Go to journal home page - Biomedical and Environmental Sciences

Guide for authors

Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, an international journal with emphasis on scientific findings in China, publishes articles dealing with biologic and toxic effects of environmental pollutants on man and other forms of life. The effects may be measured with pharmacological, biochemical, pathological, and immunological techniques. The journal also publishes reports dealing with the entry, transport, and fate of natural and anthropogenic chemicals in the biosphere, and their impact on human health and well-being. Papers describing biochemical, pharmacological, pathological, toxicological and immunological studies of pharmaceuticals (biotechnological products) are also welcome.

Original papers only will be considered. Manuscripts are accepted for review with the understanding that the same work has not been published, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and its submission for publication has been approved by all of the authors and by the institution where the work was carried out; further, that any person cited as a source of personal communication has approved such citation. Written authorization may be required at the Editor's discretion. Articles and any other material published in Biomedical and Environmental Sciences represent the opinions of the authors and should not be construed to reflect the opinions of the Editor(s) or the Publisher.

Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that if it is accepted for publication, copyright in the article, including the right to reproduce the article in all forms and media, shall be assigned exclusively to the Publisher. The Publisher will not refuse any reasonable request by the author for permission to reproduce any of his or her contributions to the journal.

Submission of Manuscript. Manuscripts should be submitted in duplicate (one original and one clear copy), including two sets of original figures of good-quality glossy prints to: Ms. AI-YUN MA, Director of the Editorial Office of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nanwei Road, Beijing 100050, China. Telephone: 86-10-63026230. Fax: 86-10-63026230. E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected] Website:www.besjournal.com

All copies of halftone artwork must be glossy prints or originals; photocopies of halftones do not show sufficient detail to be used for the review process.

Form. Articles should be concise and in English. Manuscripts should be typewritten and doublespaced throughout ( including tables, footnotes, references and figure captions); the original typescript should be prepared on one side of a good grade of 8.5?11 in. (21.6?27.9 cm) white paper, with 1 in. (2.5 cm) margins on all sides. Mimeographed or duplicated manuscripts will be accepted only if they are indistinguishable from good typed copies. All pages should be numbered consecutively, including references, tables, and figure legends.

Page 1 should contain the article title, author(s), affiliation(s), a short form of the title (less than 55 characters including letters and spaces), and the name and complete mailing address of the author to whom correspondence should be sent.

Page 2 should contain a structured abstract (about 200 words) which include four parts entitled: Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion. The structured abstract should describe concisely the substantive content and the conclusions reached. Since the abstract will also be used by abstracting services, it must be self-contained, having no references to formulas, equations, or bibliographic citations that appear in the body of the manuscript.

Standards. Use generic names of chemicals whenever possible. Proprietary names and trademarks should appear only to identify the source of the chemical and subsequently only the generic name should be used. All abbreviations and chemical names should follow the style of Chemical Abstracts.

All abbreviations, other than those for standard units, should be defined in the text or in a footnote. Abbreviations should be unpunctuated. A useful writing guide is the CBE Style Manual, 5th ed. published by the Council of Biology Editors, 60 Revere Drive, Suite 500 Northbrook, IL 60062, U.S.A.

Footnotes. Use footnotes only when absolutely necessary, in which case the footnotes should be typed consecutively, double-spaced, on a separate sheet of paper in order of their appearance, beginning with the article title, and identified by superscript Arabic number1,2, etc., in the list and in the text.

Tables and Figures. Tables and figures should be completely understandable even without reading the text. Photographs are desirable wherever necessary to substantiate and illuminate the text.

Tables. Number tables consecutively with Arabic numerals in order of their appearance in the text. Type each table, double-spaced throughout, on a separate sheet; avoid vertical lines. Supply a short descriptive title (typed above the table). Type table footnotes, lettereda,b, etc., directly below the appropriate table, not on a separate sheet.

Figures. Figures should be numbered with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. The author's name and the number of each figure should be written on the back of each figure in soft pencil. Wherever it may be ambiguous, the "top" should also be indicated (on the back of the figure). Type legends (double-spaced) together on a separate sheet.

It is essential that all illustrations be drawn with a lettering set or by an equivalent method in finished form ready for photoreproduction. Lettering on original drawings should be large enough to be legible after a reduction of 50 to 60 percent. Graphs should be plotted with black India ink on light blue coordinate paper, no larger than 8.5?11 in., with coordinates properly labeled; or they may be submitted as glossy prints. Grid lines that are to show in the final figure should be inked in black. Photographs and photomicrographs may be submitted as glossy prints (5?7 or 8?10 in.) and should not be marred by staples, paperclips, or pencil marks. Original drawings no larger than 8.5?11 in. are preferred.

Color illustrations will be acceptable only if the author is prepared to cover the cost of reproduction.

References. The references should be numbered in order of citation in the text, the number being placed in square brackets. All references should be listed in numerical order at the end of the text. Abbreviations of journal names should follow the style of Chemical abstracts Service Source Index, 1985. Examples of the proper format are:

1. Kolbye A C, JR, Carr C J (1984). The evaluation of the carcinogenicity of environmental substances. Regul. Toxiclo. Pharmacol 4, 350-354.
2. Schulte-Frohlinde D (1983). Kinetics and mechanism of polynucleotide and DNA strand break formation. In Radioprotectors and Anticarcinogens (O. F. Nygaard and M. G. Simic, Eds.), pp. 53-71. Academic Press, New York.
3. Shepard T H (1980). Catalog of Teratogenic Agents, 3rd ed. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore/ London.

Proofs. Proofs will be sent to the corresponding author, with a reprint price list and order form. Authors will be charged for excessive alterations.

Reprints. Fifty reprints of each article will be supplied free to the corresponding author. Additional reprints may be ordered using the form acco

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process.

Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed as an author or co-author, or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans, as outlined in Elsevier's AI policy for authors.

Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by following the instructions below. A statement will appear in the published work. Please note that authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

Disclosure instructions

Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript in the core manuscript file, before the References list. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled 'Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process'.


Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication.


This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.

Reporting guidance.For research involving or pertaining to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells, investigators should integrate sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) into their research design according to funder/sponsor requirements and best practices within a field. Authors should address the sex and/or gender dimensions of their research in their article. In cases where they cannot, they should discuss this as a limitation to their research's generalizability. Importantly, authors should explicitly state what definitions of sex and/or gender they are applying to enhance the precision, rigor and reproducibility of their research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer (see Definitions section below). Authors can refer to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the SAGER guidelines checklist. These offer systematic approaches to the use and editorial review of sex and gender information in study design, data analysis, outcome reporting and research interpretation - however, please note there is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and gender.


Definitions.Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and physiological features (e.g., chromosomal genotype, hormonal levels, internal and external anatomy). A binary sex categorization (male/female) is usually designated at birth ("sex assigned at birth"), most often based solely on the visible external anatomy of a newborn. Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities of women, men and gender-diverse people that occur in a historical and cultural context and may vary across societies and over time. Gender influences how people view themselves and each other, how they behave and interact and how power is distributed in society. Sex and gender are often incorrectly portrayed as binary (female/male or woman/man) and unchanging whereas these constructs actually exist along a spectrum and include additional sex categorizations and gender identities such as people who are intersex/have differences of sex development (DSD) or identify as non-binary. Moreover, the terms "sex" and "gender" can be ambiguous-thus it is important for authors to define the manner in which they are used. In addition to this definition guidance and the SAGER guidelines, the resources on this page offer further insight around sex and gender in research studies.