What is PCI Microbiology​?

Managing Board of PCI Microbiology​

Editorial policy​

Scope​​​

PCI Microbiology will evaluate preprints dealing with all fields of microbiology and in particular with these subjects:

• Antimicrobials and antibiotic resistance
• Biofilms and microbial mats
• Bioinformatics dedicated to microbial studies
• Biology of understudied microbes (viruses, archaea, etc.)
• Genomic & evolutionary studies
• Mathematical modeling of microbioal processes and ecosystems
• Microbiomes
• Microbial biogeochemistry
• Microbial biotechnology
• Microbial chemical ecology
• Microbial communication and signaling
• Microbial ecology and environmental microbiology
• Microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions
• Microbial symbiosis
• Microbial (eco)physiology and metabolism
• Microbial extremophiles
• Microbial biogeography
• Molecular microbiology

​PCI Microbiology recommends only preprints of high scientific quality that are methodologically and ethically sound. To this end, PCI Microbiology: 

• Requires data, computer codes, and analysis scripts to be made available to reviewers and recommenders at the time of submission and to readers after recommendation. 
• Welcomes reproductions of studies. 
• Welcomes preprint submissions based on preregistrations (whether or not reviewed).
• Welcomes preprints reporting negative results, provided that the questions addressed and the methodology are sound. 
• Does not accept submissions of preprints presenting financial conflicts of interest. Other conflicts of interest must be minimal and declared. 
• Ensures that, as far as possible, the recommenders and referees have no conflict of interest with the content or authors of the study being evaluated. 

PCI Microbiology does not guarantee the evaluation or recommendation of all submitted preprints. Only preprints considered interesting by at least one competent recommender (equivalent to an associate editor in a classical journal) will be peer-reviewed. The interest of the preprint, as determined by the recommender, can relate to its context, the scientific question addressed, the methodology, or the results. PCI Microbiology has a large number of recommenders, ensuring a considerable diversity of interests. The recommendations published by PCI Microbiology are designed to draw the attention of the research community to the qualities of the article, including the subjective reasons for the recommender’s interest in it.​

Request for acknowledgement 

In recognition of the work done by the recommenders and reviewers of PCI In Microbiology, authors who have chosen to submit their recommended pre-print to any journal other than PCIs Peer Community Journal are asked to add the following sentence in the acknowledgements section of their manuscript:

“We thank PCI Microbiology, a community of researchers acting as associate editors, for taking on the peer review and recommendation (doi.link to recommendation letter) of our preprint (doi.link to final pre-print).” 

Ethics​

Peer Community In is a member of and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In addition:

• Financial conflicts of interest are forbidden. See the PCI code of conduct.
• Authors should declare any potential non-financial conflict of interest.

Complaints and Integrity Policy and Procedure

Complaints and Integrity policy and procedure are described in the versioned document found at https://osf.io/erc6x. The version applicable to a complaint is the latest version of the document at the date of the complaint.