which allows anyone to read, share, and adapt the content, provided that proper attribution is given to the original authors and the journal.

Privacy Statement
Names, email addresses, and other contact details entered into this journal site are used exclusively for the purposes of managing and publishing the journal. This information will not be shared with third parties or used for unrelated purposes.