Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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Genome Biology is an open access journal in biology and biomedicine research that publishes research advancing the fields of biology and biomedicine from a genomic and post-genomic perspective. It reports a 2024 Journal Impact Factor of 9.4 and a median submission-to-first-decision time of 13 days.
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Subject
Genetics & Heredity
Impact Factor
9.4
Quartile
Q1
Open Access Type
Open
ISSN
1474-760X
eISSN
1474-760X
Invitation Only
No
Cost Range
The current APC is £3790.00 GBP / $5690.00 USD / €4690.00 EUR. The current APC for a Brief Report is £2850.00 GBP / $4280.00 USD / €3520.00 EUR.
Submission Instructions
Genome biology accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.
Research
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm that all authors approved the submission, confirm that the manuscript content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must include the headings 'Background', 'Results', and 'Conclusions'.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include a Background, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Methods, and Declarations section, with the Methods section placed after the Conclusions section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, all Declarations subheadings with 'Not applicable' where irrelevant, and any use of a Large Language Model documented in the Methods section or a suitable alternative part.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published, in-press, or publicly available preprint articles, clinical trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and web links must be numbered and listed in full in the references.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript rather than the graphic file, tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, and larger tables may be placed at the end with in-text callouts. Figures must be numbered in order, multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, and tables must be numbered in sequence and created using the word processor’s table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Software
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the manuscript is not published or under consideration elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract should not exceed 100 words. Abstract should be unstructured.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include Background, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Methods after the Conclusions, and a Declarations section with the required subheadings. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, document any use of a Large Language Model in the Methods or suitable alternative section, state source code access information and OSI-compliant license, and include 'Not applicable' under any nonrelevant Declarations subheading.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published, in-press, or publicly available preprint items may be cited, unpublished abstracts/data and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, web links must appear as numbered full references, and publicly available datasets cited should include persistent identifiers as full URLs.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, larger tables may be placed at the end with callouts in the text, figure titles and legends must appear in the manuscript rather than the graphic file, and figures should be uploaded separately in the order cited. Multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, tables must be created using the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheets, and footnotes must be used instead of endnotes.
Database
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. The abstract must be no more than 100 words. The abstract must be unstructured. The abstract must include the URL of the database, and references must not be cited in it.
Manuscript
The manuscript must include Background, Construction and content, Utility and discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section, and it must describe the development and testing of the database and comprehensively demonstrate its utility. The manuscript must include three to ten keywords, include an Availability of data and materials statement with the database web/ftp address and any restrictions on non-academic use, include all Declarations subheadings even if marked 'Not applicable', and document any use of a Large Language Model in the Methods section or another suitable section.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published, in-press, or publicly available preprint/e-print sources may be cited; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded from the reference list; journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE; URLs must be cited in the numbered reference list; and publicly available datasets should be cited with persistent identifiers expressed as full URLs.
Figures & Tables
Figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript, tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, and longer tables may be placed at the end with their locations indicated in the text. Figures must be numbered in order and multi-panel figures submitted as single composite files, while tables must be numbered in sequence and created using the word processor's table function rather than embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Review
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 100 words.
Manuscript
Main text must not exceed 5,000 words excluding the reference list and figure legends.
References
References are limited to 200. References may include only published articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available e-prints or preprints; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must be excluded; journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE; and web links and URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list in full with title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Reviews may include up to 5 display items in total across figures and tables. Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, tables longer than one page may be placed at the end of the text file, and figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file. Figures must be numbered in text order and multi-panel figures submitted as single composite files, while tables must be numbered in sequence, created using the word processor table function, and not embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Methodology
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract must be unstructured. Abstract must include the sections Background, Results, and Conclusions.
Manuscript
Manuscript must include Background, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Methods, and a Declarations section, with the Methods section placed after the Conclusions section. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, the Declarations subheadings Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements with Authors' information optional, include 'Not applicable' for irrelevant Declarations items, and document any use of a Large Language Model in the Methods section or suitable alternative part.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. Only published, in-press, or publicly available preprint articles, trial registration records, and abstracts may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and web links and URLs must be numbered and included in full in the reference list with title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, larger tables may be placed at the end with callouts in the text, figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript, and figures must be uploaded separately in the order first cited. Multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file, tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files, and tables must be created using the word processor's table function.
Correspondence
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, and confirm the manuscript content has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
Abstract
Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript
Correspondence should be no longer than 800 words. Correspondence must directly relate to a paper previously published in Genome Biology and contribute a substantive scientific discussion in relation to that paper.
References
Correspondence should contain no more than 15 references. Only published or in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available preprints may be cited, and web links or URLs must be numbered and included in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Correspondence should contain no more than 2 display items, including boxes, tables, or figures. Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, larger tables may be placed at the end of the document, and figure titles and legends must be provided in the main manuscript rather than in the graphic file. Tables must not be embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Brief Report
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. Cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name the special issue if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 100 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript
Main text should be around 1000–1500 words excluding abstract, references, and figure legends, and the Background section must be no more than 300 words. Main text must contain no headings and include a Background section, a combined Results and Discussion section, a Conclusions section, and a Methods section placed after Conclusions. Manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a Declarations section with all required subheadings retained and marked 'Not applicable' when irrelevant, an Availability of data and materials statement, and documentation of any Large Language Model use in the Methods section or another suitable part of the manuscript.
References
References should follow Vancouver style. Only published articles, in-press articles, clinical trial registration records, abstracts, and publicly available preprints may be cited; unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list; journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE; and URLs must be numbered and listed in full in the references.
Figures & Tables
Brief Reports may include a maximum of 2 figures or tables in the main text. Figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript, tables shorter than one page may be embedded in the manuscript, and larger tables may be placed at the end with their positions indicated in the text. Figures must be numbered in order and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered in sequence and not embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Matters Arising
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved submission, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and name any special issue if applicable.
Abstract
The opening summary paragraph is required and serves as the abstract for submission purposes. The abstract must not exceed 250 words. The abstract must consist of the opening summary paragraph rather than a separately structured abstract.
Manuscript
Matters Arising should be as concise as possible and ideally not exceed 1,200 words. Matters Arising should begin with a brief non-specialist summary paragraph and include a Declarations section with the specified subheadings. The manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a list of abbreviations if used, an Availability of data and materials statement, and a Declarations section containing Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, Acknowledgements, and optional Authors' information, using 'Not applicable' where relevant.
References
Matters Arising allow up to 15 references. References must follow Vancouver style. Only published, in-press, or publicly available preprint items may be cited, unpublished abstracts, unpublished data, and personal communications must not appear in the reference list, journal abbreviations must follow Index Medicus/MEDLINE, and web links must be numbered and listed as full references with title, URL, and access date.
Figures & Tables
Matters Arising should ideally require only one or two small figures or tables. Tables shorter than one page may be placed within the manuscript, larger tables may be placed at the end of the text file, and figure titles and legends must appear in the main manuscript while figures are uploaded separately. Figures must be numbered in text order and multi-panel figures submitted as a single composite file, while tables must be numbered sequentially, created with the table function, and not embedded as figures or spreadsheet files.
Recent Publications
BenchHub enables an inclusive and transparent ecosystem for community-focused benchmarking in computational biology
Xiaoqi Liang, Nick Robertson, Marni Torkel, Sanghyun Kim, Dario Strbenac, Yue Cao, Jean Yee Hwa Yang
10.1186/s13059-026-04251-3
View Publication
COSIGT: population-scalable genotyping of complex loci from low-coverage sequencing data using pangenome graphs
Davide Bolognini, Andrea Guarracino, Chiara Paleni, Thomas S. Dudley, Licia Iacoviello, Alessandro Raveane, Peter H. Sudmant, Erik Garrison, Nicole Soranzo
10.1186/s13059-026-04242-4
View Publication
MissenseHMM: state-based annotations for missense variants through joint modeling of pathogenicity scores
Runjia Li, Jason Ernst
10.1186/s13059-026-04261-1
View Publication
Large-scale benchmarking of prokaryotic annotation tools across thousands of species
Mateusz Jundzill, Martin Hölzer, Serghei Mangul, Mike Marquet, Ralf Ehricht, Mara Lohde, Riccardo Spott, Oliwia Makarewicz, Mathias W. Pletz, Christian Brandt
10.1186/s13059-026-04262-0
View Publication
Differential analysis of image-based chromatin tracing data with Dory
Zhaoxia Ma, Miao Liu, Shengyuan Wang, Siyuan Wang, Chongzhi Zang
10.1186/s13059-026-04264-y
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
14 days to first decision; submission to first decision (median): 13 days.
Reformat to Genome biology using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter is required. It must explain why the manuscript should be published in Genome Biology, explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare any potential competing interests, confirm that all authors approved the submission, confirm that the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, and identify the special issue name when applicable. Authors may also suggest preferred or non-preferred peer reviewers in the cover letter.
Reformat to Genome biology using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
An article processing charge applies for each accepted article. The current APC is £3790.00 GBP / $5690.00 USD / €4690.00 EUR. The current APC for a Brief Report is £2850.00 GBP / $4280.00 USD / €3520.00 EUR.
Reformat to Genome biology using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
RNA Research and Splicing
RNA modifications and cancer
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
Gene expression and cancer classification
Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research
Plant Molecular Biology Research
Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
Genomics and Rare Diseases
Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
Genomic variations and chromosomal abnormalities
Machine Learning in Bioinformatics
Gut microbiota and health
Cell Image Analysis Techniques
Genetic diversity and population structure
Plant Virus Research Studies