Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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Retrovirology is an open access, online journal that publishes stringently peer-reviewed, high-impact articles on host-pathogen interactions, fundamental mechanisms of replication, immune defenses, animal models, and clinical science relating to retroviruses and retrovirus-related diseases.
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Subject
Virology
Impact Factor
3.9
Quartile
Q2
Open Access Type
Open
eISSN
1742-4690
Invitation Only
No
Cost Range
The current article processing charge is £2090.00 GBP / $2990.00 USD / €2490.00 EUR, subject to VAT or local taxes where applicable.
Submission Instructions
Retrovirology 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 have approved the manuscript for submission, confirm that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, refer to a special issue by its specific name if applicable, and include any suggested peer reviewers or a request not to share the manuscript with other BMC journals if desired.
Abstract
An abstract is required. The abstract must not exceed 350 words. The abstract must be structured. The abstract must include Background, Results, and Conclusions.
Manuscript
The manuscript must include Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and a Declarations section, and the Methods section must include the aim, design and setting of the study, the participant or material characteristics, and a clear description of all processes, interventions and comparisons. The manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a Declarations section with all required subheadings, a statement on ethics approval and consent where relevant, a Consent for publication section where relevant, an Availability of data and materials statement, a Competing interests section, a Funding section, an Authors' contributions section, and documentation of any large language model use.
References
References must follow Vancouver style. References must be numbered in order of appearance, and dataset citations should include a persistent identifier such as a DOI and ideally appear in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Figures are uploaded separately, while tables may be placed in the manuscript or at the end of the document and additional supporting data may be uploaded as separate files or deposited in a repository. The graphical abstract must be landscape, approximately 920 by 300 pixels, uploaded as JPEG, PNG, or SVG with a white background; figures and tables must be numbered in sequence, and tables must have titles above them.
Review
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any journal policy issues, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors have approved the manuscript, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, refer to the special issue by name if applicable, and include any requested peer reviewer suggestions or a request not to share with other BMC journals if desired.
Abstract
An abstract is required. The abstract must not exceed 350 words. The abstract must be structured. The abstract must include background, main body, and a short conclusion, and if the review is registered the registration number must appear as the last line.
Manuscript
Reviews are generally at least 3,000 words. The manuscript must include a Background section, a Main text section, and a Conclusions section. The manuscript must include three to ten keywords, a Declarations section with Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements, and if abbreviations are used they must be defined at first use and listed.
References
There is no limit on references. Vancouver. References must be cited in sequence, web links and URLs must be placed in the reference list in full with access dates, and publicly available datasets should be cited with persistent identifiers such as DOIs.
Figures & Tables
The graphical abstract should be uploaded separately, while tables may be embedded in the manuscript if short or placed at the end of the document if long. The graphical abstract must be landscape-oriented, approximately 920 by 300 pixels, white-background, and compliant with copyright policy, figures and tables must be numbered and cited in sequence, and table titles must appear above tables.
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 that all authors have approved the manuscript for submission, confirm that the content has not been published or submitted elsewhere, refer to the special issue by name if applicable, and include any reviewer suggestions or a request not to share the manuscript with other BMC journals if desired.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Unstructured.
Manuscript
Correspondence must include a Declarations section with the headings 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. Three to ten keywords must be included, abbreviations must be defined at first use, and if a Declarations item is not relevant it must be stated as Not applicable.
References
Vancouver. References must be numbered in the order cited, web links and URLs must be given reference numbers and listed in full in the reference list, and only published, in press, or publicly available e-print or preprint items may be cited.
Figures & Tables
Figures and tables are not to be embedded as spreadsheet files or figures within the manuscript, and tables larger than one page may be placed at the end of the document text file. Figures and tables must be numbered in order of first mention, figure and table titles must not exceed 15 words, tables must not use color or shading, and multi-panel figures must be submitted as a single composite file.
Brief Report
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any journal policy issues, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors approved the manuscript, confirm the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere, refer to a named special issue if applicable, and may include suggested peer reviewers or a request not to share the manuscript with other BMC journals.
Abstract
An abstract is required. The abstract should be unstructured.
Manuscript
The main text should contain the body of the article and may be broken into subsections with short, informative headings. The manuscript must include three to ten keywords, an Availability of data and materials statement, a Competing interests section, a Declarations section with all required subheadings or Not applicable where relevant, and an Authors' contributions section using initials.
References
Vancouver reference style. References must be numbered in the order cited, use Index Medicus/MEDLINE journal abbreviations, and include full web links or URLs in the reference list rather than in the text.
Figures & Tables
The graphical abstract must be uploaded separately as a JPEG, PNG, or SVG file. The graphical abstract must be landscape oriented, approximately 920 by 300 pixels, have a white background, fill the available width where possible, and comply with BMC's copyright policy.
Comment
Cover Letter
A cover letter is required. The cover letter must explain any issues relating to journal policies, declare potential competing interests, confirm all authors have approved the manuscript and that it is unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere, and refer to a special issue by name if applicable.
Abstract
An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 350 words. Unstructured.
Manuscript
The manuscript must include a Background section, a Main text section, and a Conclusions section. Comment articles must include three to ten keywords, and the manuscript must include a Declarations section with the subheadings Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Availability of data and materials, Competing interests, Funding, Authors' contributions, and Acknowledgements.
References
Vancouver. References must be numbered in citation order and follow Vancouver style.
Figures & Tables
Figures and tables may be embedded or uploaded separately according to the journal's general file rules, and the graphical abstract must be uploaded separately. The graphical abstract must have landscape orientation, be approximately 920 by 300 pixels, use a white background, and be uploaded as a JPEG, PNG, or SVG file.
Recent Publications
Non-integrase mechanisms for dolutegravir resistance
Alan N. Engelman
10.1186/s12977-026-00678-5
View Publication
Functional dissection of the prototype foamy virus glycoprotein heparan sulfate binding site
Max Büttrich, Nicole Stanke-Scheffler, Thomas Calcraft, Peter B. Rosenthal, Dirk Lindemann
10.1186/s12977-026-00676-7
View Publication
The KT Jeang retrovirology prize 2025: Carine Van Lint
Carine Van Lint
10.1186/s12977-025-00673-2
View Publication
Versatile HIV Rev-dependent reporter cell system for stringent and sensitive quantification of viral reservoirs, neutralizing antibodies, and restriction factors
Mark Spear, Joseph Choi, Brian Hetrick, JeongHwan Lee, Gabrielle Lê-Bury, Thuy T. Vo, Yang Han, Huizhi Liang, Jia Guo, Dongyang Yu, Subashini Iyer, Henry C. Mwandumba, David G. Russell, Yuntao Wu, David W. Gludish
10.1186/s12977-026-00675-8
View Publication
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
Submission to first decision (median): 5 days.
Reformat to Retrovirology using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter is required and should include why the manuscript should be published in Retrovirology, any journal policy issues, competing interests, confirmation that all authors approved submission, confirmation of no prior publication or concurrent submission, and the special issue name if applicable. Potential peer reviewers may be suggested in the cover letter.
Reformat to Retrovirology using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
An article processing charge applies for each accepted article. The current APC is £2090.00 GBP / $2990.00 USD / €2490.00 EUR, subject to VAT or local taxes where applicable.
Reformat to Retrovirology using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
HIV Research and Treatment
HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment
T-cell and Retrovirus Studies
Immune Cell Function and Interaction
HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
HIV-related health complications and treatments
Virus-based gene therapy research
T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research
RNA Research and Splicing
interferon and immune responses
Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
vaccines and immunoinformatics approaches
Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies
Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
Hepatitis C virus research
Legal Cases and Commentary
Science, Research, and Medicine
Hepatitis B Virus Studies
HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk