Original Research

Original Research articles report on primary and unpublished studies. Original Research may also encompass confirming studies and disconfirming results which allow hypothesis elimination, reformulation and/or report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Original Research articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish an Original Research article. Original Research articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Materials and Methods, 4) Results, 5) Discussion.

Review

Review articles cover topics that have seen significant development or progress in recent years, with comprehensive depth and a balanced perspective. Reviews should present a complete overview of the state of the art (and should not merely summarize the literature), as well as discuss the following: 1) Different schools of thought or controversies, 2) Fundamental concepts, issues, and problems, 3) Current research gaps, 4) Potential developments in the field. Review articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (A-type article) to publish a Review article. Review articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected in review or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content.

Mini Review

Mini Review articles cover focused aspects of a current area of investigation and its recent developments. They offer a succinct and clear summary of the topic, allowing readers to get up-to-date on new developments and/or emerging concepts, as well as discuss the following: 1) Different schools of thought or controversies, 2) Current research gaps, 3) Potential future developments in the field. Mini Reviews articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Mini Review article. Mini Review articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. Mini Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content.

Perspective

Perspective articles present a viewpoint on a specific area of investigation. They should provide the following: 1) Discuss current advances and future directions, 2) Clear presentation of the authors’ perspective, 3) Accurate presentation and citations of other authors’ work, 4) May include original data as well as personal insights and opinions. Perspective articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables. Authors are required to pay a fee (B-type article) to publish a Perspective article. Perspective articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion.

Opinion

Opinion articles allow authors to contribute viewpoints on the interpretation of recent findings in any research area, value of the methods used, as well as weaknesses and strengths of scientific hypotheses. They should abide to the following guidelines: not contain unpublished or original data, be supported by evidence, be fully referenced, encourage constructive discussion, refrain from emotionally-charged argumentation. Opinion articles are peer-reviewed and have a maximum word count of 2,000 and may contain no more than 1 Figure/Table. Authors are required to pay a fee (C-type article) to publish an Opinion article. Opinion articles should have the following format: 1) Introduction, 2) Subsections relevant for the subject, 3) Discussion.

Correction

Corrigendum/Addendum: should authors notice errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a correction online. The correction must detail the reason(s) for the error(s) and include only the elements (e.g. sections, sentence, figure) of the manuscript being revised or corrected. All authors of the original paper need to agree to the request for changes. The contribution to the field statement should be used to clearly state the reason for the Correction. Depending on the extent of the correction required, corrections may require peer review. Authors are informed that requests for changes beyond that described here may not be accepted for publication.

Erratum: should authors notice differences between their approved galley proofs and the final published article, thus leading to errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a request for erratum to the Frontiers Production Office (production.office@frontiersin.org), clearly specifying the error and the correct information.

Editorial

Editorials are submitted exclusively by the host editor(s) of a Frontiers Research Topic, to convey to the reader the aims and objectives of the research that pertains to the topic, as well as placing it in a broader context. The Editorial should present the contributing articles of the Research Topic but should not be a mere table of contents. As the final contributing article to the Research Topic, Editorials should be submitted once all expected articles have been accepted and published. Editorials should not include unpublished or original data and the inclusion of references is strongly encouraged. Editorial articles may contain 1 Figure and have a word count of 1,000 for Topics with 5-10 articles. The word limit can be increased for each additional article in the Topic, up to a maximum of 5,000 words for 50 articles or more. Topic editors are not required to pay a fee to publish an Editorial article. Submissions are required to have the title Editorial: "Title of Research Topic".

Specialty Grand Challenge

Specialty Grand Challenge articles are written by Specialty Chief Editors and aim to outline their vision of the current challenges in their field of research. Specialty Grand Challenge articles expose the major issues and expected developments in the field for the 21st century and help the readers to understand the scope of their specialty. Specialty Grand Challenge articles have a maximum word count of 2,000. Specialty Chief Editors are not required to pay a fee to publish a Specialty Grand Challenge article.