Get your Current Opinion in Microbiology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Current Opinion in Microbiology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Current Opinion in Microbiology 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology. 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology 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 Editorial Manager.
| Element | Current Opinion Microbiol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract, maximum 250 words. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Must be able to stand alone. Avoid references unless essential (if included, cite author(s) and year(s)). Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations unless essential (must be defined at first mention) |
| Main text | 2000 word limit for Current Opinion papers (excluding abstract, references and figure captions), exploring the most important developments in the last 2 years. No more than 4 tables or figures (include at least one figure to summarize main concepts). No more than 5 authors. Highlights required: 3 to 5 bullet points, each maximum 85 characters including spaces |
| 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 required for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Abbreviations should only be used if they are firmly established in the field |
| References | Numbered reference style in square brackets, ordered by appearance in text. Follows Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE/Vancouver style). Approximately 50 references recommended. Journal names abbreviated according to LTWA List of Title Word Abbreviations. At least 10% of references should be annotated as being of special interest (*) or outstanding interest (**) from the past 2 years with brief description of major findings and importance |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind). Submission initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to a minimum of one reviewer for independent expert assessment of scientific quality. Final decision made by editors |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/COMICR |
Read the Current Opinion in Microbiology 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Current Opinion Microbiol 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Current Opinion in Microbiology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.