Where do I submit a Biology Open manuscript?

Through the journal's own submission system. The address is in the Submission row of the Structure at a Glance table on this page. SciSpace does not submit for you.

How do I use the Biology Open template in SciSpace?

Click Start Writing, add your topic and article type to the prompt, review the draft against the rules on this page, then export and submit through the journal's portal.

Can I submit to Biology Open and another journal at the same time?

No. Journals, Biology Open included, expect a manuscript to be under review at one journal at a time. Wait for the decision or withdraw formally before you submit elsewhere.

What should my data availability statement say for Biology Open?

Say where readers can find the data behind your results: a repository with a DOI, supplementary files, or the reason the data cannot be shared. Check the Biology Open author guide for any required wording.

How do I know my paper fits Biology Open?

Read the Biology Open aims and scope and skim two or three recent articles. If your question, methods, and audience match what the journal publishes, you are in the right place.

What belongs in supplementary material?

Large datasets, extended tables, extra figures, code, and detailed protocols. Reference each file in the main text, and keep the core Biology Open manuscript readable without them.

Biology Open Template 2026: Format & Author Guidelines

Biology Open Template 2026

Meet the Biology Open author guidelines from the start: a 200-word abstract, 3–6 keywords and Harvard references, with the section order laid out.

Used by 2717 researchers in last 7 days

Journal Templates, Research Paper Templates

How to Use the Biology Open Template | A Step-by-Step Guide

Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 28 September, 2026

Use this Biology Open template when the manuscript has to match that journal before you upload it.

What is the Biology Open Template?

It is the writing shell for Biology Open: title and authors, the abstract, the body, declarations, figures, and the reference list.

What's actually in a Biology Open submission:

A Biology Open submission has a title page with authors and affiliations, an abstract of up to 200 words, keywords, the main text for your article type, declarations, the reference list in author-date style, and figures and tables.

What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:

An abstract that breaks the rule (an abstract of up to 200 words).
References that are not in author-date style.
The wrong number or kind of keywords (3–6 keywords).
A missing declaration: ethics approval, competing interests, funding, or data availability.

Open the journal's current author guide before you upload.

What does this Biology Open Template include?

The sections a Biology Open submission is built from, in order: title page, abstract, keywords, main text, declarations, references, figures, and tables. It does not replace the journal's own checklist.

Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent

Click Start Writing on this page.
Keep the Biology Open section order. Add your topic and article type in the prompt.
Run the prompt and read the draft against the abstract and reference rules on this page.
Use View Outputs to confirm required statements are present.
Read the abstract and the title once more before you export.
Export and submit through the journal's own portal.

Biology Open Template Structure at a Glance

Element	Biology Open requirement
Abstract	No more than 200 words
Main text	Organize sections for the chosen article type; no single overall word limit is stated in the accessible guide
Declarations	Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability
Figures/tables	Publication-ready; cited in order
Supplemental	Upload separately when used
Keywords	3–6 keywords
References	Harvard reference style
Peer review	Open peer review
Submission	royalsocietypublishing.org/rsob/pages/for-authors

Biology Open Author Guidelines in Detail

These rules come from the Biology Open author instructions. Journals change limits without notice, so check the current guide before you upload.

Abstract

No more than 200 words.

Keywords

3–6 keywords.

References

Harvard reference style.

Peer Review

Open peer review.

Biology Open Reference Style with Examples

Reference managers format Biology Open citations with the Company of Biologists reference style, with author and year in the text and an alphabetical reference list. Zotero and Mendeley list it as "Biology Open" in the open Citation Style Language database.

In-text citation: (Smith and Patel, 2021) for a two-author article, (Garcia, 2019) for a single-author book.

Reference list entries:

Journal article: Smith, J. A. and Patel, R. (2021). Seasonal variation in soil microbial activity. Journal of Field Studies 12, 145–159.
Book: Garcia, L. (2019). Methods in Applied Research. 2nd ed. London: Academic Press.

These examples show the pattern, not real sources. If the author guide gives a different rule for DOIs or for how many authors to list before et al., follow the guide.

Quick Tips for Using the Biology Open Template

Set Zotero or Mendeley to the "Biology Open" style before you add the first citation.
Write the abstract last and count it. Biology Open asks for an abstract of up to 200 words.
Choose keywords to the rule: 3–6 keywords.
Keep declarations with the manuscript, not in a separate note you might forget to upload.

Best Practices

Open the author guide once before you draft and once before you upload. Match a recent Biology Open paper for depth, headings, and figure style.

Before You Submit: Final Check

The abstract meets the rule (an abstract of up to 200 words).
Every reference is in author-date style, and every in-text citation has a matching entry.
The keywords follow the stated count.
Declarations are included: ethics, competing interests, funding, and data availability.
Figures are publication-ready and cited in order.

Then submit on the journal's portal, not from this page.