• File Format: DOC or DOCX (Microsoft Word). Documents must not be locked or protected.

• Length: Unlimited. No restrictions on word count, number of figures, or supporting information. Conciseness is encouraged.

• Font: Times New Roman, size 12.

• Layout: Left-aligned, single-spaced, right margin not justified.

• Spacing: Leave exactly one (1) space after periods. Do not indent paragraphs; do not leave blank lines between paragraphs. Use line returns only at the end of paragraphs.

• Page & Line Numbers: Must be included in the manuscript file.

• Footnotes: Not permitted. Move footnote information into the main text or the reference list.

• Language: English only.

3.2. Equations & Symbols

• Use MathType (recommended) or Equation Editor for display and inline equations.

• Include the entire equation in the editor; do not use “hybrid” text/editor formatting.

• Number equations consecutively with Arabic numerals in parentheses on the right-hand side of the page.

• Running Text: Avoid using equation editors for single variables (e.g., $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$), Greek symbols ($\beta$, $\Delta$, $\prime$), or mathematical operators ($\times$, $\ge$, $\pm$). Insert these as normal text using correct Unicode values. Use the Symbol font for special characters.

3.3. Nomenclature & Units

• Units: Use SI units. If non-SI units are used, provide the SI value in parentheses immediately after.

• Measurements: Use the metric system without periods (e.g., cm, mL, s).

• Drugs: Provide the Recommended International Non-Proprietary Name (rINN).

• Species Names: Write in italics (e.g., Homo sapiens). Write out the full genus and species at first mention (and in the title). Subsequent mentions can be abbreviated (e.g., H. sapiens).

• Genetic Data: Genes, mutations, genotypes, and alleles must be italicized. Use official databases (e.g., HUGO). Gene prefixes (like oncogenes or cellular localization) must remain in roman typeface (e.g., v-fes, c-MYC).

3.4. Title Page & Author Details

The first page of your manuscript file must serve as the Title Page.

3.4.1. Title Guidelines

• Full Title

  • Max Length: 150 characters.

  • Guidelines: Specific, descriptive, concise, and comprehensible to readers outside the field. Do not infer results. Capitalize only the first word and species/gene names. Avoid specialist abbreviations. For clinical trials, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses, the subtitle should include the study design.

  • Examples: Haplotypes of qGL3 and their roles in grain size regulation with GS3 alleles in rice; Association of IL-18 polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis.

• Running Title

  • Max Length: 60 characters.

  • Guidelines: State the core topic of the study.

  • Examples: Haplotypes of qGL3 and their regulatory roles with GS3; IL-18 polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis.

3.4.2. Author List & Affiliations

• Authorship: All listed authors must meet the journal’s authorship criteria. Other contributors should be listed in the Acknowledgments.

• Formatting Names: Write initials of first/middle names (no spaces between initials), followed by the last name. Separate authors with commas, using “and” before the final author.

• Affiliations: Include department, university/organization, city, state/province, and country (no final period). If an author has multiple affiliations, enter all affiliations on the title page only.

• Corresponding Author: Designate one corresponding author in the submission system and on the title page (GMR allows a maximum of two on the final publication). A valid email address is required for each.

3.5. Manuscript Organization

Most manuscripts must follow this structural order:

3.5.1. Abstract

• Must be a single paragraph not exceeding 300 words.

• Conceptually divided into Background, Methodology/Principal Findings, and Conclusions/Significance—but do not use these headings in the file.

• No citations. Avoid specialist abbreviations.

• Include up to six (6) keywords, separated by semicolons, with the first letter of each word capitalized.

3.5.2. Headings Hierarchy

• Heading Level 1 (Title 1): INTRODUCTION, MATERIAL AND METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES. All caps, bold, left-aligned, on a separate line.

• Heading Level 2 (Title 2): Subtitle under Title 1. First letter capitalized, bold, left-aligned, on a separate line.

• Heading Level 3 (Title 3): Subtitle under Title 2. First letter capitalized, bold, italicized, left-aligned, on a separate line.

3.6. Main Text Sections

3.6.1. Introduction

• Contextualize the research for non-experts. Include a brief literature review and address relevant controversies. Conclude with a brief statement of the study’s aim and whether it was achieved.

3.6.2. Material and Methods

• Provide enough detail for complete reproduction. Novel protocols must be detailed; established protocols should be referenced.

3.6.3. Results

• Detail all experiments required to support the conclusions. Exclude peripheral data. Written in the past tense. Can be divided into subsections. Do not abbreviate the words “Figure” or “Table”.

3.6.4. Discussion

• Spell out major conclusions and speculate on their significance, impacts on existing models, and future research steps. Must be concise and tightly argued.

• Note: Results and Discussion can be combined into a single RESULTS/DISCUSSION section. A CONCLUSION section may also be included.

3.6.5. Acknowledgments

• Typed in a single paragraph directly preceding the references.

• List contributors who do not meet authorship criteria.

• State all funding sources that enabled the research. Crucial: Do not include grant numbers or funding specifics here; financial details must only be entered into the online submission system.

3.7. References & Citation Style

• Quantity Limits: Full-length paper (Max 40); Short Communication (Max 20); Review article (Max 60).

• In-Text Citations:

  • Format: (Author, Year) or (King and Wilson, 1975).

  • Three or more authors: (Comstock et al., 1958).

  • List multiple citations in chronological order: (Ideber, 2001; Uetz, 2002; Ottavai, 2004).

  • Unpublished data: (Pereira KS, Martins PK and Silva TM, unpublished results).

3.7.1. Reference List Formatting

List references under the heading “References” at the end of the manuscript in alphabetical order. Use NCBI/PubMed abbreviations for journal names. List the first four authors; use “et al.” if there are more.

• Published Articles:

  • Format: Author names, year, journal title abbreviated, volume number, first and last page numbers.

  • Example 1: Hou WR, Hou YL, Wu GF, Song Y, et al. (2011). cDNA, genomic sequence cloning and overexpression of ribosomal protein gene L9 (rpL9) of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Genet. Mol. Res. 10: 1576-1588.

  • Example 2: Devaraju P, Gulati R, Antony PT, Mithun CB, et al. (2014). Susceptibility to SLE in South Indian Tamils may be influenced by genetic selection pressure on TLR2 and TLR9 genes. Mol. Immunol. S0161-5890(14)00313-7.

• Accepted, Unpublished Articles: Same format as published articles, but replace page numbers or DOI with “In press”.

• Websites or Online Articles: Huynen MMTE, Martens P and Hilderlink HBM (2005). The health impacts of globalisation: a conceptual framework. Global Health. 1: 14. Available at [URL].

• Books: Author names, year, full title, edition, publisher, city.

  • Example: Bates B (1992). Bargaining for life: A social history of tuberculosis. 1st edn. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.

• Book Chapters: Author names, year, full title of book, name(s) of editor(s) in parentheses, publisher, city, first and last page numbers.

  • Example: Hansen B (1991). New York City epidemics and history for the public. In: AIDS and the historian (Harden VA, Risse GB, eds.). National Institutes of Health, Bethesda.

• Deposited Articles (Preprints, e-prints, or arXiv): Krick T, Shub DA, Verstraete N, Ferreiro DU, et al. (1991). Amino acid metabolism conflicts with protein diversity. Preprint. Available: arXiv:1403.3301v1. Accessed 17 March 2014.

• Published Media (Print or Online Newspapers/Magazines): Fountain H (2014). For Already Vulnerable Penguins, Study Finds Climate Change Is Another Danger. The New York Times. 29 Jan 2014. Available at [URL]. Accessed 17 March 2014.

• New Media (Blogs, Websites): Allen L (2006). Announcing PLOS Blogs. 2010 Sep 1 [cited 17 March 2014]. In: PLOS Blogs [Internet]. San Francisco: PLOS 2006 – . Available at [URL].

• Masters’ Theses or Doctoral Dissertations: Wells A (1999). Exploring the development of the independent, electronic, scholarly journal. Master’s thesis. The University of Sheffield, Sheffield. Available at [URL].

• Databases and Repositories: Roberts SB (2013). QPX Genome Browser Feature Tracks. Database: figshare [Internet]. Accessed at [URL].

3.8. Figures, Tables, & Supplementary Material

3.8.1. Figures

• File Format: Submitted as separate, standalone TIFF (.tiff) files (Color or B&W). Do not embed figures in the text.

• Resolution: 300–600 dpi.

• In-text Citation: Cited in ascending numerical order using full, capitalized words (e.g., “Figure 1”). Indicate each figure location within the text.

• Captions: Inserted in the text file immediately following the paragraph where it is first cited. Do not include captions as part of the figure files or in a separate document.

  • Required components: Figure label (matching file name format, e.g., “GMR number-f1.tif”) and a concise, descriptive title. Send the legend on a separate page if needed.

3.8.2. Tables

• Placement: Inserted directly into the manuscript text file immediately after the paragraph where they are first cited. Do not submit tables in separate files.

• Formatting: Use cells to separate columns. Do not use spaces, tabs, or vertical lines. Text must be in Symbol or Times New Roman. Designed to fit the column or page size of the journal.

• Labels: Place the table label (e.g., “Table 1”) and a left-justified descriptive title above the table. Place legends, footnotes, and other text below the table. Indicate each table’s location within the manuscript.

3.8.3. Supplementary Material

• File Upload: Uploaded separately. Files are published exactly as provided and are not copyedited.

• Naming Conventions: Must contain an “S” and a number (e.g., “Figure S1”, “Table S1”, “Text S1”).

• Captions: List all supplementary captions together at the very end of the main manuscript file. Do not submit captions in a separate file. The file number, name, and a one-line title/legend are required. Example: “Text S1. Title/Legend is strongly recommended.”

• In-text Citation: Must be cited in numerical order within the main text.

3.9. Additional Information Requested at Submission

• Funding Statement: This section should describe sources of funding that supported the study. Include relevant grant numbers and the URL of any funder’s website. Enter this information only in the financial disclosure section of the online submission system.

• Conflicts of Interest: The corresponding author must declare, on behalf of all authors, whether there are any financial, personal, or professional interests that could be construed to have influenced the study. Any relevant competing interests must be available to editors and reviewers during the review process and will be stated in published articles.