Peer-review is the system used to assess the quality of a manuscript before it is published. Independent researchers in the relevant research area assess submitted manuscripts for originality, validity and significance to help editors determine whether the manuscript should be published in their journal. You can read more about the peer-review process here.
Genome Biology operates a transparent peer review system, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Reviews and author point-by-point responses to reviews are included as an additional file with the published manuscript, although reviewer identities are not disclosed.
Genome Biology considers articles that are scientifically valid and a useful contribution to the field. Articles must also be of interest to a broad readership of biologists and/or represent an exceptional advance within a specific field. Manuscripts are initially assessed by our experienced team of in-house editors, and those that are deemed of interest are sent for peer review. Peer reviewers primarily assess the scientific content and coherence of articles, but are also asked to comment on interest levels and advance.
Manuscripts submitted to Genome Biology are assessed by our experienced in-house editorial team, who make all decisions based on an extensive and rigorous peer review process by academic experts. Editorial Board Members may provide advice on manuscripts submitted but are not involved in the final decisions. The overall editorial responsibility for the journal is with the Chief Editor.
Transferred manuscripts
A manuscript submitted to Genome Biology might not meet the expectations for publication, but could be well-suited for another at Springer Nature. To help authors publish their work quickly, we offer a transfer service between our journals. Please note that if a manuscript you reviewed is transferred by the authors to another journal, your identity and report will also be transferred, where it will be assessed by the in-house editorial team. If you are asked to review a revised version of the manuscript post-transfer, we ask that you do your best to adapt your expectations to the standards of the new journal in relation to perceived significance and interest.
Portable peer review policy
To improve the efficiency of peer review we are open to considering manuscripts on the basis of reviews received at other journals, including those outside of Springer Nature. Authors wishing to transfer papers with reviews to Genome Biology should email us at editorial@genomebiology.com to enquire about the suitability of the manuscript, and provide the previous journal’s identity and all reviews, alongside a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments. We aim to expedite any further peer review in these cases.
We are also happy to facilitate transfers to journals outside BMC and Springer Nature by sharing reviews and reviewer identities at the authors’ request.