Author Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Life Science must be prepared in accordance with the guidelines below. Submissions that do not conform to these requirements may be returned to authors prior to peer review.

General Formatting

• Manuscripts should be submitted as a single Microsoft Word (.docx) or PDF file.
• Use 12-point Times New Roman or a comparable serif font throughout the manuscript.
• Double-space all text, including references, figure legends, and tables.
• Number all pages consecutively, beginning with the title page.
• Include continuous line numbers in the left margin.
• Use SI units for all measurements. Define abbreviations at first mention in the text.

Word Limits by Article Type

Word limits refer to the main body text only and exclude the abstract, references, figure legends, and tables.

Article Type	Word Limit	Abstract	References
Original Research	5,000 words	250 words (structured)	Up to 60
Review Article	8,000 words	250 words (unstructured)	Up to 120
Short Communication	2,500 words	150 words (unstructured)	Up to 30
Case Report	3,000 words	200 words (structured)	Up to 40
Letter to the Editor	1,000 words	Not required	Up to 10

Manuscript Structure

Original Research articles should follow the IMRAD format:

1. Title Page — Title, all author names, affiliations, corresponding author details, ORCID iDs, and word count.
2. Abstract — Structured abstract with Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion subheadings.
3. Keywords — 3 to 6 keywords for indexing purposes.
4. Introduction — State the rationale and objectives of the study.
5. Materials and Methods — Provide sufficient detail for reproducibility.
6. Results — Present findings clearly, supported by figures and tables.
7. Discussion — Interpret results, compare with existing literature, and note limitations.
8. Acknowledgments — Recognize non-author contributors.
9. References — Formatted in Vancouver (numbered) style.

Reference Style

JLS uses the Vancouver (numbered) reference style. References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text and identified by superscript Arabic numerals. For example:

• Journal article: Smith AB, Jones CD, Williams EF. Title of the article. J Life Sci. 2024;11(2):145-158.
• Book: Author AA, Author BB. Title of Book. 3rd ed. City: Publisher; 2023.
• Online source: Author(s). Title [Internet]. Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: URL

Figure and Table Guidelines

Figures and tables are essential components of scientific communication. Please adhere to the following specifications to ensure high-quality reproduction.

Figures

• Submit figures as separate files in TIFF, PNG, or EPS format.
• Minimum resolution: 300 DPI for photographs and images; 600 DPI for line art and graphs.
• Maximum file size per figure: 10 MB.
• Use consistent font size (8-12 pt) in all labels and annotations.
• Color figures are published at no additional cost in the online edition.
• Composite figures should be labeled with uppercase letters (A, B, C, etc.).
• All figures must be cited in the text in consecutive order (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.).

Tables

• Tables should be created using the table function in your word processor — do not submit tables as images.
• Number tables consecutively with Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
• Each table must have a concise, descriptive title placed above the table.
• Use footnotes (indicated by superscript lowercase letters) rather than lengthy explanations in cells.
• Avoid excessive use of vertical lines; use horizontal rules to delineate the header, body, and footer.

Supplementary Materials

Authors may submit supplementary materials to support their primary manuscript. These materials are published online alongside the article and are freely accessible to readers.

Accepted File Types

• Data files: .csv, .xlsx, .xml, .json
• Additional figures/tables: .pdf, .png, .tiff
• Video/audio: .mp4, .avi, .wav (maximum 100 MB per file)
• Code and scripts: .py, .R, .m, .ipynb
• Other documents: .docx, .pdf, .txt

File Size and Formatting

• Individual supplementary files should not exceed 50 MB. For larger datasets, authors are encouraged to deposit data in a public repository (e.g., Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo) and provide the DOI or accession number in the manuscript.
• Supplementary materials should be cited in the main text (e.g., "Supplementary Table S1") and listed with a brief description.
• All supplementary files should be compiled into a single ZIP archive when multiple files are included.

Ethical Requirements

The Journal of Life Science is committed to upholding the highest standards of research ethics and integrity. All submitted manuscripts must comply with the ethical guidelines outlined below. Submissions that do not meet these requirements will not be considered for publication.

Human Subjects Research

All research involving human participants must have been approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee prior to the commencement of the study. Authors must include the name of the approving institution and the approval reference number in the Methods section of the manuscript.

• Informed consent: Written informed consent must be obtained from all participants (or their legal guardians for minors). For studies involving anonymized data or exempt categories, authors should provide a statement explaining why consent was not required.
• Research must conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Animal Research

Studies involving animal subjects must comply with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Authors are required to:

• Provide the IACUC or equivalent ethics committee approval number.
• Report experimental procedures in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments).
• Describe measures taken to minimize animal suffering, including anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints.

Clinical Trials

All clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, WHO ICTRP) prior to enrollment of the first participant. The registration number and registry name must be included at the end of the abstract and in the Methods section.

Conflicts of Interest and Funding

• All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the research.
• Funding sources must be fully disclosed, including grant numbers and the role of the funder in the study design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation.

Peer Review Process

The Journal of Life Science employs a rigorous single-blind peer review process, in which the identities of the reviewers are kept confidential while the authors' identities are known to reviewers.

Review Timeline

• Initial screening: Within 5 business days of submission, the Editor-in-Chief or a Section Editor will conduct an initial assessment of the manuscript for scope, quality, and adherence to formatting guidelines.
• Peer review: Each manuscript is evaluated by 2 to 3 independent reviewers with relevant subject matter expertise.
• First decision: Authors can expect a first decision within approximately 28 days of submission.
• Revision turnaround: Authors are granted 30 days for minor revisions and 60 days for major revisions.

Decision Categories

1. Accept — The manuscript is accepted for publication as submitted or with minor copyediting.
2. Minor Revision — Small changes are required; the revised manuscript may not require re-review.
3. Major Revision — Substantial changes are required; the revised manuscript will be returned to reviewers.
4. Reject — The manuscript is not suitable for publication in JLS. Authors are encouraged to address feedback and consider resubmission or submission to a more appropriate journal.

Revision and Resubmission

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors must include a detailed point-by-point response to each reviewer comment. Changes in the manuscript should be highlighted or tracked. Failure to adequately address reviewer concerns may result in rejection of the revised submission.

Copyright and Licensing

The Journal of Life Science publishes all articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license:

• Authors retain copyright to their published work.
• Anyone may share, copy, distribute, and adapt the material for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the source is cited.
• No additional permission is required from the authors or the journal for reuse, as long as the original work is properly attributed.

Author Rights

Under the CC BY 4.0 license, authors are free to:

• Post the published article on personal or institutional websites, preprint servers, and repositories.
• Distribute copies to colleagues for educational or research purposes.
• Include the article in a thesis or dissertation.
• Reuse figures, tables, and excerpts in subsequent publications (with proper citation).

Upon acceptance, authors will be asked to sign a License to Publish Agreement, which grants JLS the non-exclusive right to publish and distribute the article while the author retains full copyright.

Template Download

To assist authors in preparing their manuscripts, we provide a downloadable template that conforms to all formatting requirements outlined in these guidelines.

Download Manuscript Template (.docx)

The template includes pre-formatted styles for headings, body text, references, figure legends, and tables. Using the template is strongly recommended to expedite the review process.