SCOPE

Topics Covered

The Journal of Bacteriology (JB) publishes descriptions of basic research on bacteria and other microorganisms. Topics that are considered include structure and function, biochemistry, enzymology, metabolism and its regulation, molecular biology, genetics, plasmids and transposons, general microbiology, plant microbiology, chemical or physical characterization of microbial structures or products, and basic biological properties of organisms.

ASM publishes a number of different journals covering various aspects of microbiology. Each journal has a prescribed scope that must be considered in determining the most appropriate journal for each manuscript. The following guidelines should be of assistance.

(i) JB will consider papers that describe the use of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents as tools for elucidating the basic biological processes of microorganisms. However, papers dealing with antimicrobial agents, including manuscripts dealing with the susceptibility to, resistance to, biosynthesis of, and metabolism of such agents, are more appropriate for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

(ii) JB will consider manuscripts that emphasize the interrelationship of a bacteriophage and a host cell, manuscripts about work in which viruses were used as tools for elucidating the structures or biological processes of microorganisms, and manuscripts that concern phages that are related to transposable elements or plasmids.

(iii) Manuscripts describing new or novel methods or improvements in media and culture conditions will not be considered by JB unless they are applied to the study of basic problems in microbiology. Such manuscripts are more appropriate for Applied and Environmental Microbiology or for the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

(iv) Manuscripts dealing with ecology or environmental studies or with the application of microorganisms to agricultural or industrial processes are more appropriate for Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

(v) Manuscripts dealing with the immune system or with topics of medical interest are more appropriate for Infection and Immunity.

(vi) In most cases, reports that emphasize methods and nucleotide sequence data alone (without experimental documentation of the functional and evolutionary significance of the sequence) will not be considered by JB.

(vii) Manuscripts describing work, with a new organism, that largely repeats published research done with a different organism will be considered if they significantly increase the understanding of the original property, if they provide an extensive basis for evolutionary comparison, or if the work is of unusual importance because of its relationship to other properties of the new organism. Manuscripts that describe genes or enzymes, for example, that differ only in minor ways from the prototypes are not suitable for JB.

(viii) The criteria described in section vii above also apply to genome maps. Manuscripts describing a genome map should provide an extensive basis for evolutionary comparisons or significantly increase our fundamental understanding of the organism or system.

Questions about these guidelines may be directed to the editor in chief of the journal being considered.

If transfer to another ASM journal is recommended by an editor, the corresponding author will be contacted.

Note that a manuscript rejected by one ASM journal on scientific grounds or on the basis of its general suitability for publication is considered rejected by all other ASM journals.

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