Frequently Asked Questions

Submissions

What topics are in scope for TCB?

TCB covers all areas of computational biology. This includes sequence analysis, structural bioinformatics, systems biology, regulatory genomics, statistical genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metagenomics, single-cell analysis, spatial biology, and the development of biological databases and benchmarks. Computational health and medicine, e.g. methods analyzing electronic healthcare records, are out of scope. See the Editorial Policies for more details.

Is the review process single blind or double blind?

TCB uses a single-blind review process. Reviewers know the identity of the authors, but authors do not know the identity of their reviewers. Submissions do not need to be anonymized.

Is novelty required?

Yes. Unlike some venues that accept papers on the basis of correctness alone, TCB requires that every submission make a clear novel contribution to computational biology. See the Acceptance Criteria and Editorial Policies for details on what constitutes a novel contribution.

Is code required?

Yes. All submissions must include source code sufficient to reproduce the key results of the paper. During submission, code should be uploaded as supplementary material or provided as a link to a public repository. Upon acceptance, code must be made publicly accessible via a persistent public repository. See the Author Guidelines for details.

Can I submit a paper that is already on arXiv?

Yes. Posting a preprint to arXiv or any other preprint server does not constitute prior publication and is permitted. Since TCB uses single-blind reviewing, you do not need to anonymize your arXiv submission.

Can I submit a paper that was previously submitted to and rejected by another venue?

Yes, provided the paper has not been published (or accepted for publication) in an archival venue with overlapping content. You may not submit a paper that is currently under review at another peer-reviewed venue.

What stylefile should I use?

Submissions must be formatted using the TCB LaTeX stylefile and template. Any modifications to the stylefile or template that alter the formatting, font, or layout may result in desk rejection.

Are there page limits?

There are no strict page limits. Paper length should be justified by its content. Unusually long papers (not counting appendices) may result in reviewing delays.

Reviews

How long does the review process take?

Reviewers are asked to submit their reviews within 2 weeks of assignment for papers up to 10 pages, and within 4 weeks for longer papers. Following the review period, there is an open discussion and revision phase. The Action Editor aims to submit a decision within 5 weeks of the discussion starting.

Will reviewers see who I am?

Yes. TCB uses a single-blind review process, so reviewers are aware of the authors' identities.

Are reviews public?

Once all reviews for a submission have been submitted, the reviews become publicly visible (but anonymized). All subsequent discussion between authors and reviewers is also publicly visible.

After Acceptance

What license applies to published papers?

All TCB papers are published under a CC BY 4.0 license. Authors retain copyright at all times.

What certifications can a paper receive?

TCB has the following certifications: Outstanding, Featured, Software, Reproducibility, and Survey. See the Reviewer Guidelines for descriptions.