Publish

We are going fully open access!

All articles of the first fully open access issue will be completely free of charge. Better hurry! Otherwise our very fair publication charge of 200€ in total for one article will apply.

Why publish with us?

• Rapid publication process: 4 weeks average time from submission to publication. With our lean and agile startup organisational structures, we can minimize bureaucracy and guarantee a fast and reliable review and publication process. In the future we will publish monthly issues.
• Fair and transparent open access publication fees: 200€ (limited offer: no charges until August 2019) per article. Comparable journals often ask for more than 2000€.
• No predatory journal. German based, honest and high quality, renowned peer reviewed journal. We are located in the innovative and fast paced German Rhein-Main region, a major scientific and economic hub in Europe.
• Listed in the German National Library with international ISSN and google scholar. Every article will get its own DOI, so permanent access on web is guaranteed. We work with a partner, having multiple backup servers for your journal files and can therefore guarantee a save, reliable and permanent visibility online.
• We provide thourough artcile preparation guidelines. In case you use a different citation and referencing method, you can still submit your article. Every common citation and referencing method is accepted, as long as it is consistent.
• Great board of renowned scientific editors and incredibly diligent associated editors and proofreaders.
• Founders, former Ph.D. students, who understand and aim to change the troubles and major problems of scientific publishing. In a fast paced world, where major scientific findings come and get outdated again quickly, we need to speed up the publishing process, while still providing throrough review and high quality output.

Aims and Scope

Contribute to the body of knowledge by submitting your research in the rapidly growing discipline of translational medicine! Our journal features the latest news and discoveries in this highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary field.

Often referred to as a „bench to bedside“ approach, transferring basic scientifical knowledge from laboratories and models to actual clinical practice, the term „translational medicine“ has yet to be uniformly defined.

A broad definition by Barry S. Coller from the Rockefeller University, NY defines translational medicine as:

„The application of the scientific method to address a health need.”

The term of Translational Medicine was first introduced in 1990s, though only starting to gain momentum in the 2000s. It originally described a medical area based on the „bench to bedside“ concept, primarily aiming to eliminate the barriers between basic research and clinical practice. In recent years important developments in computer science, material science, mechanical engineering and manufacturing widened the field.

„Translational Medicine is a bi-directional concept“

One important characteristic of Translational Medicine is its bidrectional character. This means, not only is it transferring knowledge from research to clinical practice, but is also providing helpful feedback about the application. Therefore, it is offering basic research excellent ideas and suggestions to further improve methods and verify models.

Research areas include:

• Biomaterials in Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Cancer microenvironment
• Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Lipoprotein Translation
• Cell, tissue and gene therapy
• Clinical translation
• Combination strategies
• Computational modelling and Epidemiology
• Data- driven clinical decision processes
• Disease biomarkers
• Illnesses of Unknown Etiology
• Immunobiology and immunotherapy Immunovirology
• Medical Bioinformatics
• Neuroscience
• Nutrition & metabolism
• Pain, Critical Care and Anesthesia
• Patient-targeted molecular therapies
• Personalized medicine
• Translational Imaging
• Translational hematology

Publication Charges

There are no submission or publishing fees for research papers which are contributed to the restricted, submission based part of the journal. Preparation and publication costs are fully covered by the recurring subscirption fees of interested parties. There are no costs for authors.

In case you want your research to be published with the Open Access option, charges apply. Open Access provides free and immediate online access to the scholarly literature for anyone in the world to read, distribute and reuse. Frontiers, as an Open Access publisher, offsets all the costs associated with our high-quality publishing service through Article Processing Charges (APCs): articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to authors, institutions or funders.

The Article Process Charge for all types of research papers (including original research and review papers) is 200€ (limited offer: no charges until August 2019). This amount is only due AFTER you article has been accepted for publication.

Fee Support for Authors

Frontiers is committed to help researchers overcome any financial barriers to publication. In cases where authors do not have the means to pay the APCs but wish to publish an Open Access Article, they can apply for full or partial waivers. Please email the editor with your reason and documents proving your situation and allow up to two weeks for Frontiers to review and reply to your request.

IMPORTANT: Authors wishing to apply for a waiver must do so before, or immediately after, their manuscript is submitted to avoid delays in the event that your article is accepted. Decisions to accept articles are made by external editors solely based on objective review criteria, and information about waiver applications are not disclosed to the editors or reviewers.

Article Types

Original Research

Original Research articles report on primary and unpublished studies and should describe the aims and hypothesis, methods, results and interpretation of the research. Original Research articles may also encompass confirming studies, as well as disconfirming results which allow hypothesis elimination, reformulation and/or report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Articles should include the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion.
Original Research Articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Systematic Review

Systematic Review presents a synthesis of previous research on a given topic that uses systematic and clearly defined methods to identify, categorize, analyze and report aggregated evidence on a specific topic. Included in this article type are meta-synthesis, meta-analysis, systematic review, and systematic review with a meta-analysis.
The Systematic Review must address a substantive question important in the field and must be based on the sound empirical basis of studies which were conducted well scientifically. In addition, please clearly define the research question in terms of population, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study designs (PICOS). For design and reporting, conform to the reporting guidelines in your field (e.g., PRISMA, Cochrane, Campbell) and state which reporting guidelines were used in the study. If applicable, include the PRISMA flow diagram as part of your submission. Include funding information; if no specific funding to carry out the research, please state so.
Systematic Review Articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Methods

Methods articles present either a new or established method, protocol, or technique that is of significant interest in the field. Method articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction (outlining the protocol and its possible applications), 3) Materials and Equipment (including a list of reagents/ materials and/or equipment required; formulation of any solutions where applicable), 4) Methods (including objectives and validation of the method; step-by-step procedures; timing of each step or related series of steps; pause points; example(s) of application and effectiveness; details of precision/ accuracy and limits of detection or quantification, where applicable) , 5) (Anticipated) Results (describing and illustrating with figures, where possible, the expected outcome of the protocol; advantages, limitations, possible pitfalls and artifacts and any troubleshooting measures to counteract them), 6) Discussion. Any analytical methods applied to the data generated by the protocol must be referenced or described. Results must be replicable. Methods articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Review

Review articles cover topics that have seen significant development or progress in recent years with comprehensive depth, and provide a balanced perspective. Reviews should present a complete overview of the state of the art (and should not merely summarize the literature), as well as discuss the following: different school of thoughts or controversies; fundamental concepts, issues, and problems; current research gaps; potential future developments in the field.
Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected in review or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content. Review Articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Mini Review

Mini Review articles cover focused aspects of a current area of investigation and its recent developments. They offer a succinct and clear summary of the topic, allowing readers to get up-to-date on new developments and/or emerging concepts, as well as discuss the following: – different school of thoughts or controversies; – current research gaps; – potential future developments in the field.
Mini Reviews must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content. Mini Reviews are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables.

Hypothesis and Theory

Hypothesis and Theory articles present a novel argument, interpretation or model intended to introduce a new hypothesis or theory. They should provide the following:
– new interpretation of recent data or findings in a specific area of investigation;
– accurate presentation of previously posed hypotheses or theories;
– hypothesis presented should be testable in the framework of current knowledge;
– may include original data as well as personal insights and opinions.
Hypothesis and Theory Articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Perspective

Perspective articles present a viewpoint on a specific area of investigation and discuss current advances and future directions. They should provide the following:
– discuss current advances and future directions;
– clear presentation of the authors’ perspective;
– accurate presentation and citations of other authors’ work;
– may include original data as well as personal insights and opinions.
Perspectives are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables.

Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial articles describe the results of interventional studies related to health. Such studies include pilot studies, safety and efficacy trials, surrogate endpoint studies, and proof-of concept studies. Articles should include the following sections:
– Structured abstract (please include the clinical trial registry number); – Introduction; – Materials and Methods (including flow diagram when applicable, for example the CONSORT FLOW DIAGRAM); – Results; – Discussion.
All clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry to be considered for publication, and authors are strongly encouraged to adhere to the CONSORT reporting standards. Clinical Trial Articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables.

Case Report

Case Report articles are a descriptive account of human or animal patients that present with an unexpected/rare diagnosis, treatment outcome, or clinical course. Only case reports that significantly advance the field will be considered. Case Reports should include the following:
– background;
– case presentation: for human patients: age, sex and occupation of the patient, presenting symptoms, the patient’s history and any relevant family or social history, and relevant clinical findings; for animal patients: age, sex, and breed of the animal, presenting problems, the animal’s history, and relevant clinical findings;
– description of laboratory investigations and diagnostic tests;
– discussion of the underlying pathophysiology and the novelty or significance of the case.
Authors are required to obtain written informed consent from the patients (or their legal representatives) for the publication. Case Reports have a maximum word count of 3,000, with a maximum of 4 display items (figures, tables, or videos).

Brief Research Report

Brief Research Report articles present original research and/or preliminary findings in a more succinct way, and with fewer details, than Original Research articles. Additionally, in line with the Frontiers ethos of publishing scientifically-sound discoveries, Brief Research Reports also encourage submission of negative results and may report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Brief Research Report articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Method, 4) Results, 5) Discussion. Brief Research Reports articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 4,000 and may include up to 4 Figures/Tables. Supplementary material may be included with Brief Research Reports.

General Commentary

Commentaries call attention to a scholarly paper of particular note or provide critical comments on a previous publication – either published in Frontiers or in another journal. They have a maximum word count of 1,000, may include no more than 1 Figure/Table and the title has to be as follows: “Commentary: Title of the original article”. General Commentaries are peer-reviewed and should be properly substantiated, with typically at least five references. They should not contain unpublished or original data.

Opinion

Opinion articles allow authors to contribute viewpoints on the interpretation of recent findings in any research area, value of methods used, weaknesses and strengths of any scientific hypotheses, and adhere to the following requirements: must not contain unpublished or original data, must be supported by evidence, must be fully referenced, must encourage constructive discussion, must refrain from emotionally-charged argumentation.
Opinion articles are peer-reviewed and have a maximum word count of 2,000 and may contain no more than 1 Figure/Table. .

Correction

Corrigendum/Addendum: should authors notice errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a correction online. The correction must detail the reason(s) for and location(s) of the error(s) within the manuscript and the correct information. All authors of the original paper need to agree to the request for changes. The contribution to the field statement should be used to clearly state the reason for the Correction. Depending on the extent of the correction required, corrections may require peer review. Authors are informed that requests for changes beyond that described here may not be accepted for publication. Erratum: should authors notice differences between their approved galley proofs and the final published article, thus leading to errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a request for erratum to the Frontiers Production Office (production.office@frontiersin.org), clearly specifying the error and the correct information.

Editorial

Editorials are submitted exclusively by the host editor(s) of a Frontiers Research Topic, to convey to the reader the aims and objectives of the research that pertains to the topic, as well as placing it in a broader context. The Editorial should present the contributing articles of the Research Topic but should not be a mere table of content. As the final contributing article to the Research Topic, Editorials should be submitted once all expected articles have been accepted and published. Editorials have a word count of 1,000 for Topics with 5-10 articles. The word limit can be increased for each additional article in the Topic, up to a maximum of 5,000 words for 50 articles or more. Editorials should not include unpublished or original data, nor figures, and the inclusion of references is strongly encouraged. Submissions have to carry the title Editorial: „Title of Research Topic“. Topic editors are not required to pay a fee to publish an Editorial.

Specialty Grand Challenge

Specialty Grand Challenges are written by Specialty Chief Editors about their vision of the current challenges in their field of research. Specialty Grand Challenges expose the major issues and expected developments in the field for the 21st century and help the readers to understand the scope of their specialty. Specialty Chief Editors are not required to pay a fee to publish a Specialty Grand Challenge Article.

Addendum

Addenda are additions to papers that provide the necessary information for correct scientific interpretation of the data or to ensure experimental reproducibility. Addendum is only applicable to article types containing primary research data. The addendum itself must not contain new data. Authors are requested to submit a request for addendum to the journal online. Authors are informed that requests for additions beyond what has been described here may not be accepted for publication. Authors are not required to pay a fee to publish an addendum.

Technology and Code

Technology & Code articles present new technology, code and/or software or a new application of a known technology or software. This article type aims to open new avenues for theoretical and experimental investigation, data analysis or data reduction within the field of study. Technology & Code articles can also feature studies that implement existing algorithms under novel settings. Technology & Code articles related to innovative software solutions and/or design should be novel, presented in a well-documented, human-readable format and should be placed online in a repository, with an associated DOI/URI for retrieval. To better support the code documentation, authors can also upload a metadata file in different formats (i.e. JSON-LD, Microdata, RDFa) that incorporates all the relevant information. Authors can refer to the schema.org vocabulary, and to the SoftwareApplication/SoftwareSourceCode and Dataset related specifications. Technology & Code articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Method (including any code description), 4) Results (including examples of use and limitations), 5) Discussion (including scalability and limitations). The following information must also be included: project link (e.g. sourseforge, github), operating system (e.g. Windows, Linux, platform independent), programming language (e.g. Python), any restrictions for non-academic use (e.g. licence needed). Technology & Code articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish Technology & Code article.

Study Protocol

Study Protocol articles document the design of prospective research. The Study Protocol is intended to facilitate dissemination of ongoing studies and promote transparency. Study Protocol articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract (please include the clinical trial registry number for clinical studies), 2) Introduction, 3) Methods and Analysis (including design; selection/treatment of subjects; interventional methods; data analysis), 4) Discussion, 5) Ethics and Dissemination. For clinical studies, registration in a public clinical trial registry is mandatory prior to the submission of the manuscript and the authors are strongly encouraged to follow the SPIRIT guidelines (http://www.spirit-statement.org/) and checklist. Study Protocols are not considered if other articles relating to the study are already published or in review, if it reports any research data from the study, or for any pilot or feasibility study. Study Protocol articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may include up to 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Study Protocol article.

Preparing your Paper

General

Manuscripts must be submitted via e-mail to the editor (editor[at]frontiersmed.com) and must be formatted as word files. The following sections guide you through the manuscript preparation process.

Research Articles have a recommended length of 8-12 published pages, referees will be asked to comment specifically on the manuscript length for manuscripts exceeding this limit. Letters should not exceed four journal pages and about 10 citations. Review articles will normally not be longer than 12 to 15 journal pages.Authors can estimate the length of their manuscript using the following conversion: 1 page text contains approx. 4300 characters (750 words) or 6-8 figures.

Title Page

The title page should include:

• The name(s) of the author(s)
• A concise and informative title
• The affiliation(s) and address(es) of the author(s)
• The e-mail address, and telephone number(s) of the corresponding author
• If available, the 16-digit ORCID of the author(s)
• abstract

Abstract

Please provide an abstract of 150 to 250 words. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references.

Text

Manuscripts should be submitted in Word. Please use the above word template.

• Use a normal, plain font (e.g., 10-point Times Roman) for text.
• Use italics for emphasis.
• Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages.
• Do not use field functions.
• Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.
• Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables.
• Use the equation editor or MathType for equations.
• Save your file in docx format (Word 2007 or higher) or doc format (older Word versions).

Headings

Please use the decimal system of headings with no more than three levels.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.

Footnotes

Footnotes can be used to give additional information, which may include the citation of a reference included in the reference list. They should not consist solely of a reference citation, and they should never include the bibliographic details of a reference. They should also not contain any figures or tables. Footnotes to the text are numbered consecutively; those to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data). Footnotes to the title or the authors of the article are not given reference symbols. Always use footnotes instead of endnotes.

Acknowledgments and Funding Information

Acknowledgments of people, grants, funds, etc. should be placed in a separate section on the title page. The names of funding organizations should be written in full. In addition, please provide the funding information in a separate step of the submission process in the peer review system. Funder names should preferably be selected from the standardized list you will see during submission. If the funding institution you need is not listed, it can be entered as free text. Funding information will be published as searchable metadata for the accepted article, whereas acknowledgements are published within the paper.

References

Citation

Cite references in the text by name and year in parentheses. Some examples:

• Negotiation research spans many disciplines (Thompson 1990).
• This result was later contradicted by Becker and Seligman (1996).
• This effect has been widely studied (Abbott 1991; Barakat et al. 1995a, b; Kelso and Smith 1998; Medvec et al. 1999, 2000).

Reference list

The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list.Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work. Order multi-author publications of the same first author alphabetically with respect to second, third, etc. author. Publications of exactly the same author(s) must be ordered chronologically.

• Journal article: Gamelin FX, Baquet G, Berthoin S, Thevenet D, Nourry C, Nottin S, Bosquet L (2009) Effect of high intensity intermittent training on heart rate variability in prepubescent children. Eur J Appl Physiol 105:731-738. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0955-8 Ideally, the names of all authors should be provided, but the usage of “et al” in long author lists will also be accepted:Smith J, Jones M Jr, Houghton L et al (1999) Future of health insurance. N Engl J Med 965:325–329
• Article by DOI: Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol Med. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001090000086
• Book: South J, Blass B (2001) The future of modern genomics. Blackwell, London
• Book chapter: Brown B, Aaron M (2001) The politics of nature. In: Smith J (ed) The rise of modern genomics, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 230-257
• Online document: Cartwright J (2007) Big stars have weather too. IOP Publishing PhysicsWeb. http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/11/6/16/1. Accessed 26 June 2007
• Dissertation: Trent JW (1975) Experimental acute renal failure. Dissertation, University of California

Tables and Grafics

Tables

• All tables are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.
• Tables should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.
• For each table, please supply a table caption (title) explaining the components of the table.
• Identify any previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference at the end of the table caption.
• Footnotes to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data) and included beneath the table body.

Electronic Figure Submission

• Supply all figures and tables only within the document and embed them into the text at the desired place.
• Please do not send any additional figures unless it is compellingly necessary.

Figure Numbering

• All figures are to be numbered using Arabic numerals.
• Figures should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical order.
• Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.).
• If an appendix appears in your article and it contains one or more figures, continue the consecutive numbering of the main text. Do not number the appendix figures,“A1, A2, A3, etc.“ Figures in online appendices (Electronic Supplementary Material) should, however, be numbered separately.

Figure Captions

• Each figure should have a concise caption describing accurately what the figure depicts. Include the captions in the text file of the manuscript, not in the figure file.
• Figure captions begin with the term Fig. in bold type, followed by the figure number, also in bold type.
• No punctuation is to be included after the number, nor is any punctuation to be placed at the end of the caption.
• Identify all elements found in the figure in the figure caption; and use boxes, circles, etc., as coordinate points in graphs.
• Identify previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference citation at the end of the figure caption.

Submission and Timeline

Submission must be done by sending the manuscript to the editor (editor[at]frontiersmed.com). You will receive an e-mail confirming your submission. This e-mail also contains further information about the review process and an approximate publication time. The average time from submission to publication is 1 month.

Peer Review

• Reviews are standardized, rigorous, fair, constructive, efficient and transparent;
• Two review phases: an independent review phase and an interactive, collaborative phase;
• Reviewers and the handling editor are acknowledged on published articles;
• Average time to final decision: 20 days.

• Independent Review
  During the Independent Review phase, the reviewers assess the manuscript independently from each other and from the authors, according to a standardized review template. These templates are adapted to each article type.
• Interactive Review
  During the Interactive Review phase, authors and reviewers can interact with each other through real-time comments in the discussion forum. The Associate Editor and, if required, the Specialty Chief Editor can also enter the Review Forum and oversee the review process.