Introduction

The Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics (JLSI) is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal published by the Department of Biological Sciences, Virtual University of Pakistan. JLSI serves as a platform for high-quality research at the intersection of biological sciences and computational informatics, reflecting the growing importance of data-driven approaches in modern life science research.

The journal aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration by welcoming original research, review articles, and short communications in fields such as molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, systems biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, biomedical informatics, and related areas.

Through a rigorous peer-review process and a commitment to open science, JLSI seeks to promote innovative discoveries, support early-career researchers, and contribute to the global dialogue in life sciences and informatics.

Mission Statement

The Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics (JLSI) is dedicated to advancing the frontiers of biological and computational research by fostering the integration of life sciences with informatics. Published by the Department of Biological Sciences, Virtual University of Pakistan, JLSI aims to provide an open-access platform for rigorous, innovative, and interdisciplinary scientific discourse. Our mission is to empower researchers and practitioners to apply data-driven solutions to real-world biological challenges and contribute meaningfully to the global body of scientific knowledge.

JLSI aims to:

●          To provide a scholarly platform for research at the intersection of life sciences and informatics.

●          To promote the development and application of computational tools in biological research.

●          To support open-access dissemination of scientifically rigorous and ethically sound work.

●          To encourage contributions from emerging researchers and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Scope of the Journal

The Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics (JLSI) is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to the advancement of knowledge at the intersection of biological sciences and computational methodologies. JLSI provides a platform for high-quality original research, reviews, and short communications that integrate experimental and theoretical approaches to understand complex biological systems.

Core Areas of Interest (include but are not limited to):

• Molecular and Cellular Biology, Nanobiotechnology,
• Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Proteomics
• Systems Biology and Computational Modeling
• Structural Biology and Molecular Dynamics
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Life Sciences
• Biomedical Informatics and Health Data Science
• Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Population Genetics
• Drug Discovery, Design, and In Silico Screening
• Microbiology, Virology, and Immunoinformatics
• Clinical and Translational Bioinformatics

Frequency of Journal

 Publication Frequency

• Publication: JLSI is published Bi-annually
• Special Issues: These may be announced periodically based on emerging themes, conferences, or collaborations.

Submission Method

• Manuscripts must be submitted electronically via the journal’s submission portal or email.

Ethical Guidelines

1. General Ethical Standards

All research submitted to Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics must adhere to the highest ethical standards. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to act with integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout the publication process. The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and APA Ethical Principles.

2. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

2.1 Originality and Plagiarism

Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.

Plagiarism in any form (including self-plagiarism and AI-generated content without attribution) is strictly prohibited.

All manuscripts will be screened using plagiarism detection tools (e.g., Turnitin).

2.2 Authorship Criteria

Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study should be listed as authors.

The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version.

2.3 Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the work (funding sources, institutional affiliations, etc.).

A conflict-of-interest statement must be included in the manuscript.

2.4 Human Rights

For research involving human participants, informed consent and ethical clearance from an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee must be obtained.

2.5 Data Transparency and Reproducibility

Authors should provide access to raw data and methodological details where feasible.

Data should be stored responsibly and made available upon request.

2.6 APA Referencing Style

All citations and references must strictly follow APA 7th Edition guidelines.

In-text citations should include author(s) and year (e.g., Smith, 2021).

Full references should be included at the end of the paper in APA format.

3. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

3.1 Confidentiality

Reviewers must treat all manuscripts as confidential and should not use any information obtained through peer review for personal advantage.

3.2 Objectivity and Constructive Feedback

Reviews should be objective, thorough, and respectful.

Reviewers should avoid personal criticism and provide constructive suggestions.

3.3 Conflict of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any conflict of interest and recuse themselves if they cannot offer an unbiased evaluation.

4. Ethical Guidelines for Editors

4.1 Fair and Unbiased Decisions

Editorial decisions will be based solely on academic merit and relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to race, gender, religion, or political beliefs.

4.2 Confidentiality

Editors must protect the confidentiality of all submitted manuscripts and reviewers’ identities (unless agreed otherwise).

4.3 Handling Misconduct

Editors will investigate all allegations of research or publication misconduct following COPE guidelines.

If misconduct is proven, appropriate corrective actions (e.g., retraction, erratum, notice of concern) will be taken.

5. Copyright, Licensing, and Open Access

Authors must confirm that the work is free of copyright infringement.

The journal may operate under a Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY-NC 4.0), granting non-commercial reuse with proper attribution.

6. Corrections, Retractions, and Appeals

The journal will publish corrections for errors that affect the interpretation or reliability of the published work.

Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a formal request with justifying evidence.

Publication Charges

Currently, no publication fees are charged. However, this may be reviewed in the future with prior notice to contributors.

Content and Licensing

The Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics - Virtual University of Pakistan is an open-access journal. It is committed to promoting the free and responsible dissemination of academic knowledge. To support open access principles and ensure wide visibility of published research, all content in the journal is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution: Non-commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) International License.

Creative Commons License – CC BY-NC 4.0

Under this license, authors retain full copyright of their work, while allowing others to:

• Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material

Provided that the following conditions are met:

• Attribution (BY): Proper credit must be given to the original author(s), a link to the license must be provided, and any changes made must be indicated clearly.
• Non-commercial (NC): The material may not be used for commercial purposes.

This licensing framework enables broader academic collaboration and encourages the ethical reuse of scholarly content for teaching, learning, and further research, without financial or legal barriers.

The material published in the journal can only be accessed and used with the open-access scope, but cannot be republished.

Content Integrity and Responsibility

All published articles undergo a rigorous peer-review process and are evaluated for academic quality, originality, and relevance. The views expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of the Virtual University of Pakistan.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions:

• Are original and free from plagiarism
• Adhere to ethical research and reporting standards
• Have not been previously published or under consideration elsewhere
• Include proper citation of all referenced sources

By submitting to the journal, authors agree to the terms of the CC BY-NC license and grant the Virtual University of Pakistan the right to publish, archive, and distribute their work in print and digital formats.

Access and Archiving

The journal follows an open-access policy. All articles are freely available online immediately upon publication, within the scope of the mentioned open-access terms and conditions.

Authors Guidelines

Manuscript Requirements

Authors can submit their paper (which are not under consideration by any other journal) by registering on the journal website.

Please prepare your manuscript before submission using the following guidelines:

Format Manuscript file should be submitted as a Word document.

Article Submission Guidelines

Article Length:

Articles (in English) should be between 5000–7000 words in length.

Article Title:

The title should not exceed 20 words.

Author Details:

These should be supplied on a separate page and must include:

• Full name and email address of each author
• Affiliation of each author
• Indication of the corresponding author

Abstract:

The abstract should be between 200–250 words.

Keywords:

Please provide up to 10 keywords at the end of the abstract.

Article Classification:

The manuscript should be an original research paper following APA guidelines.

Main Text Structure:

The order of presentation should be as follows:

• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods / Methodology
• Analysis and Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References

Tables and Figures:

These should follow APA guidelines.

Acknowledgements:

Include acknowledgements if any.

References:

All references should follow the APA 6th Edition and be presented as a reference list.

http://www.apa.org/pubs/authors/manuscript-check.aspx for APA guidelines before submitting your article.

Review

Review Policy

This journal has adopted a double blind reviewing policy where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process. Please remove all identifying features from the paper itself, ensuring that the author's identity is not revealed.

Conflict of Interest

All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work before the references.

Peer Review Process

Journal of Life Sciences and Informatics follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the quality, validity, and originality of all published manuscripts. This process upholds international ethical standards and ensures a fair, constructive, and transparent evaluation of scholarly work.

1. Initial Editorial Screening

Upon submission, all manuscripts are reviewed by the editorial team to assess:

• Alignment with the journal’s scope
• Compliance with ethical standards and submission guidelines
• Use of APA 7th Edition referencing style
• Overall scholarly quality and originality

Manuscripts that do not meet the basic criteria may be desk rejected without external review.

2. Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts passing the initial screening are sent to two or more independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant area.

• Both reviewers and authors remain anonymous throughout the process to preserve impartiality.
• Reviewers are asked to evaluate the manuscript based on:
• Originality and theoretical contribution
• Methodological rigor and clarity
• Relevance and significance of findings
• Quality of writing and adherence to APA style

3. Reviewer Recommendations

Reviewers may recommend one of the following:

• Accept without revision
• Minor revisions
• Major revisions
• Reject

4. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewers' comments, the editor makes the final decision and communicates it to the authors.

In cases of conflicting reviews, the editor may seek a third review or make a decision based on their own assessment.

Authors receiving revision requests are expected to:

• Submit a revised version within the specified timeframe
• Include a detailed response letter outlining changes made and addressing each reviewer’s comment

5. Final Acceptance and Production

Once the revised manuscript meets all academic and editorial standards, it is accepted for publication.

Accepted papers undergo a final round of copyediting, proofreading, and formatting prior to publication.

6. Timeline

The journal strives to complete the peer review process within 8 to 12 weeks, depending on reviewer availability and the complexity of revisions.

Authors will be kept informed throughout the process.