Guidelines for authors

1. CHECKLIST FOR SUBMISSION PREPARATION

To ensure a fair and timely evaluation, the journal requests that authors carefully verify that their submission complies with all the requirements detailed below. Compliance with these guidelines is essential to guarantee the quality of publications and streamline the review process.

Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in the rejection of the article without exception.

Originality and exclusivity. The article is an original work, does not infringe copyright, and is submitted exclusively to this journal. It has not been previously published nor submitted to another publication.
Formats and files. Two separate files (cover page and manuscript) have been prepared in the original language of the article (Spanish or English), strictly following the formats available in the author guidelines section. Both files are submitted in Microsoft Word format and have been completed in full.
Content and presentation. The manuscript includes all figures and tables in editable color format, inserted within the text to facilitate comprehension. All cited references include their corresponding DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or web address whenever possible.
Blind review. The manuscript has been fully anonymized in accordance with the journal’s guidelines to ensure a fair and impartial double-blind peer review process.
Authorization for the processing of personal data. By submitting the manuscript to the journal, authors agree to comply with the parameters of the editorial process, the journal’s ethical and quality guidelines, and all other applicable regulations.
Additional declarations. The use of artificial intelligence tools, if applicable, as well as any potential conflicts of interest, have been transparently disclosed.

2. AUTHOR GUIDELINES

1) Required Files for Submission

Cover Page
Manuscript

2) Style Guide

a. Word limit

Submitted research articles must have a minimum length of 6,000 words and a maximum of 8,000 words (excluding abstract and references).

b. Font and size

The text, tables, and illustrations must be presented in Arial 12-point font.

c. Line spacing and margins

The text must use 1.5 line spacing with 3 cm margins on all sides.

d. Citation standards

The journal uses the VANCOUVER referencing system, latest edition.

e. Heading levels

First level: left-aligned heading, bold, sentence case, 14-point font.
Second level: left-aligned heading, bold, sentence case, 12-point font.
Third level: paragraph heading, bold and italicized, sentence case, 12-point font.

f. Explanatory notes

Footnotes should be used sparingly and only to provide brief and essential explanations that complement the main text but are not fundamental to understanding the argument.

g. Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be used sparingly and follow internationally approved nomenclature for the respective discipline. They must be defined the first time they appear in the text and consistently used thereafter to refer to the respective term. They should not appear at the beginning of a sentence, nor in the title, and their use in the abstract should be avoided.

h. Equations

If the article includes equations, they must be aligned to the left margin and numbered consecutively within each section. The use of specialized equation editors such as LaTeX, MathType, or the integrated Microsoft Word equation editor is recommended to ensure correct visualization of mathematical symbols. The meaning of each symbol used in the equations must be clearly explained in the text.

i. Tables and figures

Tables and charts shall be referred to as tables. They must be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they are first cited in the text, and each must be assigned a brief title. The title should appear at the top of the table and the notes at the bottom (explanations should not be added in the heading, but rather in the footnotes). Symbols for units must appear in the column headings. The following order of symbols should be used in table footnotes: *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, **, §§, ††, ‡‡.

Photographs, graphs, drawings, and diagrams are referred to as figures. They must be numbered according to the order of appearance, and their captions should appear at the bottom. The staining technique and magnification used must be indicated at the end of microphotograph captions. All figures must have sufficient sharpness and contrast to ensure proper reproduction. If a figure or table has been previously published, written permission from the publisher is required, and the original publication must be acknowledged. If photographs of individuals are used, written permission must be obtained. The Editorial Committee of BIOCIENCIAS reserves the right to limit the number of figures and tables.

j. Images, maps, and illustrations

All images must have a minimum resolution of 600 dpi and be submitted in color. Maps must include a legend, cardinal directions, and scale where appropriate. Illustrations subject to copyright restrictions require explicit legal authorization, which must be attached to the originality and copyright transfer declaration form.

k. Units of measurement

All measurements must be expressed using the International System of Units (SI), with conventional units indicated in parentheses where appropriate. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume must be expressed in metric units (meter, kilogram, liter) or their decimal multiples and submultiples. Temperatures must be given in degrees Celsius and blood pressure in millimeters of mercury.

3. SUBMISSION PREPARATION

All submissions consist of two separate files, in the original language of the article (Spanish or English), which can be downloaded through the following links: cover page and manuscript. They must be submitted exclusively through the Open Journal System (OJS) platform in compliance with the journal’s style guide.

Cover Page File

The cover page file must be prepared in Microsoft Word, letter size format, and must contain the following information:

Author information. Full names of all authors (maximum of four), institutional affiliations (university or organization), institutional email addresses (excluding commercial services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc.), and individual ORCID identifiers. Each author must have an individual, visible, and updated ORCID code. If they do not have one, it may be generated through the following link. Each author must also provide a brief summary of their academic background and research interests (maximum 50 words).
Article type. The article typology must be clearly specified.
Conflict of interest statement. Authors must declare whether there are any conflicts of interest that may influence the results or publication of the article, whether due to personal, professional, or financial relationships. A conflict of interest arises when it biases or influences the conclusions, results, or any aspect of the research, or compromises copyright or editorial decisions. For further information, consult the journal’s ethics and quality guidelines at the following link.
Funding. The funding source supporting the research must be indicated, including the reference code where applicable.
Academic acknowledgments (optional). Acknowledgments may include sponsoring institutions, collaborators, reviewers, translators, and any other support received for the research.

Manuscript File

The manuscript file must be prepared in Microsoft Word, letter size format, and must contain the following information:

Title (Spanish and English). It must contain a maximum of 15 words and clearly and attractively describe the main topic of the article and the approach used.
Abstract (Spanish and English). The abstract must contain a maximum of 150 words and clearly and concisely present the main points of the article. At a minimum, it must include the general objective of the research, the methodology used, the most relevant results, and the main conclusions.
Keywords (Spanish and English). A maximum of five keywords, arranged alphabetically and separated by semicolons, that accurately describe the content of the article. These keywords should be relevant, specific, and preferably included in the UNESCO thesaurus available through the following link.
Introduction. This section must contextualize the research by presenting the research problem and its relevance. The main research question must be stated and the importance of addressing it justified.
Theoretical framework. This section should develop the theoretical framework supporting the research. The main theories and concepts related to the topic must be reviewed, and their relationship to the research question established.
Methodology. This section must describe in detail the research design, the selected population or sample, the data collection instruments used, and the procedure followed for data analysis. Where applicable, approval by the ethics committee of the participating institutions must be included.
Results. This section presents the findings obtained from the research. Tables, graphs, or figures should be used to illustrate the results clearly and concisely.
Discussion. This section interprets the results obtained, relating them to the theoretical framework and the research question. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings must be discussed. In addition, the study’s limitations should be identified and future lines of research proposed.
Conclusions. This section should summarize the main conclusions reached in the research and highlight the contribution of the study to existing knowledge in the field.
References. References must follow the VANCOUVER style, identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses and listed consecutively according to the order of first appearance in the text. The reference list must be organized strictly according to the order of appearance in the text, on a separate page, and never alphabetically.

Additional Considerations

Citations. Direct quotations of fewer than 40 words must appear within double quotation marks (“”). If a quotation is included within another quotation, single quotation marks (‘’) must be used. Omissions in the text should be indicated by ellipses in parentheses (...). Quotations longer than 40 words must appear in a separate paragraph, indented five spaces, in 11-point font, and without quotation marks.
Foreign languages. Words and phrases in foreign languages must appear in italics. If necessary, a translation may be included in parentheses.
Anonymity. To ensure a fair and impartial peer review process, the manuscript must be completely anonymous. Authors must remove any indication that may identify them, including their name, institutional affiliation, or any other personal reference. This includes removing personal acknowledgments and any detail that may reveal the identity of the authors.