Why publish your research with GENETICS?
GENETICS has published high–quality, original research presenting novel findings bearing on genetics and genomics since 1916. As the peer-reviewed flagship journal of the Genetics Society of America (GSA), GENETICS publishes papers that advance experimental and theoretical understanding of genetic and genomic mechanisms and functions at multiple levels—from molecular, cellular, and developmental studies to behavioral, population, and evolutionary approaches.
The editors make initial decisions quickly—within 6 weeks—without sacrificing the excellence and scholarship for which the journal has long been known. Meet our Editorial Board.
Read on to learn more about why GENETICS is the perfect home for your research, and submit today to join our celebrated author community.
Rigorous and transparent editorial process
GENETICS supports your research from submission to publication and beyond. At least two Editors consult on every decision, leveraging their deep experience in the field to support you in publishing the highest quality study possible. Our authors appreciate the valuable insights and clear decision letters they receive through the fast peer review process, which ultimately lead to improved manuscripts. The time between submission and acceptance is typically about 12 weeks.
Clear author guidelines and wider support for authors are available via the Oxford University Press Author Resource Centre.
Reputation and community support
A publication of the Genetics Society of America, GENETICS has a celebrated tradition of publishing high-quality research that supports the Society’s mission, making it an excellent home for your research to generate citations, influence, and impact in the community. GSA is non-profit society run by and for scientists, and communicating advances in genetics and genomics through publishing is a core part of our mission. You can learn more about the GSA Journals, including our open-access journal G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, here.
We place a high priority on responding to community needs and develop journal policies accordingly. We’ve long supported preprints; in fact, the GSA Journals were the first to partner with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to enable seamless deposits of manuscripts from our submission systems to bioRxiv and vice versa. Our articles link to model organism databases like SGD, FlyBase, WormBase, and FungiDB so readers can quickly and easily find additional information on genes and proteins—another innovation the GSA Journals were first to implement. Through Overleaf, we provide custom templates for authors who use LaTeX, saving you time at submission. We know that reviewing is both central to the scientific enterprise and a service activity, so you get credit for the reviewing you do at the GSA Journals through the Web of Science Reviewer Recognition.
Publishing with GENETICS makes you part of a thriving community with a storied history working to advance scientific discovery through genetics and genomics research—and GSA members receive discounted open access fees.
Our author guidelines will walk you through the submission process from start to finish.
Open data supports open science
GENETICS is a leader in the commitment to data sharing, requiring all primary data and source code associated with the paper’s findings to be publicly available since 2010. Besides providing everything needed for replication, this policy allows your research to have the greatest possible impact and ensures your findings will be used for years to come. We’ve partnered with the data repository figshare to ensure you get credit for each element of your work; your supplemental material and data files hosted at figshare get a DOI and are permanently linked to your manuscript.
By publishing with us, you support your field and help GSA further its commitment to key initiatives that drive progress in scientific discovery.
Learn more about GENETICS’ data policy here.
Range of content
In addition to high–quality research articles, GENETICS’ expanded types of content include Brief Investigations (short format articles for concise results), Reviews, Perspectives (historical explorations in the field of genetics), Knowledgebase and Database Resources, and Primers (to introduce primary literature into the classroom)—plus the organism–focused review collections YeastBook, FlyBook, and WormBook. GENETICS welcomes papers that contribute useful experimental and computational technologies, resources, and databases for geneticists and genomicists.
Find full details on our article types and be sure to explore the topical Sections at the Journal.
GENETICS also publishes thematic Series alongside its sister journal G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics. Each beginning with an open call for papers, Series are supported by comprehensive marketing campaigns, ensuring maximum dissemination and impact of the high-quality research published. Get in touch if you have ideas for future Series.
Explore Series at the GSA Journals—and find out which ones are currently accepting submissions.
Simplify submission
The peer review process at GENETICS is designed to reduce the effort it takes to submit and publish your research. We accept manuscripts in any format at first submission, and we participate in Portable Peer Review, meaning you can bring papers to GENETICS that were previously reviewed at other journals or via review platforms like Review Commons or PCI.
Scooped? That’s OK! Editors at GENETICS recognize that science doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and competing studies often complement each other. If other groups have recently published similar findings to yours, we still encourage you to submit to GENETICS.
Full details are available in our Editorial Policies.
Opportunities for transfer
If you submit a manuscript to GENETICS that reports high-quality, useful findings but lacks the broad appeal, significance, or novelty of a GENETICS article, you may be offered a transfer to G3. This seamless process can guarantee review at G3 or allow G3 editors to use your GENETICS reviews to offer a decision within days.
Additionally, GENETICS sends and receives transfers on related topics to and from other journals published by Oxford University Press.
Global readership and article-level impact
GENETICS has a global readership, demonstrating its international reach and impact, receiving over 41,000 article citations in 2022 across the spectrum of publications with Altmetric mentions from 150 countries worldwide.
Article-level metrics, including Altmetrics and Dimensions data, are available for all articles published in the Journal so you can track the impact of your work. Find out more here.
Open access
GENETICS offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. GSA Members receive discounted open access fees. For details on open access pricing, visit the Journal’s author guidelines.
Some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution.
OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating.
Innovative digital publishing
Your article will be hosted on our Oxford Academic Platform, which provides a comprehensive suite of features and capabilities for authors. Oxford Academic is easy to use, allowing readers to discover and explore your content from any device. It has been developed using award-winning technology to meet the community’s research needs. There is powerful faceted searching across text and images, downloadable content to enable offline use, and static DOIs and social tools so that readers can share and discuss your article easily. Readers can also use their own accessibility tools and software, as we continue our work to adhere to evolving accessibility standards, including the World Wide Web Consortium guidelines.
Ready to submit?
For more information on publishing with GENETICS and preparing your manuscript, visit our author guidelines. When you’re ready, visit our online submissions site to submit your research.
