Get your Frontiers in Bioinformatics paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 11 August, 2026
Submitting to Frontiers in Bioinformatics goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Frontiers in Bioinformatics 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics. 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics 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 | Frontiers Bioinformatics requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract required, no longer than a single paragraph, formatted according to IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, And Discussion) or as specified by article type. No specific word limit stated in general guidelines, but Policy Brief requires abstract up to 125 words in bullet point format. Minimize abbreviations and do not cite references, figures or tables. For clinical trials, include unique identifier and trial registration URL |
| Main text | Word count limits by article type: Original Research 12,000 words; Systematic Review 12,000 words; Methods 12,000 words; Review 12,000 words; Mini Review 3,000 words (max 2 figures/tables); Hypothesis and Theory 12,000 words; Perspective 3,000 words (max 2 figures/tables); Case Report 3,000 words (max 4 display items); Data Report 3,000 words (max 2 figures/tables); Policy Brief 3,000 words (max 5 figures/tables); Brief Research Report 4,000 words (max 4 figures/tables); General Commentary 1,000 words (max 1 figure/table); Opinion 2,000 words (max 1 figure/table); Editorial 1,000-5,000 words (varies by topic size, may contain 1 figure); Technology and Code 12,000 words; FAIR² Data 12,000 words (max 15 figures/tables). Word count includes main body text, footnotes, and citations, excludes abstract, section titles, figure/table captions, funding statement, acknowledgments, and references |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | All article types require a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 keywords. Authors should pick keywords using a mix of generic and more specific terms on the article subject(s). Mandatory for all article types |
| References | Harvard (author-date) reference style. References should include full last name and first name initials of the first six authors, followed by et al. and the year of publication in brackets. Alphabetical order is followed for the reference list. Citations in text include author surname(s) and year |
| Peer review | Collaborative review with transparent/open identities. Reviewers and editors engage in direct online dialogue with authors through an interactive review forum. The names of reviewers and editors appear on published articles. This is a transparent peer review model where all parties' identities are known |
| Submission | www.frontiersin.org/submission/submit?domainid=1&fieldid=145&specialtyid=0&entitytype=2&entityid=1722 |
Read the Frontiers in Bioinformatics 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Frontiers Bioinformatics 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 Frontiers in Bioinformatics journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Frontiers in Bioinformatics guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.