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Call for papersInfectious disease and vaccines

Call for Papers: Predicting pathogen evolution and immune evasion: the impact of vaccines (BMC Medicine)

BMC Medicine’s collection examines pathogen evolution and immune evasion in the context of vaccination. This guide outlines topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks for manuscripts and points authors should confirm on the official call page.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
23 March 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
23 March 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medicine
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Pathogen evolution and immune evasion in the context of vaccination.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Studies examining how vaccination shapes the emergence of immune-escape variants
  • Modelling approaches for forecasting pathogen evolution under vaccine pressure
  • Genomic surveillance linking variant emergence to vaccine coverage and effectiveness
  • Observational studies of vaccine effectiveness against evolving pathogen lineages
  • Immunological studies of cross-protection and antibody escape across variants
  • Implications of pathogen evolution for vaccine strain selection and update policy

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. The manuscript addresses pathogen evolution or immune evasion and relates it explicitly to vaccination.
  2. Data sources, sequencing methods or model assumptions are reported transparently enough to be evaluated.
  3. Findings have clinical or public health relevance, consistent with BMC Medicine’s general medical scope.
  4. Uncertainty in predictions or effect estimates is quantified and discussed.
  5. The work is complete, approved by all co-authors and ready to submit before the stated deadline.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Vaccines alter the selective landscape in which pathogens evolve, and understanding that interaction matters for sustaining protection over time. Predicting which variants may escape existing immunity can inform strain selection, booster scheduling and surveillance priorities. A themed collection brings together genomic, immunological, epidemiological and modelling work so that readers in clinical medicine and public health can see how these approaches complement one another, and gives authors a focused audience interested in vaccine policy and practice.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Virology and microbiology
  • Immunology and vaccinology
  • Mathematical and computational modelling
  • Pathogen genomics and bioinformatics

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and schools of public health
  • National and regional public health agencies
  • Vaccine developers and manufacturers
  • Genomic surveillance networks and reference laboratories

Article types commonly published in BMC Medicine

  • Clinical trials and other interventional studies
  • Observational studies
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Translational and mechanistic research

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Predictive models of pathogen evolution that are validated against observed variant emergence.
  2. Studies that link genomic surveillance data with vaccine coverage or effectiveness estimates.
  3. Immunological evidence clarifying which pathogen changes reduce vaccine-induced protection.
  4. Analyses that translate evolutionary findings into practical recommendations for vaccine design or deployment.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Vaccine coverage and variant emergenceAn observational study relating regional vaccine coverage to the timing and frequency of immune-escape mutations in sequenced isolates.
Forecasting escape variantsA modelling study that compares methods for predicting antigenic drift and evaluates them retrospectively against surveillance data.
Effectiveness across lineagesA systematic review and meta-analysis of vaccine effectiveness stratified by pathogen lineage or variant.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 23 March 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 6 Feb 2027

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Medicine submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 20 Feb 2027

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 2 Mar 2027

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 13 Mar 2027

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Medicine article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 18 Mar 2027

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 21 Mar 2027

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 23 Mar 2027

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in BMC Medicine, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the BMC Medicine online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection is looking for research that clarifies how pathogens evolve and evade immunity where vaccines are in use, and what this means for clinical and public health practice. In line with BMC Medicine’s remit, suitable work may include observational and interventional studies, translational and mechanistic research, modelling studies and systematic reviews. Authors should confirm accepted article types and any specific priorities on the official call page.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Original research article writingManuscript writing from your data, structured to the journal’s article type and reporting guideline. Biostatistics and statistical programmingStatistical analysis plans, analysis, simulation code and statistical review of results. Systematic reviewProtocol, screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment for review articles. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the collection and the journal’s scope. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the journal’s online submission system.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 23 March 2027. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

A modelling study may fit if it addresses pathogen evolution or immune evasion in relation to vaccination and has clear public health relevance. Validation against observed data is likely to strengthen the submission. Authors should confirm accepted article types on the official call page.

BMC journals publish articles open access, and an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance. Check the journal’s fees and funding page, and whether your institution has an agreement that covers the charge, before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Medicine. (2026). Predicting pathogen evolution and immune evasion: the impact of vaccines [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/ibcfaeecjd

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Predicting pathogen evolution and immune evasion: the impact of vaccines (BMC Medicine). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/predicting-pathogen-evolution-and-immune-evasion-the-impact-of-vaccine/

  • Vaccines
  • Pathogen evolution
  • Immune evasion
  • Genomic surveillance
  • Infectious disease

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