No. The journal is fully open access and levies no submission, page or article processing charges. Publication is funded by the host institution.

The median time from submission to first decision is 18 days. Desk decisions are issued within five working days.

Yes. Posting to a recognised preprint server is encouraged and is not considered prior publication. Please cite the preprint DOI in your submission.

Articles are published under a Creative Commons licence. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a right of first publication.

Primary genomic data must be deposited in a recognised public repository before publication, with the accession number stated in the data availability statement.

You may suggest up to three reviewers and request the exclusion of up to two, with brief reasons. The editor is not bound by either list.

Write to the editorial office setting out the specific factual or procedural points. Appeals are assessed by an editor not involved in the original decision.

AI tools may assist with language and formatting, but cannot be listed as an author. Any substantive use must be disclosed in the methods.