SLAS Journals Manuscript Category Descriptions and Examples

Manuscript Types:

  • Review
  • Perspective
  • Original Research
  • Protocols (New)
  • Technical Brief
  • Application Note
  • Commentary/Auto-Commentary
  • Editorial
  • Letter to the Editor

For all manuscript types, please include:

  • A short title of up to 45 characters
  • Keywords
  • All author names, academic degrees, affiliations
  • Corresponding author’s name, complete street mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address
  • Optional: graphical abstract (a single, concise, visual summary of the main findings of the article, capturing the content of the article for readers at a single glance); This may be the concluding figure from the article or a figure that is specially designed for the purpose
  • Optional: supplemental text, tables, figures, charts, graphs, data, references, movies, etc.

All submitted manuscripts:

  • should ideally be under 7,000 words, include seven or fewer tables and figures combined, and have <50 references (this is a guideline only, increases to these numbers are at the discretion of the editor; editorials, reviews, perspectives excluded); and
  • will be peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

Review Articles provide an authoritative overview of the results of many different reports on a particular topic into a coherent narrative about the state of the art in that field. Reviews provide information about the topic and at least 100 journal references to the original research. Reviews may be entirely narrative or may provide quantitative summary estimates. The final section should be titled either Summary or Conclusions. Reviews are a minimum of 2,000 words with no maximum word limit.

All review articles should contain the following sections:

  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Summary / Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements (if applicable)
  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References

Perspectives are based upon the experience of the author, and is exploratory of a topic of general interest to the community. They may support the editorial theme of a special issue or profile a unique or otherwise pertinent technology, person or company. They vary in length and may be invited by the editors or submitted without invitation.

All perspective articles should contain the following sections:

  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Summary / Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements (if applicable)
  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References

Original Research articles must include a full introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections. Authors are encouraged to restrict figures and tables to essential data that cannot be described in the text and prudently place ancillary information in a Supplement.

All original research articles should contain the following sections:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgements (if applicable)
  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References

Protocols present detailed research methods that have been previously used and published in peer reviewed journals. Protocols must include an introduction, a list of all essential materials, a numbered list of direct experimental instructions, anticipated results, and citations of one or more papers where the method has been used. Please use this template when submitting your paper to avoid automatic revision requests before the paper can proceed through the peer review process.

Technical Briefs include practical descriptions of an innovative new process, technique, instrumentation, device or software containing technical content of interest but does not contain the same level of data or existing comparisons to justify publication as original research.

All Technical Briefs should contain the following sections:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results and Discussion
  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References

Application Notes are recommended for the presentation of data on new instruments, software packages (excluding commercial information) or disclosure of new applications of established technologies (e.g. new assay for a target where the format described has been published for another target previously unless this extension is not obvious). Results and Discussion sections should be combined into one section. [EXAMPLE]

All Application Notes should contain the following sections:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results and Discussion
  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References

Editorial Article Types

SLAS journals also invite the submission of editorial article types. These are scientific opinion articles adding to the discussion on a recent research topic or article.

All editorial articles must contain the following sections:

  • Declaration of Conflicting Interests
  • Funding (if applicable)
  • References (if applicable)

Commentary/Auto-Commentary is a comment on a newly published article. The goal of publishing commentaries is to advance the research field by providing a forum for varying perspectives on a certain topic and present a new and/or unique viewpoint on existing problems, fundamental concepts, or prevalent notions or implications of a new innovation. A commentary may draw attention to current advances, speculate on future directions of a certain topic, include original data and state a personal opinion. Commentaries are typically about 1,000-1,500 words and include up to 15 references.

Editorial is a short opinion piece that discusses an issue of immediate importance to the research community. Editorials may be invited by the editors or submitted without invitation.

Letter to the Editor is a comment on published articles. Letters should not exceed three double-spaced manuscript pages. Please include a brief title succinctly stating the topic of your letter. Letters to the editor are screened, but also may be peer-reviewed or subjected to rebuttal by the authors of the initial article.

For more examples, browse published manuscripts at SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology.