BMC Bioinformatics Template
Writing for BMC Bioinformatics? This template gives you a submission-ready structure—sections, abstract, and references—so you focus on the research, not the formatting.
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How to Use the BMC Bioinformatics Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 25 July, 2026
Submitting to BMC Bioinformatics goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the BMC 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.
What is the BMC Bioinformatics Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to BMC 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 BMC Bioinformatics journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a BMC submission:
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 BMC Bioinformatics guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
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 BMC Bioinformatics guide for authors before you submit.
What does this BMC Bioinformatics Template include?
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 / Snapp.
Steps to Use This Template with Scispace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The Scispace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for BMC.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the BMC Bioinformatics guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through Editorial Manager / Snapp.
BMC Bioinformatics Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | BMC requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstract requirements vary by article type: Research articles: Structured abstract with mandatory headings (Background, Results, Conclusions), maximum 350 words. Minimize abbreviations; do not cite references. Software articles: Structured abstract with mandatory headings (Background, Results, Conclusions), maximum 350 words. Minimize abbreviations; do not cite references. Database articles: Structured abstract with mandatory headings (Background, Main body of the abstract, Short conclusion), maximum 350 words. Minimize abbreviations; do not cite references. Review articles: Structured abstract with mandatory headings (Background, Main body of the abstract, Short conclusion), maximum 350 words. Minimize abbreviations; do not cite references. Comment articles: Unstructured abstract, maximum 50 words. Minimize abbreviations; do not cite references. Matters Arising: No formal abstract required. The first paragraph of the text (brief paragraph, non-specialist terminology) serves as the abstract for submission purposes. |
| Main text | Section order and length per article type |
| Declarations | Ethics, competing interests, funding, data as required |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Three to ten keywords for all article types (Research, Software, Database, Review, Comment, Matters Arising). |
| References | Vancouver style. Journal abbreviations follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE. All web links and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list (not in text) with title, URL, and access date. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registrations, and preprints may be cited. Unpublished data/personal communications must be referred to in-text only, not in the reference list. |
| Peer review | Transparent peer review. BMC Bioinformatics operates a transparent peer review system where, if the article is published, the reviewer reports are published online alongside the article under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, but the reviewer is not named (anonymous reviewers). |
| Submission | editorialmanager.com |
Quick Tips for Using the BMC Bioinformatics Template
Read the BMC 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 BMC Bioinformatics in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent BMC 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 BMC Bioinformatics journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the BMC Bioinformatics guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager / Snapp.
