Glycobiology Insights

Aims and Scope

Glycobiology Insights is an open access, peer reviewed electronic journal focussing on all aspects of glycosidases, glycosyltransferases, glycolipids, lectins, lectin ligands, and protein-carbohydrate interactions in normal functions and disease states.

Protein-carbohydrate interactions play significant roles in mediating cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions interactions, which in turn, modulate fundamental biological processes such as growth development, immune functions, and apoptosis. Thus, the identification of these carbohydrate-binding proteins (known as lectins) and their partners (carbohydrate ligands), and the detailed understanding the molecular mechanisms and downstream effects of these protein-carbohydrate interactions as well as the carbohydrate modulation by glycosidases and glycosyltransferases are currently subjects of intense research.

Glycobiology Insights seeks to be the most timely journal for those who need to be up to date with the latest and most important developments in the field.  The journal offers high-speed and credible submission processing to authors.  At a time when institutional libraries are aggressively cutting subscriptions to conventional journals, by publishing in the open access format authors are able to reach the widest possible group of authors.

Standard Author Services

The journal distinguishes itself from others in the field by combining individualized author service with editorial integrity and procedural efficiency.  At every stage authors will be introduced to the staff member responsible for their paper and will receive procedural explanations and regular status updates.  The progress of authors’ papers is continually monitored by staff, and a staff member is always available to answer authors' questions.  This is reflected in our consistently positive author testimonials. 

• Submission to first editorial decision including rigorous, expert peer review in average four weeks

• Rapid publication in two to four weeks after acceptance

• No deadlines for corrections to typeset proofs

• Paper announcement after publication through scholarly databases, social media, and opted-in newsletters

• Open access visibility and flexibility with no restrictions on author archiving

• CC-BY-NC licensing to prohibit unrestricted commercial re-use, CC-BY available on request

• Article level usage metrics (in beta)

• Permanent availability by leading institutional libraries under CLOCKSS and LOCKSS systems

• Proactive, professional journal staff

Optional Author Services

• Discounted article reprints

• English proof reading

• Pre-submission paper-matching and editor in chief consultation

• Pre-peer review language polishing and paper formatting

• Video abstracts

• Ebook on enhancing article visibility

• Social media promotion

Current Article Processing Fees

As an open access journal authors are charged an article processing fee after acceptance for publication by the editor in chief or associate editor.  Fees do not vary based on factors like word count or use of color images, and there is no fee charged upon submission.  Current fees are given below:

• Authors in North America: US$1699

• Authors in Japan: ¥199,500

• Authors in other countries: €1119

More information on article processing fees and availability of waivers and discounts are available on the article processing fees webpage.

Manuscript Types and Preparation Guidelines

Information on manuscript types accepted for peer review and guidelines for manuscript preparation are available here.  A manuscript template, sample manuscript, and pre-submission check list are available here.

Editorial Policies

All articles are subject to blind independent peer review by reviewers drawn from the journal's editorial board, volunteer peer reviewer pool, and where necessary from Pubmed.  Pubmed is used where specialized expertise is unavailable from the other sources.  Two to four peer reviewers will be used.  Editorial decisions are made by independent editors in chief or associate editors. The editorial process from peer review to first editorial decision takes three to four weeks following acceptance of each paper for peer review.

In the open access business model many editorial decisions result in a fee payment to the publisher.  Because of this we maintain a strict distinction between editorial decisions, made by editors in chief or associate editors, and business decisions.  Libertas does not make nor attempt to influence editorial decisions.  Editorial decision makers receive no incentives to make decisions leading to fee payments.

The journal is committed to high standards of integrity.  Authors are required to confirm their compliance with ethical and legal requirements upon submission.  Prior to publication all authors must provide signed confirmation of compliance. Where concerns arise the journal will apply the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines on ethical matters.

Frequency of Publication

Articles are published upon completion of production.

Citing Articles

Article citations follow this format:

Authors: Title.  Journal [year]:[volume] [first page]-[last page]

Open Access

This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution.  Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.  This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Inquiries 

Correspondence should be sent to .  Contact details for Libertas staff are available here.

Additional Information for Authors

• Manuscript preparation and submission requirements

• Monitoring the status of papers under review

• More information on standard and optional services for authors