ASBMB Today Submissions

Submissions

Write for us

ASBMB Today is an award-winning news magazine published by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It is updated online daily and free for all to access. It is distributed in print to ASBMB members 11 times a year. Join the ASBMB to receive the print edition. Submissions published in ASBMB Today reflect solely the authors’ views and not the official positions of the ASBMB or the authors’ institutions. Endorsement by ASBMB Today or the ASBMB of products or services mentioned is not implied.

All submissions, pitches and inquiries should be sent to asbmbtoday@asbmb.org.

Overview

About our content

The magazine publishes:

News and commentary on budgetary and legislative issues.
Profiles of emerging and established scientists.
Investigative reports on scientific controversies.
Articles about recent trends in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Reports about new research projects and findings.
Personal essays by scientists and science students.
Instructional, opinion and advice articles about education, diversity in science and professional development.

About our readers

Though most ASBMB members are academic research scientists, our online readership includes students, science communications specialists, policymakers, educators and others who are interested in biomedical research. Writers should write for scientifically literate readers but not necessarily practicing scientists — and certainly not specialists.

About our writers

Articles from ASBMB members and others in the life sciences community are welcome. (See calls for submissions below.) Please browse recent issues of the magazine to see if your article idea is a good fit before contacting us.

ASBMB Today also works with budding science writers. Send a letter of interest to the managing editor at asbmbtoday@asbmb.org. Use the subject line "Joining contributors program."

Calls for submissions

Navigating the U.S. as an immigrant scientist

Deadline: March 1, 2024
We plan to focus our 2024 June/July issue on the experiences of immigrants who travel to the United States to study or work in the life sciences. Bureaucratic red tape? Language barriers? Cultural confusion? Loneliness and isolation? We welcome personal essays about the challenges and rewards of moving from another country for a career in BMB.

Careers Issue 2024

Deadline: May 1, 2024
For our annual careers issue, we welcome your articles and personal essays about what you've learned along your career path. What obstacles have you overcome? What you've hit a crossroads, what choices have you made. Share your hard-won wisdom with your fellow ASBMB members in a 500- to 1,500-word essay. Or maybe a top-10 list. Or a Q & A. Feel free to be creative!

Tenure denied

Deadline: Open

Have you have been denied tenure? Have you denied someone tenure? We want to hear about the experience. Submit full personal essays, scholarship-driven reports or commentaries or send pitches/queries to asbmbtoday@asbmb.org.

Personal essays

Deadline: Open

Essays are flexible in length and nature but are always first-person narratives of interest to a broad readership. Submissions are welcome year-round, and themed calls for submissions are issued regularly. Please include "Essay" in your subject line and a bit about your qualifications in your pitch.

Obituaries

Deadline: Open

ASBMB Today publishes two types of obituaries.

Retrospectives reflect on the lives and scientific achievements of recently deceased researchers. They are often — but not always — invited. They should be about ASBMB members who made significant contributions to the field and/or scientific community. You may submit ideas, pitches and queries for Retrospectives.

In memoriam articles are short (usually fewer than 300 words) obituaries about ASBMB members and assigned by the editor to willing contributors. To be considered for "In Memoriam" contributions, submit a letter with your qualifications with the subject line "In memoriam contributor."

Professional development and career insights

Deadline: Open

Professional development articles (usually between 500 and 1,000 words) address various aspects of careers. Advice columns, lists of tips, personal reflections and opinion pieces are welcome. Include "Professional development" in the subject line of your pitch or submission.

Career insights articles (usually between 500 and 1,000 words) are strictly first-person case studies about careers outside of academia. We welcome submissions and recommendations of authors to invite. Include "Career insights" in the subjec tline of your pitch or submission.

Reader responses

Deadline: Open

Readers responses are short letters and formal responses. Please put "Reader response" in the subject line of your submission.

Guidelines for writers

Know your audience

ASBMB Today is a monthly news magazine distributed in print to the members of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and published online without a paywall. This means our online content can be read by anyone with an Internet connection. While ASBMB Today initially was conceived of and published as a newsletter for ASBMB members only, over the past two decades it has become an award-winning, highly competitive source of news, features and perspectives that reaches readers far beyond the biochemistry and molecular biology community.

Choose an effective format

Any story can be told in a number of ways, and we encourage you to consider using untraditional formats to tell yours. For instance, a Q&A or top-10 list format, in some cases, is more effective than a straight news story. You should use lists, subheadings, images, multimedia and boxed nuggets to attract readers and simplify complex information. Also remember that more than a quarter of your readers will read your article on a mobile device. If you don’t hook them in the first few sentences, you’re going to lose them. Choosing the right format can help you with this.

Tell a compelling story

We believe in good storytelling. You should weave descriptive, vivid scenes with factual, informative passages. In other words, aim for more “showing” than “telling.” In addition, quotes bring stories alive. Consider using quotes from sources you have interviewed or from materials you’ve used as part of your research to convey information in interesting and lively ways.

Stay true to your authorial voice

We aim to maintain a professional yet conversational tone. We especially encourage first-person narratives. We discourage stilted, convoluted and passive constructions. If you’re in doubt about something you’ve written, try reading it aloud or enlist a colleague to do so. If it sounds natural, you hit the right note. If it doesn’t sound like your true conversational voice, rewrite it.

Determining authorship

ASBMB Today firmly believes in giving credit where credit is due. Co-writing is allowed, under the following conditions. First authorship is reserved for the writer who contributed the most to the article. All other bylined authors must have contributed significant shares. Those who contribute only feedback or editing can be acknowledged at the end of the article in an author’s note but will not get bylines. We strongly discourage submissions from more than two people and may not accept those by three or more.

How to cite sources

Like most other news magazines, ASBMB Today does not use numbered references at the end of stories. Use hyperlinked in-text attribution to back up claims and provide supplementary sources. And remember: You are allowed to say some things on your own authority.

Final quick tips

Use simple, declarative sentences. Do not use passive or complicated constructions.
Avoid jargon.
Avoid excessive use of acronyms.
Introduce new concepts one at a time and in bite-size nuggets.
Numbers can be numbing. Use them judiciously.
Include visuals that help tell your story.
Use analogies and examples to show rather than tell.
Communicate the relevance to those in other unrelated fields.
Writing for ASBMB Today is a voluntary endeavor. We will repay you with kindness, good humor and reprints upon request.

WRITE FOR US

Storytellers wanted

Jan. 1, 1

Help us tell stories about science and scientists.

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