Protein Science publishes full-length original research papers as well as several other types of articles.

Full-Length Papers must report new findings that lead to significant advances in our understanding of the proteins of interest. The investigation should be at a point at which the major objectives have been accomplished and the findings can be convincingly presented in a concise article. Only the definitive evidence required to support the authors’ points should be presented; ancillary supporting data, if needed, should be deposited in the electronic supplement. Since Protein Science has contractual limitations on the number of pages it prints each year, it is very important that the articles be as concise as possible. Published full-length articles should not exceed about 5000 words of text plus a total of 10 figures, tables, or combination thereof. This corresponds to about 11 pages in the journal. It also corresponds to a submitted double-spaced manuscript with references, tables and figures not exceeding 30 pages.

Accelerated Communications are intended to provide an outlet for brief papers of exceptional importance and timeliness. The criteria for acceptance will be considerably more stringent than for full papers, and there will be a limit of 2,500 words in the body of the manuscript plus a maximum of four figures, tables, or combination thereof. The work must be complete and stand on its own merits. Accelerated Communications will be reviewed by one of the Editors and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board; every effort will be made to reach a decision within three weeks. The decision will be Accept or Reject (except for minor corrections), and accepted articles will be published in the next available issue of the journal. Manuscripts that exceed the size limits will be returned without review. The format may be continuous prose or divided into the traditional sections. All other procedures will be according to the Instructions for Authors.

Protein Structure Reports will be brief descriptions of new protein structures determined under Structural Genomics or other initiatives, typically not exceeding three to four printed pages in the journal (i.e. the complete submitted manuscript should not exceed about 10 pages including double-spaced text plus figures). As is the case for all articles published in Protein Science, Protein Structure Reports will be expected to include either novel biological or structural insights, or information that will be of interest to the readership of the journal. Because these articles will be very concise, the criteria may be relaxed somewhat relative to those that apply to full-length articles. In this context, authors may choose to describe several structures in a single report, in which case the relevance of the groups as a whole can be taken into consideration. In submitting multi-structure reports authors will be given discretion in including additional figures and text. Typically, these reports will be refereed by one or more members of our editorial staff. A decision to publish or not to publish will be made within two weeks or as soon thereafter as possible. Reports should contain a short abstract and keywords. Introductory and background material should be kept as brief as possible. Results and Discussion sections can be separate or combined. The Reports will typically include two figures and one table. One of the figures will be a stereo diagram showing the overall fold of the protein. Residue numbering will be included so that the path of the chain can be readily followed. For structures determined by NMR, this figure should show an ensemble of approximately 20 independently-derived backbone structures. The second, optional, figure may highlight a biologically-relevant or other interesting aspect of the structure. For structures determined by X-ray crystallography, the table will present data collection and refinement statistics, including the resolution and completeness of the data with agreement between equivalent intensity measurements. Statistics for the outer shell of data will also be given. The number of residues included in the refinement will be stated together with the number of solvent molecules, bound ions, and the like. Average B-factors for protein, solvent, and other atoms should be quoted. Values of the crystallographic R-factor and R_free will be stated together with the discrepancy of the model from expected stereochemistry. The distribution of the Ramachandran angles among the categories defined by Laskowski et al. [Laskowski, R.A., MacArthur, M.W., Moss, D.S., and Thornton, J.M. (1993) J. Appl. Cryst. 26: 283-291] should be stated. For structures determined by NMR the number of distance or other restraints should be given together with the average departure from the value of the restraint. The discrepancies of the average structure from idealized geometry should also be summarized together with the distribution of the Ramachandran angles. Coordinates of all structures reported are to be deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Authors will also be expected to deposit X-ray structure factors. Coordinates and structure factors are to be released no later than the date of publication of the Report.

For the Record articles are intended to enable the publication of an interesting and important observation that should be in the literature. Articles reporting “one experiment” that are clearly part of a larger investigation are not appropriate. Similarly, success with a procedure that is not guaranteed to produce results (i.e., crystallization of a protein) is not appropriate unless the authors have employed novel approaches that will be applicable to other systems and thus are of interest to a broader audience. The information must stand on its own merits. Manuscripts submitted to “For the Record” should contain a short abstract and keywords, and introduction and discussion sections (separate or combined) for a maximum of three journal pages (2500 words) in length. A single illustration conveying essential information, such as a protein sequence, is encouraged.

Reviews are intended to familiarize the general reader with the current status and future trends of rapidly evolving topics of current interest. Authors interested in submitting a Review should first send a letter of inquiry stating the title, scope, and tentative outline of the proposed article. We aim for an average length for Review articles of about eight printed pages and more concise manuscripts are encouraged (i.e. the complete submitted manuscript including figures and double-space text not to exceed about 30 pages). Reviews may also be solicited by the editorial staff. Reviews should include an Abstract of no more than 250 words and four to six keywords or short phrases for indexing. Reviews will be subject to evaluation similar to that for other contributions. Page charges are waived for invited reviews.

Recollections (usually by invitation) are historical reviews that are intended to give an overview of how the understanding of an interesting topic in Protein Science developed, including protein structure, protein properties, and general or specific biological roles of proteins. A contribution may be based largely on personal participation in research or may give a perspective of how knowledge in an area developed. The anecdotal accounts are intended to give insight and background usually lacking in conventional scientific papers. They may have an autobiographical flavor. Recollections can vary in length, with no specified format other than that a title, author’s name and affiliation, and a brief biographical sketch should be included. Usually figures and tables are not necessary but if included should have titles and legends. Inclusion of a few selected references is optional. One or more photographs may add interest. If a photograph has been previously published, written permission for its use must be included.

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