Types of Publications

The Main Article Types

Research Article

These report on original research. Research articles should include an Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion or Concluding Remarks. Please see guidelines for reporting and data-sharing/availability standards. Research Articles must undergo peer review.

Review

These review existing literature within a field of study. Authors should give an overview of the topic, cite recent important studies, and synthesize (not just summarize) the reviewed literature by identifying current gaps or problems. Reviews should be critical and constructive, offering recommendations for future research. No new, previously unpublished data should be presented.

The structure may include an Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, relevant sections, Future Directions (optional), and Conclusion or Concluding Remarks. All review articles must undergo peer review.

Subtypes of Review:

Systematic Review

Systematic reviews (also known as structured reviews or meta-analyses) are robust, reproducible, and structured critical syntheses of existing research. They use defined search parameters and methods to analyze data. Systematic reviews may assess effectiveness, cost, prevalence, risk, or diagnostic accuracy. Authors should follow existing guidelines for conducting systematic reviews.

Scoping Review

Scoping reviews determine the scope or coverage of literature on a topic and are useful for examining emerging evidence when specific questions are still unclear. Authors should follow the PRISMA Scoping Review checklist (PRISMA) and are encouraged to register protocols in public registries such as the Open Science Framework. A statement on following PRISMA should be included in the Methods section.

Mini Review

Mini reviews offer a concise overview of existing literature, identifying current gaps and making recommendations for future research. They should have a minimum of 2500 words and include at least one figure, table, or graphic. The structure is similar to full-length reviews.

Mapping Review

Mapping reviews are similar to scoping reviews but differ in purpose and approach. They may lead to further review or primary research and are considered “question-based rather than topic-based.” Authors may structure these like systematic and scoping reviews and should follow PRISMA guidelines.

Narrative Review

Narrative reviews provide a summary of a topic along with author interpretation. They differ from systematic reviews by not using predefined methods for identifying and analyzing studies. Most mini-reviews are considered narrative reviews. For more details, see Sukhera (2022).

Exploratory Report

Exploratory reports do not follow the standard empirical hypothesis-testing format. Instead, they focus on pattern-finding, parameter estimation, hypothesis generation, or methodology. They may describe phenomena, perform exploratory data analysis, or develop methods. Authors should structure these reports like original or review articles. Peer review is required.

Opinion / Editorial / Essay

Editorials express the author's viewpoint on research, topics, or findings. They should consider counterarguments and be fair in tone. These pieces may be structured like narrative reviews but focus more on the author’s opinion. Short essays about urgent developments in policy, medicine, ethics, or global events may also be published as opinion/editorial pieces.

Unlike many journals, Biology & Molecular Medicine encourages submissions of opinion pieces from students and early-career researchers. These are reviewed by an editor but are not peer-reviewed. This leads to faster publication and a great opportunity for new authors.

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the editor are short communications that address issues of interest, re-analyze published results, or briefly report new findings. Like opinion pieces, they are not peer-reviewed and are a good fit for students and early-career researchers.