Draft for Computational Biology and Chemistry with the abstract rules, body order, and reference style the editors check before peer review.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 26 August, 2026
Submitting to Computational Biology and Chemistry goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Computational Biology and Chemistry guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Computational Biology and Chemistry. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Computational Biology and Chemistry journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Computational Biology and Chemistry guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Computational Biology and Chemistry guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through the journal's submission system.
| Element | Computational Biology and Chemistry requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | No structured abstract headings are specified. A concise, factual abstract is required, not exceeding 250 words; it should briefly state the purpose of the research, principal results, and major conclusions. The full-length article guidance also recommends a maximum of 250 words and says the abstract should include the aims, methodology, key results, and conclusions |
| Main text | No overall main-text word or page limit is stated. Manuscripts should be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections (subsections numbered 1.1, 1.1.1, etc.); the abstract is excluded from section numbering. The guide does not prescribe a complete article-type-specific section order. Full-length articles are original scientific papers; review articles are generally commissioned. The general structure guidance discusses Introduction, Theory and calculation, and places Acknowledgements directly before the reference list |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | 1 to 7 keywords are required for indexing. They must be written in English; the guide asks authors to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of') and recommends using abbreviations only when firmly established in the field. No MeSH requirement is stated |
| References | No strict reference formatting is required at submission; any style or format is acceptable provided it is consistent. The journal's reference style is author-date: one author (name and year), two authors (both names and year), and three or more authors (first author's name followed by et al. and year). The reference list is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if necessary |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review (single-anonymous): editors initially assess submissions, and suitable submissions are typically reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/CBAC |
Read the Computational Biology and Chemistry guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Computational Biology and Chemistry in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Computational Biology and Chemistry papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Computational Biology and Chemistry journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Computational Biology and Chemistry guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.