Author Guidelines

Instructions for authors

The Journal of Advanced Microbiology welcomes the submission of original, high-quality, and ethically conducted research manuscripts that contribute significantly to the advancement of microbiology and allied life sciences. The journal aims to provide an international scholarly platform for researchers, academicians, clinicians, industry professionals, and policy makers to disseminate innovative scientific findings, emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary research with relevance to microbiological sciences and their practical applications.

The journal publishes manuscripts across a broad range of disciplines, including medical microbiology, environmental microbiology, industrial microbiology, agricultural microbiology, food and dairy microbiology, pharmaceutical microbiology, molecular microbiology, microbial biotechnology, virology, mycology, parasitology, antimicrobial resistance, microbial genetics and genomics, bioinformatics in microbiology, microbial ecology, systems biology, and nanobiotechnology. Interdisciplinary studies integrating microbiology with biotechnology, environmental sciences, computational biology, biomedical sciences, and nanotechnology are also strongly encouraged.

Types of Manuscripts

The journal accepts several categories of scholarly articles, including Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, Mini Reviews, Short Communications, Case Reports or Case Studies, Methods and Protocols, Perspectives, Commentaries, Letters to the Editor, Editorials, and Special Issue Articles. Original Research Articles are generally expected to range between 4,000 and 8,000 words, while Review Articles may range from 5,000 to 10,000 words. Short Communications and Case Reports are typically shorter in length. However, flexibility may be permitted depending on the scientific importance and complexity of the work.

Manuscript format

Author has to submit the manuscript as a single file (.docx or .doc format only, pdf not acceptable) divided into following sub-sections:

Title page: It should contain title of manuscript, name of all authors along with their affiliations and contact details of corresponding author. 

CRediT Roles: This journal supports the use of CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to provide transparency in author contributions. Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process. When provided, these roles will be included in the published article.

Abstract: Abstract should be unstructured and brief.

Keywords: 3-6 relevant keywords

Introduction: The introduction should comprehensively cover the background of the work presented, identifying research gaps and highlighting the novelty and need of the present research related to essential oils. It should also explain how the study advances knowledge, supported by relevant references. 

Materials and Methods: This section must provide sufficient detail for others to replicate the experiments. For new or improved techniques, comprehensive descriptions are necessary, while well-established methods should be properly cited. The origin of all plant materials needs to be specified, and if applicable, a voucher number obtained from the submission of plant material to the herbarium needs to be stated. When using materials from industry, relevant information, including product or batch numbers has to be provided. The statistical analyses needs to be clearly described with references.

Result and discussion: The results should be stated clearly and concisely, utilizing tables and figures. Discussion section may be combined with the result section or presented separately. It should interpret the findings critically with reference to the existing information in the literature. Duplicating the data or figures has to be avoided. Figures and tables should be clearly labelled so as to give the information contained in them. Chromatograms and chemical structures should be provided as supplementary information, not as a part the main text. 

Conclusions: Author should conclude the findings in a single paragraph using minimum number of words. Summary of the findings should not be repeated.

Acknowledgements: Add Acknowledgements.

Funding: The source of funding for the research may be stated with all the details.

Conflict of interest statement: Adding this statement is mandatory. If no conflict of interest exists, state "Authors declare no conflict of interest."

References: References should be cited in numerical format, using superscript numbers, and should appear in ascending order within the text. When referencing authors in the text, format it as follows: " Bhalla et al.(reference number here) stated that..." . Standard abbreviations of the names of Journals may be used. The reference format should be as follows: 

Research paper

1. Bhalla, P., Tripathi, Y.C. and Varshney, V.K. (2021). Phytochemistry and biological activity of Skimmia laureola leaf essential oil-a review. J. Essent. Oil Res. 33(4): 315-329.
2. Chauhan, K. Bhalla, P., Chitme, H.R. and Varshney, V.K. (2023). Exploring the therapeutic potential of Prinsepia utilis Royle seed oil: A comprehensive study on chemical composition, physicochemical properties, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities. J. Ethnopharmacol. 117312.

Book chapter

1. Agarwal, S.L., Vardia, J., Soni, D. and Ameta, R. (2024). Green manufacturing processes. In Green Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications, 2nd edition, Eds. Suresh C. Ameta and Rakshit Ameta. CRC Press. 507-522.
2. Vardia, J., Soni, D. and Ameta, R. (2013). Green manufacturing processes. In Green Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications, 1st edition, Eds. Suresh C. Ameta and Rakshit Ameta. CRC Press. 353-366.

Tables and figures should be on separate pages after reference section.

Animal study
If animal models are used, it is mandatory to obtain approval from the relevant regulatory organization in the respective country. Authors must provide the approval number as a part of the manuscript submission.

AI Use Policy
While we recognize the rapid development of generative AI technologies, the use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek) for writing, expanding, or interpreting the content of a manuscript is not acceptable. However, authors may use AI tools for language editing purposes only (e.g., improving grammar and readability). If such tools are used, a declaration must be included at the end of the manuscript stating the tool used and its purpose. Manuscripts found to include AI-generated content beyond language editing will be returned to the authors without review.

Citations
Please note that all papers accepted for this journal are subject to originality checking. To avoid potential problems, please ensure that all citations are fully disclosed at the point of submission.

Proofs and Reprints
Electronic proofs will be sent to the corresponding author as a PDF file attached to an email. Authors need to correct them in three days failing which the MS will be published as it is. Page proofs are considered the final version of the manuscript, and no changes will be made to the manuscript at this stage, except for addressing typographical or minor clerical errors. Following publication, an electronic copy (PDF file) of the published article will be provided to the corresponding author.

Submission Requirements

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal must ensure that the work is original, has not been previously published, and is not currently under consideration elsewhere. All authors listed on the manuscript must approve the submission and agree with the content of the work. Manuscripts must comply with accepted ethical standards and adhere to the journal’s formatting and submission requirements.

All submissions should be prepared in clear, concise, and grammatically accurate English and submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). A cover letter explaining the scientific significance of the work and confirming the originality of the submission should accompany all manuscripts.

Preprint Policy

The journal supports the submission of manuscripts previously deposited on recognized preprint servers such as bioRxiv, medRxiv, arXiv, and Research Square. Authors must disclose preprint details during submission and provide the relevant DOI or URL where applicable. Following publication, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with the final published citation.

Graphical Abstracts

Graphical abstracts are encouraged for all submissions and may be mandatory for review articles and special issues. Graphical abstracts should clearly summarize the study workflow, experimental design, or principal findings in a concise and scientifically accurate visual format. Accepted file formats include TIFF, PNG, JPEG, EPS, and PDF, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and recommended dimensions of 1200 × 628 pixels. Excessive text should be avoided, and all labels and fonts should remain clearly readable.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to follow internationally recognized reporting standards appropriate to their study design. Randomized clinical trials should follow CONSORT guidelines, systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow PRISMA recommendations, observational studies should comply with STROBE guidelines, diagnostic accuracy studies should use STARD recommendations, and animal research should follow ARRIVE guidelines. The editorial office may request completed reporting checklists during the submission or review process.

Figures and Tables

Figures must be of high quality with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi and submitted in accepted formats such as TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or EPS. Figures should be numbered consecutively, and figure legends should be provided separately within the manuscript file.

Tables should be editable and must not be submitted as image files. Authors should avoid duplication of data between figures and tables and ensure that all tables are clearly labelled and appropriately formatted.

Peer Review Process and Plagiarism

Fast-Track Review and Publication

An optional fast-track review service is available for manuscripts of urgent scientific or public health importance. Under this process, manuscripts may receive an initial editorial assessment within 3–5 days, followed by expedited peer review and early online publication upon acceptance. Requests for fast-track processing must be justified at the time of submission and are subject to approval by the Editor-in-Chief. Additional processing charges may apply. Fast-track review does not guarantee manuscript acceptance.

Special Issues

The journal periodically publishes Special Issues dedicated to emerging and high-impact themes in microbiology and related disciplines. Researchers interested in proposing a Special Issue should provide a proposed title, scope and rationale, guest editor details, and a tentative contributor list. All Special Issue submissions are subject to the same rigorous peer review standards as regular submissions, and guest editors are not permitted to make final editorial decisions on their own manuscripts.

Open Access and Copyright

The journal follows an open-access publishing model to maximize the global accessibility and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Authors generally retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the necessary publishing rights under the applicable Creative Commons license . Upon acceptance, authors may be required to sign a licensing agreement as part of the publication process.

Submission Checklist

Before submission, authors should ensure that the manuscript complies fully with the journal’s requirements. This includes confirming that the manuscript follows formatting guidelines, title page, and main manuscript files are submitted separately, figures and tables are correctly labelled, references are properly formatted, ethical approval statements are included where required, conflict of interest disclosures and funding information are complete, the Data Availability Statement is included, and a cover letter accompanies the submission. Compliance with these requirements helps minimize editorial delays and facilitates efficient peer review and publication.

Contact Information

For submission-related queries and additional information, authors may contact the editorial office through the official communication channels:

Email: jam@hkbpublications.com

Email: arvinder@hkbpublications.com