Aims & Scope

Journal of Biosemiotic Research (JBSR) publishes original research examining sign processes, meaning-making, and communication systems in living organisms across biological, philosophical, and theoretical frameworks.

Biosemiotics Biological Signaling Semiotic Evolution Zoosemiotics Ecosemiotics

We do NOT consider: Pure clinical medicine, agricultural technology without semiotic analysis, computer science applications lacking biological grounding, or purely descriptive natural history without theoretical framework.

Core Research Domains

JBSR prioritizes manuscripts that advance theoretical understanding of sign processes in living systems, integrating perspectives from biology, semiotics, philosophy, and cognitive science. We seek rigorous empirical studies and conceptual analyses that illuminate how organisms generate, interpret, and respond to meaningful information.

📜

Theoretical Biosemiotics

Foundations of biosemiotic theory and sign typologies
Semiotic evolution and phylogenetic emergence of meaning
Information processing and interpretation in living systems
Biological coding systems and semantic frameworks
Philosophy of biology and biosemiotic epistemology
Integration with systems theory and complexity science

Typical fit: A theoretical analysis of how Peircean semiotics applies to molecular recognition events, demonstrating triadic sign relations at the cellular level with implications for understanding biological agency.

🔬

Cellular & Molecular Semiotics

Cell-cell communication and signaling pathways
Molecular recognition and receptor-ligand interactions
Gene regulation as semiotic process
Signaling cascades and information transduction
Biosemiotic analysis of developmental signaling
Epigenetic information and cellular memory

Typical fit: An empirical study examining quorum sensing in bacterial populations through a biosemiotic lens, analyzing signal production, transmission, and interpretation as a model for minimal semiotic systems.

🐾

Zoosemiotics & Behavioral Communication

Animal communication systems and signal evolution
Ethological approaches to meaning-making
Cognitive biosemiotics and animal cognition
Multimodal signaling in animal behavior
Biosemiotic perspectives on social behavior
Evolution of communication and semiotic competence

Typical fit: A comparative study of alarm call systems in primates, analyzing semantic content, referential specificity, and the evolutionary trajectory of symbolic communication from indexical origins.

🌱

Ecosemiotics & Environmental Communication

Organism-environment semiotic relationships
Ecological signaling networks and information flow
Plant communication and phytosemiotics
Symbiotic relationships as semiotic systems
Landscape semiotics and habitat interpretation
Biosemiotic approaches to conservation biology

Typical fit: An investigation of plant volatile organic compounds as semiotic signals in tritrophic interactions, examining how plants encode information about herbivore identity that parasitoid wasps decode for host location.

Secondary Focus Areas

We welcome interdisciplinary research that bridges biosemiotics with adjacent fields, provided the biosemiotic framework remains central to the analysis.

Neurosemiotics & Cognitive Science

Neural coding, perception as semiosis, consciousness and meaning-making, biosemiotic approaches to mind-brain relationships.

Linguistic Biosemiotics

Evolution of language, biological foundations of linguistic capacity, comparative semiotics of human and animal communication.

Biosemiotic Methodology

Novel analytical frameworks, computational approaches to biosemiotic analysis, experimental design for studying sign processes in organisms.

Cultural Biosemiotics

Continuity between biological and cultural semiosis, human-nature semiotic interfaces, biosemiotic perspectives on cultural evolution.

Developmental Biosemiotics

Ontogenetic emergence of semiotic competence, morphogenetic fields as semiotic systems, developmental signaling networks.

Systems Biology & Bioinformation

Information theory in biological contexts, network analysis of biological signaling, thermodynamics of biological information processing.

Emerging Research Frontiers

Selective Consideration with Additional Review

The following areas represent emerging intersections with biosemiotics. Manuscripts in these domains undergo additional editorial assessment to ensure substantive biosemiotic contribution beyond superficial application of terminology.

Biosemiotics and artificial intelligence (biological grounding required)

Synthetic biology and engineered semiotic systems

Biosemiotic approaches to astrobiology and origin of life

Quantum biology and information processing

Biosemiotics and bioethics (theoretical focus)

Computational biosemiotics and modeling

Biosemiotic perspectives on autopoiesis and self-organization

Robotics informed by biological semiotic principles

Note: Manuscripts in emerging areas must demonstrate clear theoretical advancement of biosemiotic understanding, not merely apply biosemiotic vocabulary to existing research paradigms.

Explicitly Out of Scope

We Do Not Consider

Pure clinical medicine or applied health sciences Rationale: Clinical applications lack the theoretical biosemiotic framework central to our mission. Consider specialized medical journals.

Agricultural technology or crop science without semiotic analysis Rationale: Applied agricultural research falls outside our scope unless it explicitly addresses plant communication or semiotic relationships in agricultural ecosystems.

Computer science or AI without biological grounding Rationale: Pure computational work must demonstrate substantive connection to biological sign processes, not merely metaphorical application of biosemiotic terms.

Descriptive natural history without theoretical framework Rationale: Observational studies must be situated within biosemiotic theory to advance understanding of sign processes in nature.

Literary criticism, art theory, or cultural studies lacking biological foundation Rationale: While cultural semiotics is valuable, JBSR focuses on biological sign systems. Purely cultural analyses belong in humanities journals.

Article Types & Editorial Priorities

Fast-Track Priority 1: Core Contributions

Original Research Articles Systematic Reviews Theoretical Frameworks Methods & Protocols

Empirical studies with novel findings, comprehensive reviews synthesizing biosemiotic literature, methodological innovations for studying biological sign processes. Target decision: 3-4 weeks.

Standard Priority 2: Supporting Scholarship

Short Communications Data Notes Perspectives Book Reviews

Brief reports of preliminary findings, datasets with biosemiotic relevance, forward-looking commentaries on field directions. Target decision: 4-6 weeks.

Selective Priority 3: Rarely Considered

Opinion Pieces Historical Reviews Case Reports

Accepted only when addressing critical theoretical debates or providing unique historical insights essential to field development. Most submissions in this category are declined without review.

Editorial Standards & Requirements

Reporting Guidelines

ARRIVE for animal studies
STROBE for observational research
PRISMA for systematic reviews
CONSORT for experimental trials

Data & Transparency

Data availability statements required
Raw data deposition encouraged
Code and materials sharing expected
Reproducibility documentation

Ethics & Integrity

IRB/IACUC approval for relevant studies
Informed consent documentation
Conflict of interest disclosure
Adherence to publication ethics

Preprint Policy

Preprints welcomed and encouraged
No impact on consideration
Must be disclosed at submission
Version control maintained

Editorial Performance Metrics

28 days Median Time to First Decision

32% Acceptance Rate

45 days Time to Publication

Open Article Processing Charge

Ready to Submit?

If your research advances understanding of sign processes in living systems through rigorous empirical investigation or theoretical analysis, we invite your submission. Review our author guidelines for formatting requirements and submission procedures.

Submit Your Manuscript

Questions about scope fit? Contact our editorial office at [email protected]

Journal of Biosemiotic Research

Journal of Biosemiotic Research – Aim And Scope