Information for Contributors

Last updated: Oct 8, 2026

This page sets out the types of articles Biology Insights publishes, the standards every article must meet and how to pitch. The standards apply from the moment you pitch; the rights terms under After publication apply once we accept your pitch.

Why write for us

Our articles are written by researchers, clinicians, educators and science writers, and every one is shaped by careful editing and checked against the research it describes. The quality of what we publish depends on the people who write for us. In return for your time and expertise, we offer the following:

Wider understanding of research. Most published research is read only by specialists. An article with us carries findings, and the reasoning behind them, to readers outside the field: students, teachers, clinicians, policymakers and the curious public. Articles stay online and searchable, so they continue to be found, shared and cited long after publication.
Careful, collaborative editing. An editor works with you from the first pitch to publication. They help sharpen the angle, tighten the structure and make technical ideas clear without stripping out nuance. Key claims are checked against your sources, and every health and medical article is read by an independent expert, so you can put your name to the finished piece with confidence. You see the final text, headline and summary before anything is published.
Efficient handling. We reply to every pitch, and editors work to agreed deadlines so that timely articles appear while the research is still in the news. When a piece is tied to a new study or a press embargo, we plan publication around that date.
Visibility and credit. Every article carries your byline, a short bio and a link to your work. We promote each new article to our readers, and you are welcome to share it with your own networks and list it in your professional profile.
Experience in public communication. Explaining research to non-specialists is a skill that funders, institutions and employers increasingly value. Working closely with an editor is a practical way to develop it, and each published article gives you a record of public engagement to point to.

What we publish

We publish five types of article. Editors commission some Perspectives and Deep Dives, but pitches for every type are welcome.

Type	What it is	Length (words)	Max figures
Explainer	Explains a recent study, or a small set of closely related studies: the question, the finding, why it matters and what remains uncertain. Includes claim checks.	800–1,500	2
Deep Dive	Brings together the evidence on a broader question, such as the state of a fast-moving field or an unresolved debate, drawing on reviews, meta-analyses and multiple studies.	1,500–2,500	4
Perspective	An argued view on a scientific or science-policy question, or a reflection on the history of a finding, by someone with relevant expertise. Supported by cited evidence and published as opinion.	800–1,200	1
Q&A	An edited interview with a researcher about their field or a notable result, with brief context written by the interviewer.	1,000–2,000	2
Field Notes	A personal account of doing science: a day in the lab or field, a turning point in a career, or an experience communicating research.	300–800	1

Articles may have up to two authors, or three for a Deep Dive.
Field Notes draw on your own experience and need sources only for factual claims. All other types must be based on published research (see Editorial standards).
We generally do not accept an Explainer or Deep Dive centered on a study you authored or collaborated on. You may write about your own work in a Perspective, with disclosure, or suggest yourself as the subject of a Q&A, and we will pair you with an interviewer.
If a topic needs more room than the range above, explain why in your pitch.
We do not publish original unpublished research, press releases, institutional promotion, product reviews or sponsored content.

How to pitch

First-time writers are welcome, and you may pitch outside your own field if you can show a solid grasp of the research. Before pitching, search biologyinsights.com to see what we have already covered, and read a few recent articles to get a feel for our style.

Send your pitch to [email protected]. Keep it under 300 words and include:

The article type and a working title.
Your main point in one or two sentences.
Links to the research you will draw on, and what your article adds to what has already been published.
Why the topic matters now. If it is tied to an embargo or a news event, give the date.
Your relevant background, with a writing sample if you have one.
Any potential conflict of interest (see Authorship and integrity).

We reply to every pitch within two weeks. If we pass, you are free to take the idea elsewhere. We may already be working on a similar idea, so a pass is not always a judgment on the pitch.

Pitches need not be exclusive, but tell us if the idea is under consideration elsewhere. Once we accept a pitch, the finished article must be original to us and not previously published, including on a personal blog.

Preparing your draft

If we accept your pitch, your editor will agree on the angle, length and deadline with you. Submit your draft as a .docx file or a shared Google Doc to [email protected]. A complete draft includes:

A suggested headline and a one- or two-sentence summary
Body text within the agreed length
A link or citation for each factual claim, so it can be traced to its source
A reference list with links or DOIs, in APA style
Figures with captions, alt text, and source or permission details
A bio of up to 50 words and, optionally, a headshot
A short declaration covering conflicts of interest (with a one-line disclosure statement for publication), any AI use and the originality of the work (see Authorship and integrity)

If a draft does not meet the agreed brief or the standards below, we may ask for revisions or decline it. If we decline, you are free to publish the article elsewhere.

Editorial standards

Evidence

Base your article on peer-reviewed research, and link to the original paper (by DOI where available) rather than only to news coverage.
Read the full paper, not just the abstract or press release.
Preprints may be used if they are labeled as not yet peer reviewed.
On health and medical topics, give the most weight to systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials and guidance from recognized health bodies, and use preprints only with clear caveats.

Accuracy

State the study type (for example, randomized trial, observational study, model, or lab study in cells or animals) and the sample size.
Do not present correlation as causation, or results in animals or cells as results in people.
Report effect sizes in context. Where risk is involved, give absolute numbers alongside relative change.
Address the limitations of the research: what it cannot tell us and what would need to happen next.
Note who funded the research when that bears on how the findings should be weighed.
Do not give individual medical, legal or financial advice.

Context and fairness

Explain where a finding sits within the wider body of evidence.
Where experts genuinely disagree, say so and explain why. Do not create false balance where they do not.
Flag to your editor any critical claims about named people, companies or institutions. Your editor will confirm each one is supported by your sources and may ask you to revise or remove it.

Interviews and people

Quotes must be accurate, attributed, and obtained directly or cited to a published source.
Tell interviewees they are on the record, and get their consent before recording. Keep your recordings or notes for six months after publication.
Sources may check their quotes and the facts attributed to them, but they do not approve the article. In a Q&A, the interviewee may check their answers for accuracy; editing choices rest with you and your editor.
Q&As are edited and condensed for length and clarity, and are labeled as such.
Do not identify patients or other private individuals in your article without their consent. Otherwise, remove details that could identify them.

Style

Write for an interested adult with no specialist training in biology.
Define technical terms on first use, or replace them with plain words.
Use short paragraphs, concrete examples and active voice.

Figures and images

Draw your own diagrams rather than copying them from papers.
If you plot a study’s data in your own design, a credit is enough, for example “Data from Smith et al., 2025.” If you reproduce a published figure or closely copy its design, you need permission from the rights holder and a credit such as “Adapted from…”.
To reuse a published photo, you must hold permission or show that it carries an open license, such as CC BY, and include the required attribution.
Photos of identifiable people, including patients, require their consent.
Do not alter scientific images in ways that change what they show. Label simplified diagrams as illustrations.
AI-generated images are accepted only with an editor’s approval in advance and a clear label.
Every figure needs a caption of up to 50 words and alt text. Editors may ask for the data behind any chart you made.
File requirements: PNG, JPG or SVG, at least 1,600 pixels wide.
Editors choose the header image for each article.

Authorship and integrity

Authorship. List everyone who made a substantial contribution to the writing. All authors must approve the draft. Ghostwritten articles are not accepted, and we work directly with the author rather than through a press office.

Original work. By submitting, you confirm that the article is your own original work, that you have the right to publish everything in it, and that it contains nothing defamatory or otherwise unlawful. Do not reuse substantial passages from your own published work; if you reuse a few sentences, tell your editor. Submissions may be checked for plagiarism.

Conflicts of interest. Disclose any financial interest (funding, employment, consulting, shares, patents) or personal or professional relationship related to the topic from the past three years. This includes interviewing a co-author, supervisor or collaborator for a Q&A. Include a one-line disclosure statement in your declaration; your editor may adjust it, and you will see the final wording before publication. You may also name anyone with a conflict who should not review your article. Some conflicts may mean we cannot accept the article. If an undisclosed conflict comes to light after publication, we may add an editor’s note, publish a correction or retract the article.

Use of AI tools. You may use AI tools for spelling, grammar, translation help or brainstorming. Do not use them to write any part of the article or to summarize research you have not read. AI-generated figures are accepted only with an editor’s approval in advance (see Figures and images). Do not enter embargoed or confidential material into AI tools. AI tools cannot be authors, you remain responsible for every word and claim, and any AI use must be described in your declaration. Use beyond spelling, grammar or translation help is noted on the published article.

Embargoes. If your article relies on embargoed material, follow the terms set by the journal or press service that provided it, and tell us the embargo date and time. We will not publish before it lifts.

Review and editing

Every accepted draft goes through these steps:

Edit. Your editor works with you on structure, clarity and length. Expect at least one round of revisions.
Expert read. Every health and medical article is checked for accuracy by an independent subject expert who is not involved in the research discussed. Editors may also send Deep Dives and other articles for an expert read.
Check. Editors check key claims in the final text against your sources. You may be asked for page numbers, data tables or the full text of a paper.
Your review. You will see the final text, headline and summary before publication, and have three business days to flag factual errors or misleading framing, including in the headline. If we do not hear back by then, we will proceed. Editors make the final decision on headlines, images and placement.
Publication. We will tell you the publication date and send you the link.

If you cannot agree to the final text, you may withdraw the article before publication.

Confidentiality. We treat pitches and drafts as confidential and ask anyone who reviews them to do the same.

Decisions and complaints. If you believe a decision about your pitch or article rested on a factual error, or you have a complaint about how it was handled, write to the decisions and complaints contact below.

After publication

Rights. You keep copyright in your article and grant Biology Insights an exclusive license to publish it for 90 days, then a non-exclusive license. After 90 days you may republish it elsewhere with a credit and a link to the original. You also allow us to grant other publications permission to republish your article during the 90-day exclusive period, and to let readers print, share and teach with it for non-commercial purposes as described in our Terms of Use.

Corrections. If you find an error in your article, tell your editor right away. If a clarification, correction or retraction is needed after publication, we will contact you before it is made. How each is handled and labeled is set out in our Editorial Policy. If research your article relies on is later corrected or retracted, we may ask you to help update the article.

Contact

For	Contact
Pitches	[email protected]
Drafts of accepted articles	[email protected]
Decisions and complaints	[email protected]
General questions	[email protected]