Original Research: Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery

A guide for authors submitting to the Expert Collection

Scope of Original Research articles

Contributions about drug discovery are welcomed in the form of:

  • Studies leading to new leads and reduced attrition rates (e.g. drug design and optimization studies).

  • Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) Studies.

  • In vivo and in vitro studies, including animal models.

  • Screening, assays, knockout studies, and gene expression/function studies.

Prior publication

Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery will only consider work that has not been previously published in full. Abstracts, posters, oral presentations or pre-prints do not constitute prior publication, but must be disclosed in the covering letter and included as a footnote on the manuscript title page.

Covering letter requirements

The covering letter should include:

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  • The name and contact details (telephone, fax, postal and email addresses) of the corresponding author who will deal with the comments from reviewers and approve final proofs.

  • A statement that the contribution represents original work that has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere.

  • A statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, and that all the con­ditions as previously stated by the ICMJE have been met.

  • The body providing explicit ethical approval for the work reported.

  • A statement confirming that the submission represents original work not previously published elsewhere.

  • A statement of financial or other relationships of a declarable nature (i.e., commercial associations that might lead to a conflict of interest), including disclosure of sources of support in the form of sponsorship, grants, materials (drugs) or equipment, and editorial or manuscript support. In case there are no disclosures of a declarable nature, or acknowledgements for financial or editorial support, this should be clearly stated.

  • Declaration of the utilization of AI tools, including the tool name, version number, and purpose of use.

All complete submissions will be acknowledged by the Editorial Office upon receipt. Please note that manuscripts without a covering letter will not be considered as ‘complete’ submissions.

Manuscript format

Manuscripts submitted should be in English, using US spellings, and written for an international readership who are either in or interested in preclinical drug discovery. Where national or regional issues are discussed, the international context should also be considered. When a licensed drug or device is being discussed outside its licensed indication, this must be made clear to the reader.

When submitting your manuscript, please also remember to have:

  • Double-spaced with numbered pages.

  • Simple layout (house style will be applied during production).

Every article must contain

Title page

All articles should have a concise, informative title that contains no brand names. In addition to the title itself, the title page should also have the name(s) and initials of all the authors and their institutional affiliation(s). The name of the corresponding author and their mailing address should be given in full, including email, telephone and fax numbers. Should any of the material contained in the paper have been previously presented at a meeting, the full name, location and inclusive dates of the meeting should also appear on the title page. Authors are to avoid using trade names in their titles and are encouraged to have non-promotional titles for their articles.

Abstract

The second page should contain a brief, structured abstract of the paper (no more than 200 words) summarizing the main facts, findings and principal conclusions. Suggested headings:

  • Background (including the reason for the study).

  • Research design and methods (including study population and setting, study blinding, comparators, dosage, treatment regimens and durations, efficacy and safety issues); Main outcome measures.

  • Results (both efficacy results and adverse events should be given).

  • Conclusions (qualified by any key limitations).

No references are to be cited in the Abstract. Please bear in mind that the Abstract needs to accurately reflect the content of the article and that the aim of the Abstract is to draw in the interested reader.

Keywords

4–6 keywords, listed in alphabetical order to assist indexers.

Body of the article

This should include the following sections: introduction; materials and methods; results; discussion; conclusions.

  1. Introduction
    State the relevance and background of the study.

  2. Research design and methods
    This section should provide a detailed description of the experimental procedures, including the study setting and design. All materials used should be precisely identified, with drugs referred to by their generic names; proprietary names, if necessary, should be included in parentheses along with the manufacturer’s name and country. Ethical approval procedures should be clearly stated, including the name of the approving ethics committee. For studies involving animals, authors must confirm that all procedures complied with relevant laws and institutional guidelines, with appropriate committee approval. Animal experiments should adhere to ARRIVE guidelines and applicable regulations, such as the U.K. Animals Act, EU Directive, or U.S. Public Health Service Policy. Any chemicals, procedures, or equipment presenting unusual hazards must be clearly disclosed. Additionally, authors should ensure compliance with privacy.

  3. Results
    Present findings clearly, using tables and figures, where appropriate, to help with the clear presentation of results data. The sample size of each data point should be shown, with p-values and confidence intervals quoted for significant findings. Any data not included in the analysis should also be detailed. Details of data on efficacy and adverse events should be provided in a balanced fashion.

  4. Discussion
    Authors should give discussion to the results and experimental data collected. This section should include implications of the findings and their limitations, with reference to all other relevant studies and the possibilities these suggest for future research. In addition, the discussion affords authors the opportunity to discuss the developments that are likely to be important in the future and the avenues of research likely to become exciting as further studies yield more detailed results. Authors should discuss the implications of their findings and suggest directions for future research.

  5. Conclusions
    This section must summarize the paper, with a concise statement of the clinical implications of the study results. Ensure that extrapolations are reasonable and that conclusions are justified by the data presented. Indicate if the study design can be generalized to a broader patient population.

Acknowledgements: This must include any declaration of interest by the authors, including grants, fellowships or any commercial assistance or financial sponsorship received. It should also list any affiliation(s), organization(s) or entity(ies) that are relevant to the work reported. Some or all of this information may be published at the discretion of the Editor. Any contributions to the research, data analysis or assistance in manuscript preparation must also be acknowledged in this section.

Author contributions: Authors should briefly highlight which author(s) were involved in the conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of the data; the drafting of the paper or revising it critically for intellectual content; and the final approval of the version to be published; and that all authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

References: Full references to relevant material cited in the text should be provided. References should be comprehensive, accurate and up to date: wherever possible, please use primary references, and as far as possible, avoid the use of unpublished references (such as ‘Data on file’ or ‘Poster’). Reference to unpublished data should be kept to a minimum and authors must obtain a signed letter of permission from cited persons to use unpublished results or personal communications in the manuscript.

Important note

This journal focuses on preclinical drug discovery research. Clinical study work and clinical trial data are not required or expected for submissions.