Molecular and Cellular Biology

Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) publishes developments in all aspects of the molecular biology of eukaryotic cells. Some areas of emphasis include gene expression, chromosome structure and dynamics, signal transduction, intracellular trafficking, and mammalian genetic models. Published twice monthly, MCB was named by the Special Libraries Association as one of the top 100 most influential journals of the past century.

Impact Factor: 5.942

Eigenfactor Score: 0.323

Article Influence Score: 3.430

Research Articles:

• Articles (incl. the abstract and figure legends) should be no more than 40,000 characters in length excluding spaces. Abstracts should be no more than 200 words; however, there is no limit to the number of figures (where relevant) or other sections of text.
• Sections should be ordered as follows: Title, Running Title, Byline, Correspondent Footnote, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Appendixes.
• Titles should not exceed 54 characters with spaces.
• Manuscripts are to be double-spaced in all sections, and pages should have line numbers.
• Paragraph lead-ins should be indicated by boldface type.
• Page size should be set to 8.5 by 11 inches (ca. 21.6 by 28 cm).
• Use the past tense to narrate particular events in the past, including the procedures, observations, and data of the study that you are reporting. Thus, most of the abstract, Materials and Methods, and Results will be in the past tense.
• Use the present tense for your own general conclusions, the conclusions of previous researchers, and generally accepted facts. Thus, most of the Introdcution and some of the Discussion will written in the present tense.
• Abbreviations other than those recommended by the IUPAC-IUB (Biochemical Nomenclature and Related Documents, 1992) should be used only when a case can be made for necessity, such as in tables and figures. Abbreviations should not be used if they do not appear more than three times in the manuscript.
• Note that it is often possible to use pronouns or to paraphrase a long word after its first use (e.g., "the drug" or "the substrate").
• Standard metric units are used for reporting length, weight, and volume. For these units and for molarity, use the prefixes m, µ, n, and p for 10–3, 10–6, 10–9, and 10–12, respectively. Likewise, use the prefix k for 103. Avoid compound prefixes such as mµ or µµ. Use µg/ml or µg/g in place of the ambiguous ppm. Units of temperature are presented as follows: 37°C or 324 K.
• When fractions are used to express units such as enzymatic activities, it is preferable to use whole units, such as "g" or "min," in the denominator instead of fractional or multiple units, such as µg or 10 min.
• Always report numerical data in the appropriate SI units.
• For style queries, consult the ASM Style Manual for Journals (American Society for Microbiology, 2010, in-house document) and How To Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 6th ed. (Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 2006).

Letters:

• These can be no more than 500 words, must be double-spaced and should refer to a recently published item.
• Letters do not have abstracts, but must have a title and figures/tables should be kept to a minimum.