The Biomedical Commons: Information for Authors

I. Journal Mission and Identity

The Biomedical Commons is a peer-reviewed biomedical journal dedicated to advancing public trust in science. Our foundational philosophy is to translate complex scientific discovery from bench to bedside to community. We seek to publish papers that are influential in their fields and substantially advance scientific understanding, while remaining accessible to the general public without compromising academic rigor. The journal adheres to the publishing standards set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

II. Editorial Independence & Open Access

To ensure absolute scientific integrity and protect against predatory publishing practices, our double-blind peer-review process is completely decoupled from financial transactions. Every article is published Gold Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors keep their copyright.

• Gold Open Access: Authors pay an Article Processing Charge (APC), billed only after acceptance, and their research is immediately and freely available to the global public.
• Fee Support: Open access fee support (scholarships and grants) for students, early-career researchers, and unfunded researchers is in development. If cost is a barrier, contact the editorial office. Fee support requests are handled separately from peer review.

III. The “Commons Summary” (Mandatory Requirement)

To bridge the gap between complex research and public understanding, all submissions must include a “Commons Summary.”

• Length & Level: Maximum 250 words, written at an 8th-grade reading level.
• Content: Must clearly translate the findings in plain language and explicitly highlight the practical impact (the “so what?”) for patients, caregivers, and policymakers.
• Support: Authors may request mentorship from our Emerging Leaders Circle fellows to refine this summary prior to final publication.

IV. Categories of Manuscripts

Authors must select the appropriate track for their submission. Submissions are organized by their systemic impact rather than strictly by methodology.

1. The Bench (Foundational & Preclinical Science)

This track encompasses primary discovery and the mechanistic foundations of human health. It serves as the bedrock for future clinical applications, bridging traditional wet labs with modern computational environments.

Appropriate methodologies and topics include:

• Molecular, cellular, and structural biology.
• Genomics, proteomics, and multi-omics approaches.
• In-vitro studies and in-vivo preclinical animal models.
• Computational biology, bioinformatics, and AI-driven in-silico modeling.
• Biomaterials, tissue engineering, and early-stage pharmacological drug discovery.

Parameters: Maximum 4,000 words (main text), plus an abstract and the mandatory Commons Summary. Up to 5 display items (figures/tables) and a maximum of 40 references. Submissions should follow appropriate reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT for randomized trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews). Methods must provide sufficient detail to allow replication.

2. The Bedside (Applied Clinical & Translational Science)

This track bridges foundational laboratory research and direct human application. It encompasses applied research that directly impacts patient care, diagnostics, clinical systems, and human behavior.

Appropriate methodologies and topics for this track include:

• Translational clinical trials and quasi-experimental study designs.
• Psychometric tool development and validation research.
• In-depth case studies, case series, and specialized clinical reporting.
• Behavioral health research, neuropsychology, and psychophysiological studies.
• Health services research, including pilot care models and quality improvement methodologies.
• Implementation science and therapeutic adherence evaluations.
• Diagnostic accuracy studies and human-computer interaction in clinical environments.

Parameters: The maximum word count is 3,500 words for the main text. Authors may include up to 4 display items and 30 references. Papers should include a discussion of relevant epidemiology, medical or behavioral interventions, and the physical or psychosocial issues confronted by patients and caregivers.

3. The Community (Population Health & Systemic Impact)

This track examines health at the macro level, focusing on populations, systems, and environments. It recognizes that biomedical outcomes extend far beyond the hospital walls and into the spaces where people live, work, and learn.

Appropriate methodologies and topics include:

• Epidemiology, biostatistics, and large-scale public health surveillance.
• Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and qualitative lived-experience studies.
• Environmental health, occupational health, and planetary health sciences.
• Health economics, policy implementation, and systemic healthcare access studies.
• Research addressing health disparities, social determinants of health, and health equity.
• Science communication, health literacy, and public health education interventions.

Parameters: Maximum 4,000 words (main text). Up to 4 display items. Research must clearly articulate the community impact and any policy implications. Qualitative studies should follow the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR).

1. Perspectives (Policy, Ethics, & Societal Analysis)

This track provides a rigorous forum for exploring the systemic forces that shape biomedical research and its application. It goes beyond opinion, offering structured, evidence-based arguments on critical issues.

Appropriate topics include:

• Bioethics and regulatory analysis.
• Critical reviews of health legislation (e.g., impacts of HR1).
• Historical historiographies of scientific breakthroughs or failures.
• Evidence-based commentaries on the intersection of science, culture, and society.

Parameters: 1,500 to 2,500 words. Up to 2 display items and 15 references.

Guidelines: These pieces must present well-reasoned, novel analyses. While they may be persuasive, arguments must be anchored in cited evidence rather than unstructured opinion.

2. Commons Explainers (Translational Syntheses)

This track is designed to rapidly upskill the multidisciplinary biomedical community on fast-moving, highly specialized fields. These are not traditional, exhaustive literature reviews, but highly accessible “state of the science” blueprints.

Appropriate topics include:

• Demystifying emerging technologies (e.g., AI diagnostic tools, CRISPR applications).
• Synthesizing shifting consensus in specialized fields for a generalist audience.
• Future trajectories of specific methodologies or research.

Parameters: Maximum 3,000 words. Up to 3 display items.

Guidelines: Must be authoritative and insightful. The primary objective is to ensure that a complex, rapidly evolving sub-specialty is entirely accessible and comprehensible to professionals working outside that immediate discipline.

3. Emerging Innovation Track (Incubator & Proof of Concept)

Designed specifically to democratize the publication pipeline, this track acts as a rapid-response incubator for next-generation research and early-stage ideas.

Appropriate submissions include:

• Robust pilot studies.
• Rapid data sprints.
• Early proof-of-concept models.
• Rigorous student-led research (including supervised high school cohorts and doctoral candidates).

Parameters: Maximum 1,500 words. Up to 2 display items.

Guidelines: Submissions undergo standard peer review but are evaluated uniquely on the merit of their innovation, creativity, and proof-of-concept validity, rather than longitudinal scale or massive sample sizes.

V. Manuscript Preparation & Formatting

Manuscripts must undergo a double-blind peer review and strict plagiarism screening prior to acceptance.

• General Formatting: Submit as a Microsoft Word document (.docx). Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced throughout.
• Line Numbering: You must apply continuous line numbering to the entire manuscript for peer-review reference.
• Anonymity: Do not include author names, credentials, or facility names in the body of the manuscript. All identifying information must be contained strictly in a separate Cover Letter.
• Style: All citations and references must follow APA formatting. References should generally be published within the past 5 years unless citing seminal historical works. Primary sources must be used whenever possible.
• Translational Structure: Utilize active voice, short sentences, and strict heading hierarchies (H1, H2, H3) to ensure the text is easily skimmable.
• Reporting Sex- and Gender-Based Analyses: Authors should address the sex and/or gender dimensions of their research. Explicitly state what definitions of sex and/or gender are being applied to enhance precision and avoid ambiguity (e.g., differentiating between sex assigned at birth and gender identity).

VI. Accessibility Standards for Graphics

Visual translation of data is critical to our mission.

• All submitted graphics, charts, and figures must be colorblind-accessible.
• Utilize clear, distinct labels rather than embedding text directly into images.
• Descriptive alt-text must be provided for every visual element.
• Submit high-resolution (at least 300 dpi) files. Diagrams should be scalable vector graphics (.ai, .eps, .svg, vector .pdf). Photographic images should be separate high-resolution (300 dpi, RGB) .jpg or .tif files. Do not embed images in the Word document.

VII. Submission Process, Timeline, & Ethical Policies

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) portal.

• Review Timeline & Track Reassignment: We are committed to a rapid and transparent review process, striving for a 30-day time to notification for initial decisions. While our flagship journal publishes quarterly, we evaluate and accept manuscripts on a rolling monthly basis. If your submission is scientifically sound but does not fit the track you initially selected, our editorial team will work collaboratively with you to reassign it to the most appropriate track.
• Cover Letter: Must include a statement that none of the material has been published or is under consideration elsewhere, disclosure of funding sources, and confirmation of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for human/animal studies.
• Authorship: We adhere to the guidelines on authorship established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy: Authors must disclose whether they used AI-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models) in the production of the work. AI cannot be listed as an author, and human authors are entirely responsible for the accuracy and originality of the submitted material.
• Anonymity & Patient Cases: Any case studies must protect patient anonymity. Written consent from the patient/family must be obtained for real cases, or the author must explicitly state if a case is a composite.

VIII. Article Processing Charges (Open Access Track)

For authors electing the Gold Open Access route, our tiered APC structure sustains our open-source infrastructure:

• Flagship Quarterly: $1,000 APC for robust, thematic research publications.
• Fast-Track Monthly: $300 APC for time-sensitive data, smaller pilot studies, and clinical updates.
• Micro-Publications: $50 fee for validated opinion pieces or brief research summaries.

IX. Post-Publication Dissemination & Citation Impact

True to our mission of translating science from bench to bedside to community, publication in The Biomedical Commons is only the first step. Accepted articles are actively integrated into our multi-channel dissemination strategy. Your work, particularly the mandatory Commons Summary, will be adapted into high-impact social media posts, newsletters, and digital content. This proactive marketing approach is designed to maximize public reach, drive community engagement, and significantly increase your academic citations.