Focus and Scope

Hypotheses in the Life Sciences is an open access journal fostering exchange of genuinely new and challenging hypotheses about how biology works. We publish original papers presenting new, sometimes radical insights that explain biological processes or mechanisms which are relevant to a wide range of life science researchers. While most of the biological literature focuses on the accumulation of data or its statistical analysis,  Hypotheses in the Life Sciences publishes the rigorous product of human creativity and analysis in topics such as

• mechanisms of cellular control and interaction
• chemical processes in biological systems
• evolutionary explanations for current biological systems
• the origin of life
• function and control of physiological mechanisms such as haemostasis, immunity and cognition
• mechanisms in developmental biology of plants and animals
• environmental effects on biological systems

providing that they have testable implications.

Hypotheses in the Life Sciences is not a forum for new experimental data, although preliminary results, perhaps ones which provided the stimulus for your hypothesis or the first evidence for it, are acceptable. We do not publish descriptions of new medical therapeutic or diagnostic ideas unless they also describe new biological hypotheses, and we only publish reviews or editorial material by invitation.

Papers are selected solely on scientific merit, as judged by the editor and Editorial Board and irrespective of who writes them or where they work. Hypotheses in the Life Sciences is not a political forum and its objectives are purely scientific. We will not publish papers with a strong political slant or agenda, nor consider political criteria when selecting papers. Hypotheses in the Life Sciences will reject automatically any material that is considered illegal, libellous, obscene or a breach of copyright of other parties.

A hypothesis should be organized, account for known facts better than existing explanations, and have real world consequences. So we expect papers to

• provide new insight into biology that is of wide interest to life science researchers
• be clear, logical and easy to follow
• be compatible with known fact (although it may contest the interpretation of those facts, or dispute that they are facts at all)
• provide some testable implications that distinguish it from other theories, hypotheses or explanations.

Hypotheses in the Life Sciences particularly welcomes hypotheses which are testable using simple, low-cost or readily available resources.

Because traditional anonymous peer review often discriminates against novelty, and can allow reviewers the power to block the publications of valid views different from their own without concomitant responsibility for doing so, Hypotheses in the Life Sciences does not routinely subject papers to peer review, although some will be reviewed anonymously at the editor’s discretion. To ensure scientific quality, all papers submitted to Hypotheses in the Life Sciences are subject to editorial panel review. The journal emphasises explicitly that authors, not reviewers, bear responsibility for papers’ contents and conclusions. Hypotheses in the Life Sciences also publishes a moderated web-based commentary system for follow-up comments on papers.

To allow us to publish on open access, we have to charge authors page charges on published articles. There is no charge to submit your hypothesis to the Journal. You will retain all copyright on your article: Hypotheses in the Life Sciences just requires your permission to publish it.

Section Policies

Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Because traditional anonymous peer review often discriminates against novelty, and can allow reviewers the power to block the publications of valid views different from their own without concomitant responsibility for doing so, Hypotheses in the Life Sciences does not routinely subject papers to peer review, although some will be reviewed anonymously at the editor’s discretion. To ensure scientific quality, all papers submitted to Hypotheses in the Life Sciences are subject to editorial panel review. The journal emphasises explicitly that authors, not reviewers, bear responsibility for papers’ contents and conclusions. Hypotheses in the Life Sciences also publishes a moderated web-based commentary system for follow-up comments on papers.

Publication Frequency

Individual articles will be published as soon as they are ready in the current issue.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Indexing

Hypothesis in the Life Sciences (HyLS) is not yet indexed in PubMed or the ISI Web of Knowledge. Both of these databases only index journals once they have been published for at least a year, to ensure that they are a long-term feature of the scientific community. HyLS will be requesting indexing in both databases in the future. 

HyLS is indexed by Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com). When Windows Live Academic comes online we expect to be indexed in that.