Frontiers in Microbiology Submission Guide: Steps, Timeline & What Editors Want
Frontiers in Microbiology's submission process, first-decision timing, and the editorial checks that matter before peer review begins.
Readiness scan
Before you submit to Frontiers in Microbiology, pressure-test the manuscript.
Run the Free Readiness Scan to catch the issues most likely to stop the paper before peer review.
Key numbers before you submit to Frontiers in Microbiology
Acceptance rate, editorial speed, and cost context — the metrics that shape whether and how you submit.
What acceptance rate actually means here
- Frontiers in Microbiology accepts roughly ~40-50% of submissions — but desk rejection runs higher.
- Scope misfit and framing problems drive most early rejections, not weak methodology.
- Papers that reach peer review face a different bar: novelty, rigor, and fit with the journal's editorial identity.
What to check before you upload
- Scope fit — does your paper address the exact problem this journal publishes on?
- Desk decisions are fast; scope problems surface within days.
- Open access publishing costs ~$1,500-2,000 if you choose gold OA.
- Cover letter framing — editors use it to judge fit before reading the manuscript.
How to approach Frontiers in Microbiology
Use the submission guide like a working checklist. The goal is to make fit, package completeness, and cover-letter framing obvious before you open the portal.
Stage | What to check |
|---|---|
1. Scope | Manuscript preparation |
2. Package | Submission via Frontiers system |
3. Cover letter | Editorial assessment |
4. Final check | Peer review |
Quick answer: A strong Frontiers in Microbiology submission guide starts with section fit. The manuscript needs a clear specialty-section match plus functional, mechanistic, clinical, environmental, or host-relevant evidence showing why the microbiology result matters beyond description before upload, before reviewers are ever invited.
Run a Frontiers In Microbiology pre-submission readiness check before clicking submit, or work through this guide manually.
From our manuscript review practice
Of manuscripts we've reviewed for Frontiers in Microbiology, microbiome characterization without functional or mechanistic validation is the most consistent first-pass return trigger. Identifying what bacteria are present is not enough; the paper must demonstrate what those bacteria do or why their presence matters.
What do official pages not answer?
Official Frontiers pages explain the formal process: choosing a journal and section, article types, author guidelines, submission checklist, scope statement, open-access fees, ethics, keywords, and data requirements. They are weaker on the decision authors need before upload: whether the manuscript is being sent to the right specialty section and whether the evidence is functional enough for that section's editors.
This guide separates translating Frontiers in Microbiology's section-driven model into first-read logic: whether the title, scope statement, abstract, validation data, and cover letter prove that the paper is more than a microbial catalog.
How this page was created: sources used include the Frontiers in Microbiology journal homepage, Frontiers author guidelines, section-specific submission checklist pages, article-type pages, the 100 most recent Frontiers in Microbiology papers used when this guide was built, and recent Manusights pre-submission reviews from microbiology authors considering Frontiers, mBio, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Journal of Bacteriology, and narrower specialty titles.
Source limitations: we did not test a private live Frontiers submission account. Portal mechanics are based on public Frontiers guidance. Manusights interpretation is separate from official instructions and focuses on editorial screen logic, section-fit risk, and manuscript-readiness signals.
This frontiers in microbiology submission guide walks through everything from initial fit assessment to final submission confirmation. The key editorial question is whether the paper explains microbial function, interaction, or consequence clearly enough to justify a broad microbiology audience.
Frontiers in Microbiology wants functional depth, not microbial catalogs. Your paper needs to explain how microorganisms function, interact with hosts, or impact their environment. Pure taxonomic descriptions or isolated culture experiments do not make the cut.
Submit to Frontiers in Microbiology if you have:
- a novel microorganism with characterized function and biological significance
- host-microbe interaction data showing clear mechanistic pathways
- environmental microbiology with ecosystem-level impact measurements
- antibiotic resistance mechanisms with clinical or environmental relevance
Consider alternatives if your work is:
- primarily descriptive taxonomy, where Microbiology may be cleaner
- pure in vitro culture without validation, where Applied and Environmental Microbiology may be cleaner
- genome sequencing without functional analysis, where mBio or a narrower venue may be cleaner
The journal competes directly with titles like Applied and Environmental Microbiology but emphasizes mechanistic understanding over descriptive microbiology. It works best when the paper explains function rather than merely documenting presence or sequence.
Frontiers in Microbiology peer comparison table
Journal | Publisher | Best fit | Common reason to choose another journal |
|---|---|---|---|
Frontiers in Microbiology | Frontiers | Broad microbiology paper with section fit, functional evidence, and a clear mechanism or ecological consequence | The paper is only a descriptive catalog or cannot name the right specialty section |
mBio | ASM | Microbiology result with unusually broad conceptual reach or field-level significance | The work is technically solid but narrower, more applied, or mostly section-specific |
Applied and Environmental Microbiology | ASM | Applied, environmental, industrial, or microbial-ecology work with strong practical validation | The paper needs Frontiers' specialty-section model or a broader open-review posture |
How does the Frontiers in Microbiology submission portal work?
Frontiers uses a unified submission system across all journals. The portal guides you through manuscript upload, author details, and required declarations in a linear workflow that takes 45-60 minutes to complete.
Use the live Frontiers submission route from the journal page at Frontiersin journal page, with the central submission platform at Frontiersin submission portal. The important setup choice is not just the journal; it is the specialty section and associate editor. Frontiers author guidance also requires a 200-word scope-and-relevance summary for the journal or specialty section, so the upload process forces the same section-fit decision the editor will later judge.
- Initial setup takes 10 minutes. Create your Frontiers account using your institutional email. The system will ask for ORCID integration, which links automatically to co-author profiles if they're already in the Frontiers database. Don't skip this step. It prevents author affiliation errors that cause delays later.
Select "Frontiers in Microbiology" from the journal dropdown. The system will display current article types: Research Article, Review, Mini Review, Methods, and Perspective. Choose Research Article for original experimental work. The word limits appear immediately: 12,000 words max for Research Articles, including references.
- Manuscript upload requires specific file formats. Upload your main manuscript as a single Word document (.docx) or LaTeX file. The system won't accept PDFs for the main text. Include all sections in order: Title, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References. Don't upload figures embedded in the manuscript. They go separately.
Figure uploads happen in the next step. Each figure uploads individually as high-resolution TIFF, PNG, or EPS files. Minimum 300 DPI for publication. The system checks resolution automatically and flags low-quality images immediately. You can't proceed with figures below publication standard.
- Author information entry takes 20-30 minutes for multi-author papers. Enter corresponding author details first, then add co-authors one by one. The system requires institutional affiliations, email addresses, and ORCID IDs for every author. If co-authors don't have ORCID accounts, they'll receive automatic invitations to create them.
Author contribution statements use CRediT taxonomy. Select specific contributions for each author from dropdown menus: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing original draft, Writing review and editing.
- Required declarations prevent technical returns. The ethics section requires specific institutional review board (IRB) approval numbers for human studies, animal protocol numbers for animal research, and biosafety committee approvals for novel microorganisms. Upload approval letters as PDF supplements.
Funding declarations list all grant numbers, funding agencies, and award recipients. The system cross-references grant databases and flags potential conflicts or missing acknowledgments.
Data availability statements describe where readers can access your raw data. Frontiers requires public deposition for sequence data (GenBank, ENA), metabolomics (MetaboLights), and proteomics (PRIDE). Include accession numbers in this section.
- Final submission confirmation shows complete checklist. The system generates a submission summary showing all uploaded files, author details, and completed declarations. Review this page carefully. Missing items can trigger a technical return within 24 hours. Once you confirm submission, the manuscript enters the editorial queue for initial screening.
What do Frontiers in Microbiology editors actually want?
Editors screen submissions for mechanistic depth and biological significance within 5-7 business days. They're not looking for perfect experiments. They want clear evidence that your microorganisms do something measurably important.
- Functional characterization separates acceptance from a weak editorial read. Genome sequencing alone doesn't justify publication. Editors want phenotypic validation showing how genetic features translate to organism behavior. If you've identified novel biosynthetic gene clusters, show the metabolites they produce. If you've found antimicrobial resistance genes, demonstrate resistance levels and mechanisms.
- In vivo or environmental validation proves biological relevance. Culture experiments establish baseline function, but editors want proof your findings matter outside the lab. Host-microbe interaction studies need infection models or clinical samples. Environmental microbiology needs field measurements or ecosystem-scale experiments. Probiotic claims require animal studies or human trials.
- Mechanistic understanding drives editorial decisions. Descriptive microbiome studies are weak fits unless they explain how microbial communities function. Editors want pathway analysis, metabolite measurements, or functional gene expression data. Correlation studies between microbiome composition and host phenotypes need mechanistic hypotheses supported by experimental evidence.
The official guidance is section-driven: only article types available in the selected specialty section appear during submission, and authors have to show that the manuscript conforms to the journal's article type, ethics, data, and scope expectations. That filters out surveys, catalogs, and observational studies without clear biological mechanisms.
- Novel microorganisms need complete characterization. If you're describing new species or strains, editors expect genomic, physiological, and ecological data. Taxonomic description plus genome sequence isn't enough. Show metabolic capabilities, growth requirements, environmental distribution, and ecological function.
Editors specifically flag papers that lack sufficient mechanistic depth or provide only descriptive characterization without functional significance. Your results section should explain how microorganisms work, not just what they are.
How should the cover letter position the paper?
Your cover letter should emphasize biological mechanisms and practical applications within the first paragraph. Frontiers editors want immediate clarity on why your microorganisms matter beyond academic curiosity.
- Open with biological significance, not research gaps. Start: "We report the characterization of the specific microorganism that the specific function through [mechanism], with implications for [application area]." Don't start with "The role of microorganisms in [broad field] remains poorly understood."
- Highlight mechanistic discoveries in the second paragraph. Specify the pathways, interactions, or processes you've characterized. Use concrete language: "We demonstrate that [microorganism] produces [compound] via [pathway], leading to [measured effect] in [system]." Avoid vague terms like "plays a role in" or "is associated with."
- Connect to practical applications. Frontiers emphasizes translational potential. Link your mechanistic findings to biotechnology, medicine, agriculture, or environmental applications. Editors want to see how your discoveries could advance practical microbiology.
For a complete framework on writing effective cover letters that get editor attention, see our journal cover letter template guide with specific examples for microbiology journals.
- Address methodology directly. Mention your validation approaches: "We validated these findings using [in vivo model] and confirmed relevance through [environmental samples] or [clinical isolates]." This signals you've moved beyond pure culture work.
Keep the letter under 300 words total. Editors spend 2-3 minutes on initial screening. Your cover letter should convey biological importance and mechanistic depth immediately, not build suspense.
What timeline should authors expect?
Frontiers in Microbiology runs a 90-120 day median review timeline from submission to first decision. First-pass editorial returns happen earlier than full peer review, but the exact editorial-triage timing is much less predictable than the overall median.
Stage | Typical timeframe |
|---|---|
Submission to editorial check | 1-2 weeks |
Assignment to associate editor | 1-2 weeks |
Peer review (interactive phase) | 6-10 weeks |
Author response period | 4-8 weeks |
Final editorial decision | 2-4 weeks |
Acceptance to publication | 2-4 weeks |
Source: Frontiers in Microbiology editorial process and author guidelines
Day 0: submission and technical package check
Frontiers account setup, article type, specialty section, author details, declarations, figures, and data statements should all be complete before confirmation.
Week 1: initial editorial screening
Editors check scope fit, mechanistic depth, and technical quality. Papers lacking in vivo validation or clear biological significance can be returned at this stage. You'll receive an immediate email notification if your paper doesn't proceed to peer review.
Weeks 2 to 3: peer review assignment
The editorial office contacts potential reviewers from their database and external expert networks. They target reviewers with specific expertise in your microorganism, methodology, or application area. Reviewer response can be uneven, so multiple rounds of invitations are common.
Weeks 4 to 10: active review period
Reviewers receive 3-4 week deadlines, with one extension allowed. The journal follows up weekly after deadlines pass. Most reviews arrive within 6 weeks, but occasional delays push timelines to 10-12 weeks for specialized topics.
Weeks 10 to 16: editorial decision after reviews
Editors synthesize reviewer comments and make final decisions: Accept, Minor Revisions, Major Revisions, or Reject. The decision email includes detailed reviewer comments and specific revision requirements.
- Revision timelines depend on reviewer requests. Minor revisions allow 4 weeks for resubmission. Major revisions allow 3 months, with extensions available for extensive experimental work. Revised manuscripts typically receive expedited review from original reviewers within 2-3 weeks.
Total timeline for accepted papers: 4-6 months from initial submission to final acceptance, including one round of revisions.
Before submitting to Frontiers in Microbiology, a Frontiers in Microbiology manuscript fit check identifies whether the package meets the editorial bar before you commit to the submission.
What submission mistakes make papers easy to return?
Most weak Frontiers in Microbiology submissions share the same root problem: insufficient functional analysis, inadequate validation, or specialty-section misalignment. Here are the specific errors that trigger unfavorable first reads.
- Genome sequencing without phenotypic validation. Papers describing novel microorganisms often include complete genome sequences but lack functional characterization. Editors return submissions that predict metabolic capabilities from genomic data without experimental confirmation. You need growth experiments, enzyme assays, or metabolite measurements proving your genomic predictions.
- Pure culture experiments without environmental relevance. Laboratory culture conditions don't reflect natural environments. Papers showing interesting phenotypes in defined media are weak unless you demonstrate relevance in complex environments, host systems, or field samples. Include experiments with natural substrates, co-cultures, or in vivo models.
- Microbiome correlation studies without mechanistic hypotheses. Describing microbial community differences between conditions isn't enough for publication. Editors want functional gene analysis, metabolic pathway predictions, or experimental validation of causal relationships. Statistical associations need biological explanations.
- Insufficient clinical or environmental validation for applied claims. Papers claiming probiotic benefits, bioremediation potential, or biocontrol applications need rigorous validation. Laboratory proof-of-concept experiments must be followed by relevant model systems. Probiotic strains need animal studies. Bioremediation candidates need field trials or complex contaminated samples.
- Missing controls for microorganism-specific effects. Many submissions lack appropriate negative controls or fail to distinguish strain-specific effects from general microbial activity. Include sterile controls, non-target microorganism controls, and experiments confirming specificity of observed effects.
- Inadequate characterization of novel antimicrobial compounds. Papers describing new antimicrobials often skip essential characterization steps: minimum inhibitory concentration determination, spectrum of activity testing, cytotoxicity assessment, or mechanism of action studies. Editors expect complete antimicrobial characterization following established protocols.
If you're unsure whether your paper meets publication standards, review our guide on signs your paper isn't ready to submit yet before beginning the submission process.
What formatting requirements matter before upload?
Frontiers in Microbiology uses specific formatting requirements that prevent publication delays when followed exactly.
- Manuscript formatting follows standard academic structure. Use Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spacing, and numbered lines. Include these sections in order: Title Page, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Figure Legends, Tables. Don't embed figures or tables in the main text.
- Figure requirements prevent technical rejection. Submit figures as separate high-resolution files (minimum 300 DPI). Accepted formats: TIFF, PNG, EPS, or JPG. Maximum file size: 10 MB per figure. Label figure parts with capital letters (A, B, C) using Arial font minimum 8-point size. Include scale bars for microscopy images.
- Reference formatting uses Frontiers style. Journal articles: Author surnames and initials, year, title, journal name, volume, and page numbers. Format: Smith AB, Jones CD (2023) Novel antimicrobial mechanisms in marine bacteria. Front Microbiol 14:123456.
- Required supplementary materials include raw data files. Upload original data as Excel spreadsheets, statistical analysis files, or database-compatible formats. Include sequence data accession numbers, strain deposit information, and protocol details referenced in methods sections.
Pre-submission checklist: Manuscript under 12,000 words, figures above 300 DPI, all authors with ORCID IDs, ethics approvals uploaded, data availability statement complete, and references in Frontiers format. Missing items trigger automatic technical rejection within 24 hours of submission.
Before you upload, run your manuscript through a Frontiers in Microbiology submission readiness check to catch the issues editors filter for on first read.
Frontiers in Microbiology pre-submission checklist
- [ ] The 200-word scope statement names the exact specialty section and explains why that section is the right editorial home.
- [ ] The abstract states a functional, mechanistic, clinical, environmental, or host-relevant microbiology claim, not only a taxonomic or compositional result.
- [ ] The evidence includes validation beyond a simple descriptive dataset, such as metabolomics, gene expression, pathway testing, clinical isolates, host models, field samples, or functional assays.
- [ ] Ethics, biosafety, data availability, accession numbers, keywords, and article-type requirements are complete before portal upload.
- [ ] The cover letter explains why the paper belongs in Frontiers in Microbiology rather than Applied and Environmental Microbiology, mBio, Journal of Bacteriology, Microbiology, or a narrower specialty title.
Readiness check
Run the scan while Frontiers in Microbiology's requirements are in front of you.
See how this manuscript scores against Frontiers in Microbiology's requirements before you submit.
Fast editorial screen table
If the manuscript looks like this on page one | Likely editorial read |
|---|---|
Microbial mechanism, biological importance, and practical relevance are all visible immediately | Stronger Frontiers in Microbiology fit |
Story is interesting, but the biological consequence still feels mostly descriptive | Too soft for this journal |
Application case is present, but validation outside simple culture conditions is still thin | Harder editorial case |
The manuscript sounds broad while the mechanistic proof stays underdeveloped | Exposed before review |
This page handles the public submission rules; the draft still needs a journal-specific fit check. The review tells you whether your paper clears the Frontiers in Microbiology fit check before upload, especially around microbiome study without functional or mechanistic validation, antimicrobial resistance paper without clinical isolate validation, and papers lacking a testable biological question or hypothesis. Manusights has reviewed 100+ manuscripts targeting Frontiers in Microbiology and nearby microbiology journals. Paid Manusights reviews include a 60-day money-back guarantee, and we do not train models on submitted manuscripts.
Across our pre-submission reviews: Frontiers in Microbiology triage patterns
Across our pre-submission reviews of Frontiers in Microbiology manuscripts and nearby microbiology targets, the strongest packages make the specialty-section case visible before the official upload form asks for it. The Frontiers author guidance asks for broad significance in the abstract, journal-specific article-type compliance, and a scope-and-relevance argument; the weak manuscripts we see usually fail because the abstract, cover letter, and first figures do not all prove the same specialty-section fit.
Frontiers in Microbiology microbiome package with no functional readout
For Frontiers in Microbiology, a taxonomic or compositional result is not enough when the abstract promises biological consequence. The failing pattern is an abstract that names a disease, host, soil, food, or environmental system while the results only show which organisms changed. The section fit gets stronger when the first two figures show metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, functional gene expression, culture validation, perturbation, or another test that proves what the community shift does.
Check whether your Frontiers in Microbiology microbiome manuscript has functional validation ->
Frontiers in Microbiology antimicrobial-resistance claim without isolate relevance
For Frontiers in Microbiology, resistance mechanism papers need a validation setting that matches the claim. We see manuscripts where the methods are careful, but the abstract and cover letter imply clinical, agricultural, or environmental relevance while the evidence stays inside a reference strain or simplified assay. The stronger package names the isolate source, resistance phenotype, control logic, and mechanism in a way that lets an editor see why the Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy section is the natural home.
Check whether your Frontiers in Microbiology AMR evidence uses clinically relevant validation ->
Frontiers in Microbiology scope statement that repeats the title
The Frontiers workflow makes authors explain journal or specialty-section relevance, so a weak scope statement is not a harmless portal field. In the manuscripts we review, the soft version repeats the title, names a broad microbiology topic, and never explains why this section's readers need the paper now. The stronger version connects the biological question, validation data, figure order, ethics or data statement, and cover letter into one testable claim about microbial function, host interaction, ecology, resistance, or biotechnology.
Check your Frontiers in Microbiology scope summary before upload ->
Decision risks before submitting to Frontiers in Microbiology
For manuscripts targeting Frontiers in Microbiology, five patterns generate the most consistent first-pass returns worth knowing before submission.
Of 100 manuscripts our team reviewed for Frontiers in Microbiology and nearby microbiology targets, the recurring failure pattern was not missing portal data. It was a scope-statement and evidence mismatch: the paper named a specialty section, but the abstract and validation data did not prove functional relevance for that section.
According to Frontiers in Microbiology submission guidelines, each pattern below represents a documented first-pass triage trigger; per SciRev data and Clarivate JCR 2024 benchmarks, addressing these before submission meaningfully reduces early-return risk.
Microbiome study without functional or mechanistic validation
The Frontiers in Microbiology author guidelines require that studies make a clear scientific contribution beyond compositional description. Manusights pre-submission pattern analysis shows many early returns involve 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing studies that identify differences in microbial community composition between groups but provide no functional data explaining why those differences matter.
Editors consistently flag these submissions for failing to demonstrate what the community shift does, not just what it is: papers without metabolomics, metatranscriptomics, or experimental validation of functional outcomes are treated as descriptive.
Antimicrobial resistance paper without clinical isolate validation
The same pattern analysis often finds many antimicrobial resistance submissions characterize resistance mechanisms in laboratory reference strains without validating the findings in clinical isolates from patients. Editors consistently flag submissions that restrict resistance mechanism characterization to ATCC or NCTC strains, because laboratory strain behavior does not reliably predict clinical relevance. Papers restricted to reference strains are returned with requests for clinical isolate data.
Papers lacking a testable biological question or hypothesis
A related pattern is that many submissions describe the genomic, proteomic, or phenotypic characteristics of a microorganism without framing the work around a specific biological hypothesis. Frontiers in Microbiology editors consistently flag papers that read as descriptive catalogs rather than investigations of a defined question. The introduction must state what was not known and why answering it matters; characterization papers that skip this framing are weak regardless of the amount of data presented.
Environmental study missing ecological context or functional role
A related pattern is that many environmental microbiology submissions characterize microbial communities in a specific habitat without addressing the ecological role those communities play in nutrient cycling, carbon flux, or ecosystem function. Editors consistently flag these submissions for treating community characterization as an end in itself rather than a means to understanding ecosystem function. Papers that cannot address what the described community does in its environment are returned as incomplete.
Phage efficacy papers lacking stability and host safety evidence
A related pattern is that many manuscripts proposing phages or bacteriocins as antimicrobial agents present only in vitro bacterial killing data without addressing host range, stability under physiological conditions, resistance emergence frequency, or safety in eukaryotic cell lines. Editors consistently flag in vitro kill efficiency alone as insufficient for papers claiming therapeutic or biocontrol potential: the gap between killing bacteria in a tube and providing a usable antimicrobial strategy requires at least preliminary stability and specificity data.
SciRev author-reported review times and Clarivate JCR 2024 bibliometric data provide additional benchmarks when planning your submission timeline.
Before submitting to Frontiers in Microbiology, a Frontiers in Microbiology manuscript fit check identifies whether your mechanistic validation, hypothesis framing, and functional evidence meet the editorial bar before you commit to the submission.
Submit If
- the microbiology work demonstrates clear mechanistic understanding with in vivo or environmental validation beyond pure culture studies
- for novel microorganisms, characterization is complete with genomic, physiological, ecological, and functional data showing not just what the organism is but what it does
- microbiome studies include mechanistic data (pathway analysis, metabolite measurements, functional gene expression) explaining how community composition translates to biological function
- the paper addresses a specific biological hypothesis with experimental evidence of causal relationships, not just correlations
Think Twice If
- genome sequencing is presented as sufficient characterization without phenotypic validation showing how genetic features translate to organism behavior
- laboratory culture experiments demonstrate interesting phenotypes in defined media without evidence the findings are relevant in complex environments, host systems, or field samples
- microbiome composition differences between conditions are described without functional gene analysis, metabolic pathway predictions, or experimental validation addressing why the shift matters biologically
- claims about probiotic benefits, bioremediation potential, or biocontrol applications rest on laboratory proof-of-concept without animal studies or complex sample testing
Related submission guides
Use these nearby guides when the target journal is still uncertain:
Useful next pages
- Frontiers in Microbiology first editorial screen guide
- Frontiers in Microbiology submission process
- Is Frontiers in Microbiology a Good Journal?
- Frontiers in Immunology submission guide
For status interpretation after submission, see the Frontiers in Microbiology Under Review status guide.
How this Frontiers In Microbiology guide was checked
For the related journal overview, see Frontiers In Microbiology journal guide. In our work on Frontiers In Microbiology submissions, we observe that editors specifically screen the abstract, first figures, cover letter, and evidence package for whether the manuscript answers the journal's stated fit test; our analysis of Frontiers In Microbiology pages treats those checks as submission-risk signals, not as official guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Frontiers in Microbiology uses the Frontiers submission platform. Choose the appropriate specialty section, prepare a manuscript with clear mechanistic understanding and in vivo or environmental validation, and submit with a cover letter explaining the microbiological significance.
Plan around a multi-month process. Initial screening can happen quickly, but peer review assignment, the collaborative review phase, author response, and final editorial decision commonly make the full process 4 to 6 months for accepted papers.
Prepare a complete manuscript file, separate high-resolution figure files, author and ORCID details, ethics approvals, data availability statements, and the Frontiers scope-and-relevance summary before entering the portal.
Yes, Frontiers in Microbiology is an open-access journal published by Frontiers Media. Accepted articles require an article processing charge (APC). The journal operates with a collaborative review model and specialty sections.
Common mistakes include submitting descriptive microorganism characterization without mechanistic insight, relying on pure in vitro culture data without environmental or in vivo validation, and choosing the wrong specialty section for the manuscript.
Sources
- 1. Frontiers in Microbiology journal homepage, Frontiers.
- 2. Frontiers in Microbiology author guidelines, Frontiers.
- 3. Frontiers in Microbiology publishing fees, Frontiers.
- 4. Frontiers editorial and peer review policies, Frontiers.
- 5. Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR 2024), Clarivate Analytics.
Final step
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