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Lancet Microbe

The Lancet Microbe publishes research, reviews, personal views, and news focused on microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases, diagnostics, and related clinical and public health topics.

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Subject Infectious Diseases
Impact Factor 20.4
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
eISSN 2666-5247
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Open Access

Submission Instructions

Lancet Microbe accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Articles

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for first submissions. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Articles must include an abstract. The abstract must not exceed 300 words. The abstract must be a semistructured summary. The abstract must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript Articles should be up to 3500 words, or up to 4500 words for randomised controlled trials, excluding the abstract because the limit applies to the manuscript text only. Articles must include a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence. Articles must include a Contributors statement confirming each author's contribution and naming which authors accessed and verified the underlying data, an Acknowledgments section disclosing any AI writing assistance and funding source, a Declaration of interests, and a data sharing statement.
References Articles should include no more than 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text as superscript numbers after punctuation, list all six authors when there are six or fewer and the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more, include specified details for online sources, require written permission for personal communications, exclude unaccepted journal submissions from the reference list, and include in-press articles only if an acceptance letter is supplied.
Figures & Tables First submissions should include the manuscript including tables and panels, and figures should be submitted with the submission. When reporting Kaplan-Meier survival data, numbers at risk must be included at each timepoint.
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Reviews

Cover Letter A cover letter must be included with the submission. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Reviews must include a summary. The summary must be no more than 150 words. The summary must be unstructured.
Manuscript Reviews should be no more than 4500 words. Reviews must include a brief section entitled "Search strategy and selection criteria," and systematic reviews in this category must provide a comprehensive methods section in the main text. If generative AI technology was used in the development of the Review, its use must be described in the Methods section in sufficient detail to enable replication, including the tool used, version, and prompts where applicable.
References Reviews have a maximum of 75 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text using superscript numbers after punctuation marks, and references must not be included in Research in context or Search strategy and selection criteria panels.
Figures & Tables Reviews may use up to five illustrations. Figures should be included with the first submission.
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Meta-Analysis

Cover Letter A cover letter is required with first submission. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract A structured summary is required. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript should include a comprehensive Methods section in the main text that states whether the study is a systematic review only or a systematic review and meta-analysis, and extra description or analyses can be included as an appendix. All authors and contributors must specify their individual contributions at the end of the text, and any use of generative AI in writing must be disclosed in a statement at the end of the article in the Acknowledgment section.
References References should comprise only studies included in the article plus up to 30 additional references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text, with all six authors listed for references with six or fewer authors and the first three authors followed by et al for references with seven or more authors.
Figures & Tables First submissions should include the manuscript including tables and panels and should include figures. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must include a table of study characteristics and a study-selection flow chart, meta-analyses should usually include a forest plot, and figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf.
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Randomised Trials

Cover Letter A covering letter must be included with the submission. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Randomised Trials must include an abstract. The abstract must not exceed 300 words. The abstract must be semistructured. The abstract must use the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3000 words and may be extended up to 4500 words, with the limit applying to manuscript text only. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the trial descriptor, end the Introduction with the aim of the study, include a Methods section with a Randomisation and masking section, omit subheadings in the Results and Discussion, and include a Contributors statement, Declaration of interests, Acknowledgments, a trial profile, a baseline characteristics table, and a research in context panel. The manuscript must include a Contributors statement outlining each author's contribution and confirming full data access and final responsibility for submission, identify more than one author who verified the underlying data, include a Declaration of interests, and disclose any AI or AI-assisted writing use in the Acknowledgments.
References Randomised Trials may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, with two references separated by a comma and three or more consecutive references given as a range.
Figures & Tables Randomised controlled trials may include up to 5 figures, tables, or panels. The submission must include the manuscript with tables and panels in a Word document and figures supplied separately as editable files. Trial profile figures and Kaplan-Meier plots must be supplied in editable format, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, baseline characteristics should be presented in a table without formal statistical comparison p values, and Kaplan-Meier plots must include numbers at risk at each timepoint and must not break the y axis.
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Systematic Reviews And Meta-Analyses

Cover Letter A cover letter is required with first submission. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract A structured summary is required. The structured summary must be no more than 300 words. The abstract must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor, include a Research in context panel, present the Results and Discussion without subheadings, and include specified Summary, Introduction, Methods, Data analysis, Results, Discussion, and Role of the funding source sections. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel, author contribution and declaration of interests statements at the end of the text, a Role of the funding source section, and an acknowledgment disclosure statement if generative AI was used in writing.
References References should comprise only studies included in the article plus up to 30 others. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers, use commas without spaces for two citations and ranges for three or more consecutive citations, list all six authors when there are six or fewer and the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more, and online references must include the URL and access date.
Figures & Tables Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include a table of study characteristics and a study-selection flow chart, and meta-analyses should usually include a forest plot. Text and tables must be submitted in a Word document and figures must be submitted as editable files. Tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, Figure 1 study selection and Figure 2 forest plot must be editable, and forest plots must include absolute numbers of patients as n/N for treatment and control groups if available.
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Research Articles

Cover Letter A covering letter is required for first submissions. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript A Research in context panel is required with the headings "Evidence before this study", "Added value of this study", and "Implications of all the available evidence". Acknowledgments must state the funding source for the work including grant numbers if applicable, disclose any AI writing assistance, and name any medical writer or editor together with who funded them.
References Primary research articles may include a maximum of 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text as superscript numbers after punctuation, list all six authors when there are six or fewer, list the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more, and include author, title, creation date if available, URL, and access date for online material.
Figures & Tables First submissions should include the manuscript including tables and panels and should include figures.
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Observational Studies

Cover Letter A covering letter is required for first submissions. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must use the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include a table of participant baseline characteristics, a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence, and no subheadings in the Results or Discussion sections. The manuscript must include a Contributors statement outlining each named author's contribution, a Declaration of interests, and an acknowledgment statement disclosing any use of generative AI in writing.
References The main text may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, with all six authors listed when there are six or fewer and the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more.
Figures & Tables The manuscript submission should include the manuscript with tables and panels plus separate figure files. Tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf.
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Cohort Study

Cover Letter A covering letter is required with the submission. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The summary must be no more than 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include sections such as Methods, Results, Discussion, a Research in context panel, and a Contributors statement. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel, a Contributors statement confirming all authors had full data access and final responsibility for submission, a Declaration of interests, a Role of the funding source statement, and an acknowledgment disclosure if generative AI was used in writing.
References Observational studies may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, two citations together must be separated by a comma with no space, ranges must be used for three or more consecutive citations, and journal references must list all six authors when there are six or fewer or the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more.
Figures & Tables Text and tables must be submitted in a Word document, and figures must be submitted as editable files. Observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figure files must be editable such as .eps or .pdf.
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Cross-Sectional Study

Cover Letter A covering letter must be included with the submission. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract A structured summary is required. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must include a non-declamatory title with the study descriptor, a Methods section starting with the study descriptor, a Results section without subheadings ordered to match the Methods, a Discussion section without subheadings, and a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel, a Contributors statement outlining each author's contribution and confirming all authors had full data access and final responsibility for submission, a Declaration of interests statement, and any generative AI writing use disclosed in the Acknowledgments.
References The article may include a maximum of 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, two citations together must be separated by a comma with no space, ranges must be used for three or more consecutive citations, journal references with six or fewer authors must list all authors, and those with seven or more authors must list the first three followed by et al.
Figures & Tables Tables must be supplied in a Word document and figures must be submitted as editable files. Participants’ baseline characteristics must be provided in a table, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figure files should be editable such as .eps or .pdf.
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Case-Control Study

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for first submissions. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract A structured summary is required. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The title must be non-declamatory and include the study descriptor, the Methods section must start with the study descriptor, the Results and Discussion sections must not use subheadings, and the report must include a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence. The manuscript must include a Contributors statement outlining each author's contribution and confirming that all authors had full access to all study data and final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication, a Declaration of interests statement, a table of participant baseline characteristics, and an acknowledgment statement disclosing any use of generative AI in writing.
References Observational studies may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text as superscript numbers after punctuation, with all six authors listed when there are six or fewer and the first three followed by et al. when there are seven or more.
Figures & Tables Tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf. The report must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, legends must be kept to a minimum length and must not repeat analysis details from Methods, and percentages must use the % symbol with absolute numbers of participants or events stated alongside percentages.
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Retrospective Cohort Study

Cover Letter A covering letter is required for first submissions. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract A structured summary is required for observational studies. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include Methods, Results, Discussion, a Research in context panel, a table of participant baseline characteristics, and a Contributors statement, with no subheadings in the Results or Discussion sections. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence, plus an acknowledgment disclosure statement if generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in writing.
References Observational studies may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially in the text as superscript numbers after punctuation, with all six authors listed for references with six or fewer authors and the first three followed by et al for references with seven or more authors.
Figures & Tables First submissions should include the manuscript including tables and panels, and figures should be submitted with the submission. Figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics.
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Prospective Cohort Study

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for first submissions. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The structured summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, and Findings.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. Observational studies must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include sections for Methods, Procedures, Outcomes, Statistical analysis, Results, Discussion, Contributors, Declaration of interests, and a Research in context panel. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel, a Contributors statement outlining each author’s contribution and confirming all authors had full data access and final responsibility for submission, a Declaration of interests, a Role of the funding source statement, and any required AI use disclosure in the Acknowledgment section.
References Observational studies may include up to 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, two citations together must be separated by a comma with no space, three or more consecutive citations must be given as a range, and references with six or fewer authors list all authors while those with seven or more list the first three followed by et al.
Figures & Tables Text and tables must be submitted in a Word document, and figures must be submitted as editable files. Observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figure files must be editable such as .eps or .pdf.
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Matched Case-Control Study

Cover Letter A covering letter is required for first submission. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The structured summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. The manuscript must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include sections or elements such as Methods, Results, Discussion, a Research in context panel, and a Contributors statement, with no subheadings in the Results or Discussion sections. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence, a Contributors statement confirming all authors had full access to the data and final responsibility for submission, and an acknowledgment statement disclosing any use of generative AI in writing.
References Primary research articles may include a maximum of 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, list all six authors when there are six or fewer and the first three followed by et al when there are seven or more, separate two citations with a comma and no space, and present three or more consecutive citations as a range.
Figures & Tables The manuscript should include tables and panels, while figures must be submitted as editable files and any appendix must be supplied separately as a PDF with page numbers. Observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, and tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF.
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National Cross-Sectional Study

Cover Letter A covering letter is required for first submissions. The covering letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The summary must not exceed 300 words. The summary must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. Observational studies must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor, the Methods section must start with the study descriptor, the Results must be ordered to match the Methods, and no subheadings should be used in the Results or Discussion. The manuscript must include a Research in context panel, a Contributors statement confirming all authors had full access to all study data and final responsibility for submission, a Declaration of interests, and an acknowledgment disclosure if generative AI or AI-assisted writing tools were used.
References Primary research articles may include a maximum of 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, two citations together must be separated by a comma with no space and three or more consecutive citations given as a range, references with six or fewer authors must list all authors, and references with seven or more authors must list the first three followed by et al.
Figures & Tables Text and tables must be submitted in a Word document, while figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf. Observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and legends must be kept minimal and must not repeat analysis details from the Methods.
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Multicentre Cross-Sectional Study

Cover Letter A cover letter is required for first submissions. The cover letter must explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.
Abstract Observational studies must include a structured summary. The structured summary must not exceed 300 words. The abstract must be structured. The summary must include the headings Background, Methods, Findings, Interpretation, and Funding.
Manuscript The main text should be 3500 words. Observational studies must have a non-declamatory title including the study descriptor and include a Research in context panel, a table of participant baseline characteristics, and no subheadings in the Results or Discussion sections. The manuscript must include a Contributors statement outlining each author's contribution and confirming all authors had full data access and final responsibility for submission, a Declaration of interests, a Role of the funding source statement, a Research in context panel with the headings Evidence before this study, Added value of this study, and Implications of all the available evidence, and any AI writing use disclosed in the Acknowledgment section.
References Primary research articles may include a maximum of 30 references. References must use Vancouver style. References must be cited sequentially as superscript numbers after punctuation, two citations together must be separated by a comma with no space, three or more consecutive citations must be given as a range, and references with six authors or fewer list all authors while those with seven or more list the first three followed by et al.
Figures & Tables Text and tables must be submitted in a Word document, figures must be submitted as editable files such as .eps or .pdf, and extra description or analyses may be included as an appendix supplied as a PDF with page numbers. Observational studies must include a table of participant baseline characteristics, tables must be supplied in Word rather than Excel or PDF, and figures must be editable files.
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Recent Publications

Classification and sequencing of hepatitis D virus from a large cohort of chronically infected individuals paired with co-infecting hepatitis B virus sequencing: a genomic characterisation study

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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Proofs are returned within 48 h. Papers are published online as they become ready. Authors are informed at least a week in advance of the online publication date.

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Is a cover letter required?

A covering letter should be uploaded at the Enter Comments stage and should explain why the paper should be published in The Lancet Microbe rather than elsewhere.

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What are the publication costs?

Research Topics

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Tuberculosis Research and Epidemiology SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing Antibiotic Use and Resistance COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies Respiratory viral infections research Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing Mycobacterium research and diagnosis Mosquito-borne diseases and control Zoonotic diseases and public health Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections COVID-19 epidemiological studies Viral Infections and Vectors Gut microbiota and health Antifungal resistance and susceptibility Influenza Virus Research Studies Reproductive tract infections research Poxvirus research and outbreaks Malaria Research and Control Bacterial Infections and Vaccines Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research Vibrio bacteria research studies

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