As the flagship journal of the Microbiological Society of Korea, Journal of Microbiology (JM) not only brings together scientists from all microbiological disciplines, but also reflects the diversity and importance of microbial sciences in addressing human welfare. JM publishes high-quality original research, review, and protocol papers on archaea, bacteria, yeasts and fungi, protists, viruses and phages, and other microscopic life forms. Key topic areas include, but are not limited to, Evolutionary Microbiology and Systematics, Environmental Microbiology and Ecology, Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry, Molecular Microbiology and Genomics, Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Synthetic Microbiology and Biotechnology, and General and Molecular Virology. Manuscripts dealing with simple identification/characterization of microorganism(s), cloning of a known gene and/or its expression in a microbial host, and clinical statistics will not be considered for publication.
Only papers that report novel and significant scientific findings in microbiology will be considered and accepted for publication in JM. Thus, any manuscript submitted to JM must report original research. JM accepts a submitted manuscript on the condition that the presented work has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Credit for authorship should be based on the four criteria: (1) substantial contributions to conceptualization, design, and the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data; and (2) drafting of the article or revising it critically for significant intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published; and (4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Any contributions for the paper which do not fit all four of these criteria should be listed in the “Acknowledgements” of the paper.
Authors must do their best to avoid plagiarism. As defined in the 1995 Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, plagiarism is the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and their representation as one’s own original work. Plagiarism is not limited to the text. Author(s) may not use any part of a manuscript, including figures and tables, from another publication without permission. Author(s) cannot reuse their previously published work without a specific address; this is considered self- plagiarism. Fabrication, manipulation, and falsification of data are also viewed as misconduct in JM. Submitted manuscripts are screened for possible plagiarism or duplicate publication using similarity check once received. If plagiarism or duplicate publication is detected, the manuscript may be rejected. Author(s) must respond to requests from the JM editors when the original data and research notes require verification.
By publishing in JM, author(s) agree that any microbial strains, plasmids, viruses, or other materials such as prions or cell lines newly described in the articles be made available, in a timely fashion, to members of the scientific community for non-commercial purposes. JM strongly encourages author(s) to deposit important strains in publicly accessible culture collections and to refer to these collections and strain numbers in the manuscript (When the paper describes a novel species, the type strain of the species must be deposited in two culture collections in two different countries and the deposit certificates should be simultaneously submitted with the manuscript.). Authors should also indicate laboratory strain designations and donor sources when they distribute culture(s) or subculture specimen(s).
Supplementary data contains experimental data and figures that cannot be presented in the printed version due to space or technical limitations. Supplementary data should be as concise as possible and must be related to the main conclusion(s) of the paper. Data will be reviewed along with the paper and must be approved by the editors and referees. Instead of appearing in the printed version of the journal, it will be published online at the time of publication.
Authors are requested to disclose all affiliations,
funding sources, and financial or management
relationships that could be perceived as potential
sources of bias. Conflict of interest should be noted in
the manuscript (after the “Acknowledgements”). If an
undisclosed competing interest comes to light after
publication, JM will take action in accordance with
internal policies and the Committee on Research Ethics
guidelines of the Microbiological Society of Korea. In
cases where the author(s) have no conflicts of interest
to report, a statement to that effect can be
automatically generated in the final publication version
of the article (e.g. The authors have no conflict of
interest to report.).
Editorial Board Members are
required to declare any competing interests and may be
excluded from the peer review process if a competing
interest exists. In addition, they should exclude
themselves from handling manuscripts in cases where
there is a competing interest. Where an Editor or
Editorial Board Member is on the author list, we
recommend they declare this in the Conflict of Interest
section of the manuscript (e.g. Minsu Kim is Editor of
Journal of Microbiology and would not have access to the
review records of this article. Authors have no
conflicts of interest to report either.). If he/she is
an author or has any other competing interest regarding
a specific manuscript, another Editor or member of the
Editorial Board will be assigned. Editor or Editorial
Board Member status has no bearing on editorial
consideration.
The atomic coordinates and related experimental data (structure factor amplitudes/intensities and/or NMR restraints) must be deposited at a member site of the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) before publication. The PDB code must be included in a separate paragraph in the Materials and Methods section. Atomic coordinates and experimental data must be made available on publication.
Details of the ethical approval status of the research must be described in the “Ethical Statement” section of the manuscript (after “Conflict of Interest”), including the IRB and/or IACUC approval number(s). Should the study be exempt from ethics approval, author(s) should clearly state the reasons in the generated statement.
Ensure correct use of the terms for sex (when reporting biological factors) and gender (identity, psychosocial, or cultural factors), and unless inappropriate, report the sex and/or gender of study participants, the sex of animals or cells, and describe the methods used to determine sex and gender. If the study involved an exclusive population, for example, sex/gender-specific cases such as those of prostate cancer, the author(s) should define how they determined race and ethnicity, justifying their relevance.
The entire manuscript should be double spaced, and line and page numbers should be included in the submitted text file. The font size should not exceed 12 pt. Manuscripts may be editorially rejected on the basis of poor English or a lack of format conformity to the instructions. The JM prefers research articles with less than 6,000 words including an abstract, figure legends, and references, and 8 figures/tables.
Full-length articles are considered the usual format for JM. Each manuscript should present the results of an independent and complete study. The main text file should contain the following: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, and Figure Legends. The Results and Discussion sections may be combined and may also include additional subheadings.
The aim of protocol articles is to publish the research protocols from the leading laboratories in all fields of microbial science that are not described in sufficient detail in the Materials and Methods sections of the original research articles. Protocol articles are welcomed; authors wishing to submit a protocol article should contact the editorial office for pre-submission inquiries with a potential title and content, which should include the following headings: Abstract, Overview, Applications, Methods (containing considerations and limitations of methods), Materials, Protocols, and Expected Results.
3. MinireviewsThe aim of mini-reviews is to provide a concise summary of a fast-moving field that is currently of interest and relevant to the readers of JM. Minireviews are also welcome; author(s) wishing to submit a minireview should contact the editorial office to provide a potential title and subject. All mini-reviews submitted by author(s) are subject to editorial review.
4. Fast-track publication (Accelerated publication)A fast-track process is available for author(s) who wish to publish their papers quickly. Author(s) should contact the Editorial Office (E-mail: msk@msk.or.kr) for fast-track submission. Author(s) must submit a coverletter stating the novel and significant results of the research and justifying the need for fast- track publication. The review process will be conducted as rapidly as possible, usually within 7–10 working days of receipt, and publication of accepted papers in an issue will follow within one or two months of the date of acceptance. Manuscripts requiring major revisions will not be accepted but can be considered for a normal review.
Tables must include enough information to warrant table format. Tables should be supplied in Word or Excel format, and must be editable (not inserted as a picture). Each table should be numbered in sequence using Arabic numerals (i.e., Table 1, 2, 3, etc.). Each table should be placed on a separate page. The headings should be sufficiently clear so that the meaning of the data will be understandable without reference to the text. Explanatory footnotes should be related to the legend or table using superscript, lower-case letters and should not include detailed descriptions of the experiment. All abbreviations should be defined after the footnotes, below the table.
3. Abbreviations and conventionsConventional standard abbreviations should be used when abbreviation is justified. For further information, author(s) are directed to the instructions of the American Society for Microbiology (https://journals.asm.org/abbreviationsconventions).
4. NomenclatureStandard nomenclature (chemical and biochemical nomenclature, nomenclature of microorganisms, and genetic nomenclature) should be used. For further information, author(s) are directed to the instructions of the American Society for Microbiology (https://journals.asm.org/nomenclature).
All submissions to JM must be made electronically via the web-based online manuscript submission and review system (https://www.editorialmanager.com/tjom/default2.aspx). This site will guide authors step-by-step through the submission process. Please note thatthe name, affiliation, and title of each author must be provided. The submission system will also instruct authors on the process of creating and uploading figures and manuscripts, as well as whether the resulting files are acceptable for submission. It is recommended that all figures and tables be assembled into a single file together with the main text for submission.
The manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter stating the title of the manuscript and the names of author(s), with complete mailing addresses and telephone, fax, and email contact information for the corresponding author.
Manuscripts should be double spaced, and all pages, including the abstract, figures, and tables, should be numbered in sequence. Manuscript page margins must be at least 2.5 cm on all four sides.
The default language style at JM is American English. Author(s) who are not confident in their English writing should have their manuscripts checked by someone with full professional proficiency in English. Manuscripts may be rejected for publication because of poor English.
The Editorial Office will acknowledge the receipt of manuscripts within 48 hours of submission. The Editorial Office should be contacted if confirmation is not received within this period, or if author(s) have any queries regarding the submission.
1. All author(s) have read and approved the final version submitted.
2. References are formatted according to the style required by JM.
3. Abstract is 250 words or less
4. Short running title of fewer than 10 words is provided.
5. Keywords are provided (should be inserted in the submission step)
6. A cover letter has been prepared (should be inserted in the submission step).
7. A correspondent footnote (mailing address, email, phone and fax)is included.
8. Line and page numbers have been included on each page.
9. Any figures that are to be reproduced in color are so indicated.
Papers may be returned to author(s) for revision. Author(s) will be given three months after receipt of the reviewers’ comments to revise their paper. Revisions must be submitted via the online submission system under the heading “Submit Manuscript Online.” Author(s) should click on the link “Submit a revised manuscript” and then upload their revised files. Authors submitting a revised manuscript after review are asked to include the following:
(1) A rebuttal letter, indicating point-by-point how you have addressed the comments raised by the reviewers. If you disagree with any of the points raised, please provide adequate justification in your letter.
(2) A marked-up version of the manuscript that highlights changes made in response to the reviewers’ comments in order to aid the Editors and reviewers.
When a manuscript is submitted to JM, the Editorial
Office checks if the manuscript was prepared according
to the guidelines, gives it a manuscript number and
assigns it to one of the members of the editorial board.
The manuscript number should be referred to in any
subsequent communications between the corresponding
author and the editor or the Editorial Office.
All
manuscripts are first evaluated confidentially by the
editorial board members. To expedite the review process,
only manuscripts that meet the editorial criteria are
sent out for external review. Manuscripts judged to be
of insufficient general interest or otherwise
inappropriate can be immediately rejected without
external review. Manuscripts sent out for external
review are evaluated by two or more independent
reviewers.
Authors are welcome to suggest the
potential reviewers who are not members of their
institution(s), who have not recently been associated
with their laboratory(ies), and who could not otherwise
be considered to pose a competing interest regarding the
submitted manuscript. All recommendations are
considered, but reviewer selection is at the Editor’s
discretion.
The corresponding author is generally notified of the
editor’s decision to accept, reject, or require
modification or revision by the editor or the Editorial
Office within 4 to 5 weeks of submission. Manuscripts
that have been rejected may be resubmitted once the
major criticisms have been properly addressed.
When a
manuscript is returned to the corresponding author for
revision, it should be returned to the Editorial Office
within 8 weeks (for major revision) or 4 weeks (for
minor revision). Otherwise, it may be considered
withdrawn.
The author(s) should supply the Response
to the Reviewers and a letter or certificate for English
editing (only if requested by the Editorial Office)
along with the revised manuscript. As with the initial
submission, resubmitted manuscripts should be
accompanied by a cover letter stating that the
manuscript is a resubmission and describing briefly the
changes made. When an editor has decided that a
manuscript is acceptable for publication, the
corresponding author and the Editorial Office will be
notified. If necessary, the corresponding author will be
asked to re-edit the manuscript.
Author(s) who wish to appeal a decision should contact the Editor-in-Chief, explaining in detail their reasons for the appeal. All appeals will be discussed with at least one other editor. If those editors do not agree, the appeal will be discussed at a full editorial meeting. JM may or may not then seek external advice on appeals. JM does not consider second appeals.
All accepted papers will be kindly asked to pay a
publication fee from Microbiological Society of Korea.
The publication fee must be paid before online-first
publication. There is no waiver, discount, or refund.
The provisions for publication fees from the issue of 2025 are as follows:
Corresponding author(s) who is | |
---|---|
Member of MSK | 1,200,000 KRW (AP*: 2,400,000 KRW) |
Non-member of MSK | 1,800,000 KRW (AP: 3,600,000 KRW) |
Overseas | 1,000 USD (AP: 2,000 USD) |
*AP: accelerated publication.
The corresponding author is responsible for signing a Lisence to Publishagreement on behalf of all the authors. This agreement form is sent to the corresponding author when the manuscript is accepted and scheduled for publication. Unless the signed agreement form is received, JM will not publish the manuscript.
Author(s) are requested to bring any errors made by the Journal or the author(s) to the attention of the Editorial Office as soon as possible. Corrections will be published as Errata or Corrigenda in a later issue of the journal. Articles may be retracted by any of the author(s), academic or institutional sponsor, or JM, because of scientific misconduct, such as duplicate publication, plagiarism, fabrication, manipulation, or falsification of data. Retractions will be listed on the Contents page.
The Microbiological Society of Korea
Rm. 810, The Korea Science & Technology Center The first building 22, Teheran-ro 7 gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06130, Republic of Korea
Tel: +82-2-3453-3386 / Fax: +82-2-3453-3322
E-mail: office@jmicrobiol.or.kr
Homepage: www.jmicrobiol.or.kr