Journal of Enzymes · ISSN 2690-4829
Instructions for Authors
What to prepare, how to format it, what to declare, and how to send it. The limits and formats on this page are the ones the journal applies.
01 · What to write
Article types and limits
Word counts exclude references. They are the journal's working limits rather than absolute cut-offs: if your manuscript needs more room for a reason you can state, write to the editorial office before submitting.
| Type | Words | Abstract | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Research | 4,000–6,000 | 250 words, structured | New enzyme findings with methodology and mechanistic interpretation. |
| Review Article | 5,000–8,000 | 250 words | Analysis of an enzyme topic across the literature. A systematic review follows PRISMA. |
| Technical Note | 1,500–3,000 | 250 words | A new assay, purification protocol or analytical technique. |
| Short Communication | 1,500–2,500 | 250 words | A brief report of a finding that warrants early publication. |
These are the types the journal states it accepts. If your work does not fit one of them, describe it to the editorial office before preparing a manuscript rather than forcing it into the nearest category.
02 · Shape
Structure of the manuscript
Research manuscripts follow the conventional order. A review or a technical note uses the sections its argument needs; the title page, abstract, keywords, declarations and references are required of every type.
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Title page
A concise descriptive title of no more than 150 characters; full author names with affiliations and ORCID identifiers; and the corresponding author's contact details. The title page is a separate file.
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Abstract and keywords
A structured abstract of 250 words under Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions, followed by 4 to 6 keywords.
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Introduction
The context and rationale, the state of the relevant enzyme literature, and a clear statement of the objective.
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Methods
Enough detail for the work to be repeated: enzyme sources, expression systems, purification procedures, assay conditions, protein concentrations and buffer compositions.
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Results
The findings in a logical order with the statistical analysis that supports them, referring to figures and tables in sequence.
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Discussion
Interpretation against the existing literature, the mechanistic reading the data support, and the limitations of the study.
03 · Files
Formatting and files
Format for reading and for reviewing, not for typesetting: the journal handles production after acceptance.
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Manuscript file | Microsoft Word. Text, references, tables and figure legends in one file; figures separate. |
| Typeface and spacing | Times New Roman or Arial at 12 point, double-spaced throughout. |
| Pagination | Pages numbered consecutively, with continuous line numbers so reviewers can cite a line. |
| Units and abbreviations | SI units. Every abbreviation defined at first use. |
| Language | Clear, grammatical English. A manuscript may be edited before submission; editing is independent of the editorial assessment. |
| Supplementary files | Extended datasets, additional figures, detailed protocols and multimedia, each clearly labeled and cited in the text. They are assessed with the manuscript. |
A manuscript that departs substantially from these requirements may be returned for correction before it is sent for review.
04 · Display items
Figures and tables
A figure should be legible at the size it will be printed, and a table should carry what the text cannot.
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Figure files
Separate high-resolution files at a minimum of 300 dpi, in TIFF, JPEG, PNG or EPS. Number figures consecutively and give each a legend that can be read on its own.
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Scale and identification
Micrographs carry a scale bar. Structural figures state the PDB code of every structure shown.
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Tables
Submitted in editable form, not as images. Kinetic tables give units and error estimates, and abbreviations are defined in the table. A table should complement the text rather than repeat it.
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Material from other sources
A figure, table or substantial quotation taken from other work is included on the basis of an applicable license, permission from the rights holder where permission is required, or a lawful exception, and is attributed to its source in the caption. State the basis in the cover letter.
05 · Citation
References
Vancouver style, numbered in order of first appearance in the text, with a DOI wherever one exists. Cite the primary source in preference to a review of it.
- Journal article
1. Shersher E, Pardillo AD, Wang X. Disruption of hydrogen bonding network decreases catalytic diversity of chloroperoxidase. Enzymes. 2024;1(3):13–33. doi:10.14302/issn.2690-4829.jen-24-5291 - Book
2. Cornish-Bowden A. Fundamentals of Enzyme Kinetics. 4th ed. Weinheim: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012. - Chapter in a book
3. Author AB. Title of the chapter. In: Editor CD, editor. Title of the Book. 2nd ed. City: Publisher; 2019. p. 145–62. - Web page
4. IUBMB. Enzyme Nomenclature. [cited 2026 Sep 18]. Available from: https://iubmb.qmul.ac.uk/enzyme/ - Dataset or structure
5. Author AB, Author CD. Crystal structure of [enzyme]. Protein Data Bank; 2023. PDB ID: 1ABC. doi:10.2210/pdb1ABC/pdb - Preprint
6. Author AB. Title of the preprint. bioRxiv. 2025. doi:10.1101/2025.01.01.000000 - Trial registration
7. Title of the trial. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00000000. Registered 2024 Mar 4. Available from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT00000000
06 · The enzyme
Reporting enzyme work
Enzyme results depend on the conditions they were measured under. These are the details a reader needs before a number means anything, and the ones reviewers ask for most often.
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Nomenclature
Follow IUBMB enzyme nomenclature and give the EC number of every characterized enzyme. A newly described enzyme is named by the reaction it catalyzes, following the established conventions.
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Kinetic parameters
Report Km, Vmax and kcat with standard errors, over a substrate range appropriate to the parameter being determined. State temperature, pH and ionic conditions, the fitting method, and the software used. Give the units and describe the controls.
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Enzyme preparation
State purity and how it was assessed, stability under the assay conditions, and the protein determination method.
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Recombinant expression
Host organism, vector, promoter and purification tags; induction conditions and cell density; yield and how purity was assessed.
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Mutagenesis
The method used and confirmation of each mutation by sequencing, with effects on activity, stability and kinetic parameters reported against the wild type measured under identical conditions.
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Structures
Deposit coordinates in the PDB, and cryo-EM maps in EMDB with resolution estimates, before acceptance. Include data-collection and refinement statistics tables following community standards.
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Sequences
Deposit sequences in GenBank or UniProt before acceptance and give the accession numbers in the final manuscript.
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Immobilized enzymes
Support material, attachment chemistry, loading efficiency and retained activity, with operational stability and reusability data and the conditions under which they were measured.
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Computational work
Software and versions, force fields, simulation parameters, convergence criteria and sampling adequacy, with validation metrics. Deposit input files and scripts in a repository that issues a persistent identifier.
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Substrate scope and biotransformation
Report relative rates or specificity constants with their statistics across the panel tested. Biotransformation studies report conversion, product characterization, stereochemical analysis where relevant, and time-course data.
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Statistics
Describe the methods in enough detail to be verified, name the software, report exact p-values and confidence intervals, and state the number of replicates and what the error bars represent.
07 · Checklists
Reporting guidelines by study design
Where a study design has an established reporting guideline, follow it and submit its checklist with the manuscript. Most enzyme manuscripts need none of these; they apply when the work takes one of the designs below.
| Guideline | Applies to |
|---|---|
| CONSORT | Randomized controlled trials. |
| STROBE | Observational studies — cohort, case-control and cross-sectional. |
| PRISMA | Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. |
| CARE | Case reports. |
| STARD | Diagnostic accuracy studies, including enzyme-based assays used diagnostically. |
| ARRIVE | Studies involving live animals. |
| MIAME or MINSEQE | Microarray and high-throughput sequencing experiments. |
08 · Declarations
Ethics, data and declarations
Every manuscript carries these statements, including where there is nothing to declare.
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Ethics approval
Work with animals, human participants or human material states the approving committee and the approval number in the Methods, with documented informed consent where participants are involved.
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Clinical trials
Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
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Data availability
Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement.
Say where the data are and under what conditions: structures in the PDB, sequences in GenBank or UniProt, and other datasets in a repository that issues a persistent identifier. Where a restriction applies, explain it and say how the data may be obtained.
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Author contributions
A contributor statement using the CRediT taxonomy. Every listed author meets the ICMJE authorship criteria; others are named in the acknowledgments with their contribution described.
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Conflicts of interest
Funding with grant numbers, employment and consultancy, patent and licensing interests, equity and paid advisory roles.
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Use of artificial-intelligence tools
An AI tool cannot be an author. Where such a tool was used in preparing the manuscript, disclose it and what it was used for; the authors remain accountable for the content.
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Originality
The work is original and is not under consideration elsewhere. Submissions are screened for similarity, and the report is read by an editor in context. A preprint posted before submission is welcome and is not prior publication.
09 · Anonymized files
Preparing for double-blind review
Review is single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. If you request it, prepare the files this way.
For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Remember the places identity hides: the file properties of the document, self-citations written in the first person, and the names of deposited datasets or structures.
10 · Sending it
Submitting, and what happens next
Send a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief with the manuscript. It should say what the work shows and why it suits this journal, confirm that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere, name any reviewers you suggest or ask the journal to avoid, and disclose competing interests.
Three routes are available. Use whichever suits you.
- Primary route: ManuscriptZone oap.manuscriptzone.net
- Alternative route: Simple manuscript submission form openaccesspub.org/manuscript-submission-form
- Assisted route: Editorial email [email protected]
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
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Screening
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
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Review
Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request.
Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
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Revision
Address every reviewer comment in a point-by-point response, mark the changes in the manuscript using tracked changes, and explain any comment you disagree with rather than passing over it. Revisions are expected within 60 days.
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Decision
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
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Acceptance and publication
On acceptance the manuscript goes into production and the article processing charge is invoiced. You will be asked to approve a proof before publication. What the charge is, and what it covers, is on Article Processing Charges.
11 · Before you send
Final checklist
- The article type is chosen and the manuscript is within its word limit.
- Title page is a separate file, with ORCID identifiers and the corresponding author.
- Structured abstract of 250 words, and 4 to 6 keywords.
- Double-spaced, 12 point, with page and line numbers.
- Figures are separate files at 300 dpi or better, with legends in the manuscript.
- Tables are editable, with units and error estimates.
- References are Vancouver style, numbered in order, with DOIs.
- EC numbers, assay conditions and kinetic parameters with errors are reported.
- Structures, maps and sequences are deposited and accession numbers are given.
- Ethics approval, trial registration and consent are stated where they apply.
- Data-availability statement, CRediT contributions and competing interests are included.
- Any reporting-guideline checklist is attached.
- An anonymized manuscript is prepared if you are requesting double-blind review.
- Cover letter is written, and you are using one submission route only.
Before preparing a manuscript, check the fit: Aims and Scope. Policy obligations are in Editorial Policies.
Questions: [email protected]
Journal of Enzymes · ISSN 2690-4829 · Open Access Pub