Manuscript Types and Structure

The Journal of Biology Education Research (JBER) accepts high-quality, unpublished manuscripts written in formal Academic English within the field of biology education and life science pedagogy. The journal primarily considers two main categories of manuscripts: Original Research Articles and Review Articles.

(Note: Unsolicited opinion essays, brief commentaries, book reviews, and descriptive reports lacking empirical rigor are not considered for publication).

1. Original Research Articles (Empirical Research)

Original Research Articles report primary empirical findings that provide novel insights, innovative pedagogical methods, laboratory-based teaching developments, or empirical evaluations in biology education contexts (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, or research and development/R&D approaches).

  • Length: 5,000 to 8,000 words (including abstract, tables, figures, declarations, and references).

  • Title: 12–15 words, concise, informative, Title Case, avoiding formulas or non-standard acronyms.

  • Abstract: 150–250 words in a single paragraph covering background, objectives, methodology, main results, conclusion, and scientific contribution.

  • Keywords: 3–5 terms or compound phrases, lowercase, alphabetically arranged, separated by semicolons (;).

  • Mandatory Structure (IMRaD):

    • Introduction: Background, urgency, literature review, problem rationalization, empirical gap analysis, research novelty in biology education, and clear research objectives (maximum 2 pages).

    • Methods: Transparent research design, participant demographics/sample characteristics, data collection instruments, biological lab setups (if applicable), validity/reliability measures, and analytical procedures.

    • Results and Discussion: Net data presentation (tables/figures/graphs) integrated with deep scientific discussion, theoretical implications, and comparison with primary international literature. Authors may present this as a single unified section or separate sections.

    • Conclusion: One concise paragraph synthesizing core findings and answering research objectives without citations, highlighting practical and pedagogical implications.

    • Declarations: Mandatory statements directly preceding the references: Acknowledgements (optional), Author Contributions (CRediT framework), Funding, Declaration of Competing Interest, Declaration of Generative AI (if used), and Data Availability Statement.

  • References: Minimum of 25 references formatted in APA 7th Edition. At least 80% must be recent primary sources (peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 5–10 years). The use of reference management software (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote) is highly required.

2. Review Articles (Systematic Literature Reviews & Meta-Analyses)

Review Articles provide comprehensive, critical, and systematic evaluations of existing literature on critical themes in biology education and life sciences (e.g., Systematic Literature Reviews / SLR following PRISMA protocols, meta-analyses, or bibliometric mappings).

  • Length: 6,000 to 9,000 words (including all front and back matter).

  • Abstract & Keywords: Same criteria as Original Research Articles.

  • Mandatory Structure:

    • Introduction: Theoretical background, justification for the review, conceptual boundaries, and explicit review questions.

    • Methods: Clear identification of search protocols, databases queried, eligibility/screening criteria (inclusion/exclusion criteria), quality appraisal tools, and synthesis frameworks (e.g., PRISMA flow diagrams).

    • Results and Synthesis: Structured thematic synthesis, statistical analysis (for meta-analyses), or bibliometric clusters resolving the review questions.

    • Discussion: Theoretical synthesis, critical gaps in current literature, emerging educational paradigms, and future research directions for biology educators and researchers.

    • Conclusion: Synthesis of key pedagogical takeaways.

    • Declarations & References: Identical integrity declarations as original articles. Review papers must include a robust bibliography (typically 40–70 references, prioritizing high-impact international sources).