Get your Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.1
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 11 August, 2026
Submitting to Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 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 Molecular Biosciences. 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 Molecular Biosciences 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 Molecular Biosciences 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 Molecular Biosciences 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 Mol Biosci requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract (e.g., IMRAD format) recommended, in a single paragraph. Minimize use of abbreviations; do not cite references, figures, or tables. For clinical trial articles, include the unique identifier and URL of the trial registration. No specific word limit stated for most article types. Policy Brief requires abstract up to 125 words in bullet-point format. Abstract requirements vary by article type: Original Research, Systematic Review, Methods, Review, Mini Review, Hypothesis and Theory, Perspective, Case Report, Brief Research Report, and Technology and Code all require abstracts; Data Report, General Commentary, Opinion, Correction, Editorial, and Retraction do not require abstracts or have different formats |
| Main text | Main text word limits by article type (includes only main body text, footnotes, and citations; excludes abstract, section titles, figure/table captions, funding, acknowledgments, and references): Original Research: 12,000 words max; Systematic Review: 12,000 words max; Methods: 12,000 words max; Review: 12,000 words max; Hypothesis and Theory: 12,000 words max; Technology and Code: 12,000 words max; FAIR² Data: 12,000 words max; Mini Review: 3,000 words max; Perspective: 3,000 words max; Case Report: 3,000 words max; Data Report: 3,000 words max; Policy Brief: 3,000 words max; Brief Research Report: 4,000 words max; Opinion: 2,000 words max; General Commentary: 1,000 words max; Editorial: 1,000 words (for Topics with 5-10 articles), increasing up to 5,000 words max (for 50+ articles); Correction and Retraction: no stated limit |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 5 and maximum of 8 keywords required for all article types. Authors should pick 5-8 keywords using a mix of generic and more specific terms on the article subject(s). Life Science Identifiers (LSIDs) for ZOOBANK registered names or nomenclatural acts should be listed in the manuscript before the keywords |
| References | Harvard (author-date) style. References should include the full last name and first name initials of the first six authors, followed by et al. and the year of publication in brackets. References are listed in alphabetical order. In-text citations use name and year in parentheses (e.g., Smith et al., 2020). Note: Frontiers journals use one of two reference styles (Harvard or Vancouver), and Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences specifically uses Harvard |
| Peer review | Single-anonymized (also called single-blind). Frontiers operates a single-anonymized model during the review process, meaning reviewers know who the authors are in order to offer a full assessment within the context of their research and to ensure they can avoid any potential competing interests in accepting a review invitation. The peer review platform is collaborative: it unites authors, reviewers, and the handling editor in a direct online dialog, enabling quick iterations and facilitating consensus |
| Submission | www.frontiersin.org/submission/submit?domainid=1&fieldid=102&specialtyid=0&entitytype=2&entityid=698 |
Read the Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences 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 Molecular Biosciences in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Frontiers Mol Biosci 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 Molecular Biosciences journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.