How we work

All EMBO Press journals have the ten-point Transparent Publishing Process at their core:

1. Transparent review
   Referee reports are published in full for each paper but without attribution. There are no confidential comments, and authors can exclude referees to eliminate potential bias.
2. Fast process
   Editorial decisions on average within a week, referee comments within a month, publication possible in 2 weeks.
3. Straightforward submission
   No journal-specific formatting is required at submission.
4. Scooping protection
   Similar findings published by others during review or revision are not a criterion for rejection.
5. Referee cross-commenting
   Referees comment on one another’s reports before the editor makes a decision, ensuring balanced discussion of the work’s merits.
6. Single round
   Papers rarely undergo more than one major round of revision; more than 90% of invited revisions are published.
7. Informed evaluation
   Detailed editorial decisions supported by the Editorial Board. Authors can discuss manuscripts with editors at any stage.
8. Manuscript transfers
   Authors can select to transfer manuscripts with referee reports between the EMBO Press journals.
9. SourceData
   Authors can publish source data to support the figures within their article. The supplementary information section is replaced by the ‘Expanded View’ rendering of a paper with all figures displayed in the body of the text.
10. Cite the source
    Reference to specific findings should cite research papers rather than reviews. Journals have unlimited reference lists.