Article types

Communications

A complete study or preliminary report of exceptionally high quality and significance, whose interest to the chemical biology community warrants rapid publication. Authors should supply with their submission a justification of why the work merits urgent publication as a Communication; reviewers will be asked to judge the work on these grounds.

Communications are prioritised for rapid publication and are highly visible as they are published at the front of an issue. Although there is no page limit for a Communication, they will not normally exceed the length of four printed journal pages. Authors are encouraged to provide a succinct and relevant introduction to the research and to consider the use of the electronic supplementary information for additional material.

Full papers

Full accounts of original research of exceptionally high quality and significance, appealing to the broad chemical biology community. Authors are encouraged to emphasise the importance and potential impact of the research presented. There are no restrictions on the length of a full Paper.

Reviews

Reviews published in RSC Chemical Biology must be very high quality, authoritative, state-of-the-art accounts of the selected research field. Reviews are typically invited by the RSC Chemical Biology Editorial Board and Editorial Office, although suggestions from readers of potential topics and authors are very welcome and should be directed to the editor. 

Reviews may be shorter summaries highlighting important recent developments, or more detailed, balanced accounts, of the selected research field. Reviews should be timely and provide new insight to the existing literature as well as being of general interest to the chemical biology community. They should focus on key developments, rather than be comprehensive reviews of the literature, and can provide perspectives of the future development in the field.

Authors are encouraged to identify areas in the field where further developments are imminent or of urgent need, and of significance to the community in general. All Reviews undergo a rigorous and full peer review procedure, in the same way as full Papers.

Opinion

Opinions are short, personal viewpoints on a topic of current interest to the community. They can be speculative in nature, and provided that they are not defamatory to the work of others, can be controversial and stimulate counter-opinion. They should contain rigorous, evidence-backed scientific justification, and bring significant and valuable insights to the field.

Opinions are typically three to four pages in length and are normally published by invitation of the RSC Chemical Biology Editorial Board or Editorial Office. Opinions undergo a rigorous and full peer review procedure, in the same way as Full Papers.

Comments/Replies

Comments and Replies are a medium for the discussion and exchange of scientific opinions between authors and readers concerning material published in RSC Chemical Biology.

For publication, a Comment should present an alternative analysis of and/or new insight into the previously published material. Any Reply should further the discussion presented in the original article and the Comment. Comments and Replies that contain any form of personal attack are not suitable for publication.

Comments that are acceptable for publication will be forwarded to the authors of the work being discussed, and these authors will be given the opportunity to submit a Reply. The Comment and Reply will both be subject to rigorous peer review in consultation with the journal’s Editorial Board where appropriate. The Comment and Reply will be published together.