FAST DART E-Journal

FAST-DART publishes high-quality, translationally relevant scholarship focused on Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders. The journal prioritizes scientific rigor, reproducibility, and clarity of methodology across academic, clinical, and industry research.

Research Articles

Full-length original investigations presenting novel experimental, clinical, or translational findings. Submissions should include a structured abstract, detailed methodology, statistical analysis plan, and clear data availability statements. All Research Articles undergo peer review.

Data Reports

Concise manuscripts presenting well-characterized datasets, including positive, negative, confirmatory, or replication findings. FAST-DART strongly encourages submission of negative or neutral results to reduce publication bias and improve field-wide reproducibility. Data Reports undergo peer review or structured editorial review as specified.

Reviews

Comprehensive narrative or systematic reviews synthesizing current knowledge in defined areas of Angelman syndrome research, therapeutic development, biomarker science, or related translational domains. Reviews are peer reviewed.

Methods & Techniques

Detailed methodological papers designed to standardize experimental approaches, improve reproducibility, and establish best practices in Angelman syndrome research. Protocol transparency and technical rigor are emphasized. Peer reviewed.

Commentaries & Perspectives

Invited or submitted opinion pieces addressing emerging scientific concepts, regulatory developments, therapeutic strategies, or field-wide challenges. These manuscripts undergo editorial review.

Preprints & Rapid Communications

FAST-DART may host non–peer-reviewed preprints to facilitate rapid dissemination of findings. Preprints are clearly labeled and may subsequently undergo formal peer review.

FAST-DART is an open-access scientific journal dedicated to advancing rigorous, translational research in Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Its mission is to provide a transparent platform for high-quality data (positive and negative), comprehensive reviews, and standardized methodologies that accelerate therapeutic development and improve reproducibility. By integrating academic, clinical, and industry perspectives, FAST-DART aims to strengthen scientific collaboration and move discovery efficiently toward meaningful patient impact.

Aims and Scope

FAST-DART (Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics – Data, Analysis, Reviews, and Techniques) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing rigorous, translational research in Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

The journal focuses on studies that deepen understanding of disease mechanisms, improve experimental rigor, and strengthen the translational bridge between preclinical research and therapeutic development. FAST-DART welcomes original research, reviews, data reports, methodological papers, and technical resources that address molecular, cellular, circuit-level, and systems-level questions relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, gene regulation and imprinting biology, synaptic development and plasticity, neural circuitry, biomarkers and outcome measures, electrophysiology, behavioral phenotyping, experimental models, and therapeutic approaches such as gene therapy, protein replacement, antisense technologies, and small-molecule strategies. Emphasis is placed on transparency, reproducibility, and the clear presentation of data that can inform future research and therapeutic decision-making.

FAST-DART is designed to serve both the research community and the broader translational ecosystem by providing a permanent, citable home for high-quality studies, including well-executed negative or confirmatory findings, standardized methods, and comparative analyses that are essential for progress but often underrepresented in traditional journals.

Scientific Focus

FAST-DART is dedicated to advancing rigorous translational research centered on Angelman syndrome while fostering cross disciplinary insights that inform the broader field of neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders. The journal prioritizes studies that clarify disease mechanisms, refine therapeutic strategies, and accelerate progress from discovery to clinical application.

Core areas of focus include UBE3A biology, genomic imprinting, synaptic plasticity, circuit level dysfunction, biomarker development including electrophysiological and molecular measures, and preclinical and clinical therapeutic platforms such as gene therapy, genome editing, antisense oligonucleotides, protein based therapeutics, and small molecule approaches. FAST-DART also welcomes work addressing regulatory science, natural history studies, outcome measure validation, and translational trial design relevant to rare central nervous system disorders.

Recognizing that many neurodevelopmental conditions share overlapping biological pathways, the journal invites submissions that extend beyond Angelman syndrome to related disorders involving ubiquitin signaling, synaptic dysfunction, imprinting abnormalities, or overlapping clinical phenotypes. Comparative studies, platform technologies, and mechanistic investigations that provide insight into broader translational applications are encouraged.

FAST-DART further supports publication of methodological advances and standardized techniques that strengthen reproducibility and scientific rigor. These include electrophysiology protocols, behavioral phenotyping approaches, multi omics platforms, gene delivery methodologies, bioinformatic pipelines, and patient derived cellular systems. By integrating disease specific expertise with broadly applicable scientific innovation, FAST-DART aims to serve both the Angelman syndrome community and the wider neurogenetic and translational neuroscience fields.

Publication Model

Open Access and Publication Policy

FAST-DART is a fully open-access journal. All published articles are freely available to readers without subscription, registration, or access barriers.

FAST-DART does not charge article processing fees or submission fees. Publication costs are supported through the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics to ensure that scientific merit, rigor, and relevance are the sole criteria for publication.

Accessibility Statement

FAST-DART is committed to providing equitable access to scientific information for all users, including individuals with disabilities.

The journal website is designed to support accessibility standards consistent with widely recognized web accessibility guidelines. Efforts are made to ensure that text, figures, and digital content are readable, navigable, and compatible with assistive technologies. The journal continually evaluates its website and publishing platform to improve accessibility and usability for all readers.

FAST-DART welcomes feedback regarding accessibility and will make reasonable efforts to address barriers that limit access to published content.

Copyright

FAST-DART publishes both preprints and peer-reviewed articles. All articles posted and published by FAST-DART are made available under a No Copyright / CC0 Public Domain Dedication, unless expressly stated otherwise.

The author(s) who associate a work with FAST-DART dedicate the work to the public domain by waiving all copyright and related or neighboring rights worldwide, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. As a result, the work may be copied, modified, distributed, and performed, including for commercial purposes, without the need to seek permission.

This policy applies equally to manuscripts posted as preprints and to articles that have undergone peer review and are formally published by FAST-DART. Authors retain authorship and attribution, but do not retain exclusive copyright in FAST-DART–published content.

Other Information

In no way are the patent or trademark rights of any person affected by this dedication, nor are any rights that other persons may have in the work or in how the work is used, including publicity, privacy, or ethical rights.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, FAST-DART and the author(s) make no warranties regarding the work and disclaim liability for all uses of the work to the fullest extent permitted by law.

When using or citing FAST-DART content, the work must not be represented as endorsed by the author(s), FAST-DART, or the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics unless such endorsement is explicitly stated.

FAST-DART invites submissions from academic investigators, clinicians, translational scientists, and industry partners committed to advancing rigorous and reproducible research in Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

We welcome original research, comprehensive reviews, well-curated datasets that may include negative or confirmatory findings, and methodological papers that establish standards for the field. Our goal is to accelerate therapeutic development by ensuring that critical data, whether positive or negative, are transparently shared with the research community.

FAST-DART operates as an open-access journal to maximize accessibility and impact. Authors are encouraged to submit work that emphasizes translational relevance, mechanistic clarity, and reproducibility. Submissions are evaluated for scientific rigor, methodological transparency, and relevance to advancing patient-centered therapeutic strategies.

We encourage prospective authors to review our Author Guidelines prior to submission and contact the editorial office with any inquiries regarding scope or suitability.

Research Articles

Scope: Research Articles present full original investigations that advance mechanistic understanding, therapeutic development, biomarker discovery, or translational science relevant to Angelman syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Requirements: Manuscripts must include a structured abstract with the following headings: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Detailed methodological description sufficient for replication is required.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words excluding references and supplementary materials. A minimum of 10 figures is permitted when necessary to fully document experimental findings. Additional figures may be included if essential.

Data Availability: Authors must include a Data Availability Statement describing where raw data, code, and supporting materials can be accessed. Deposition in a public repository is strongly encouraged unless restricted by ethical or legal considerations.

Review Process: Research Articles undergo full external peer review by at least two qualified reviewers. Final decisions are made by the Editor in Chief or designated Associate Editor.

Data Reports

Scope: Data Reports provide well characterized datasets including positive, negative, confirmatory, or replication findings. The goal is to reduce publication bias and strengthen reproducibility across the field.

Requirements: Submissions must clearly describe experimental design, statistical analysis, and data validation procedures. Negative or neutral findings are welcomed provided methodological rigor is demonstrated.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures may be included to fully document datasets, validation steps, and analytical approaches.

Data Availability: Raw datasets must be made available in a publicly accessible repository unless restricted by privacy or regulatory constraints. A detailed Data Availability Statement is mandatory.

Review Process: Data Reports undergo peer review or structured editorial review depending on scope and complexity. The review pathway will be clearly indicated upon acceptance.

Reviews

Scope: Reviews synthesize current knowledge in defined areas of Angelman syndrome biology, therapeutic development, biomarker science, regulatory strategy, or related translational domains. Both narrative and systematic reviews are accepted.

Requirements: Systematic reviews must describe search strategy and inclusion criteria. Narrative reviews should provide balanced and comprehensive analysis supported by current literature.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures, including conceptual models or summary schematics, may be included when appropriate.

Data Availability: For systematic reviews, authors should describe data extraction methods and, when possible, provide supporting datasets or search documentation.

Review Process: All Reviews undergo full external peer review.

Methods and Techniques

Scope: Methods and Techniques articles describe experimental protocols, analytical pipelines, translational platforms, or standardized procedures designed to improve reproducibility and comparability across laboratories.

Requirements: Submissions must provide sufficient technical detail to allow replication. Validation data demonstrating robustness and reliability are strongly encouraged.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. A minimum of 10 figures may be included to illustrate workflows, validation results, and technical performance metrics.

Data Availability: Protocols, scripts, analytical code, and validation datasets should be made publicly available whenever possible.

Review Process: Methods and Techniques articles undergo full external peer review.

Commentaries and Perspectives

Scope: Commentaries and Perspectives provide informed analysis of emerging scientific developments, regulatory changes, translational challenges, or strategic directions relevant to Angelman syndrome and related disorders.

Requirements: These articles should present clear arguments supported by evidence and professional expertise.

Word and Figure Limits: Maximum length is 20,000 words. Figures are optional but permitted when they enhance clarity. A minimum of 10 figures is not required for this category but may be included if appropriate.

Data Availability: Formal data deposition is not required unless new datasets are presented.

Review Process: Commentaries and Perspectives undergo editorial review. The Editor in Chief determines whether external peer review is required based on content.

Formatting

Manuscripts should be prepared in clear, concise English and organized in the following order: Title Page, Abstract, Main Text, References, Figure Legends, Tables, and Supplementary Materials. Research Articles must include a structured abstract with the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

The main text should typically be organized into Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Methods must be described in sufficient detail to permit replication. Statistical analyses must be fully reported, including exact statistical tests used, measures of variance, and sample sizes.

All manuscripts must be submitted in editable format. Pages should be numbered consecutively. Line numbering is strongly encouraged to facilitate review.

Reference Style

FAST-DART follows the NLM Vancouver reference style. References should be numbered sequentially in the order cited in the text and identified by superscript numerals or bracketed numbers.

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to Index Medicus conventions. All authors should be listed unless the total number exceeds six, in which case the first six authors should be followed by “et al.” DOI numbers should be included where available.

Figure Specifications

Figures must be high resolution and submitted as separate files. Acceptable formats include TIFF, EPS, or high-quality PDF. Minimum resolution requirements are:

300 dpi for color or grayscale images

600 dpi for line art

All figure panels must be clearly labeled and referenced in the text. Adjustments to brightness or contrast must be applied uniformly and must not alter interpretation. Scale bars must be included where appropriate.

FAST-DART permits inclusion of detailed and data-rich figures. Authors may include extensive figure sets when necessary to fully document experimental findings.

Supplementary Material

Supplementary material may include extended datasets, methodological details, additional figures, raw data files, or analytical code. Supplementary files must be clearly labeled and referenced in the main text.

Supplementary content should support, not replace, essential results. All supplementary materials are subject to peer review.

Ethical Requirements

FAST-DART adheres to established principles of research ethics and integrity.

Human Subjects and IRB Approval

Studies involving human participants must include a statement confirming approval by an appropriate Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee. The approval number and institution should be specified.

Informed Consent

Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians, where applicable.

Animal Welfare and IACUC Compliance

All animal experiments must comply with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming approval by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee or equivalent body.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to participant enrollment. The registry name and registration number must be included in the manuscript.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could be perceived to influence the work.

Disclosure Requirements

Potential conflicts include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, research funding, or advisory roles. A conflict of interest statement must be included in the manuscript, even if no competing interests exist.

Funding Disclosure

All sources of financial support must be clearly identified. The role of the funding agency in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation must be stated.

Editors and reviewers with relevant conflicts will recuse themselves from the review process.

Data Availability Policy

FAST-DART supports transparency and reproducibility through responsible data sharing.

Data Sharing Expectations

Authors are expected to make primary datasets, analytical code, and supporting materials available to the research community whenever ethically and legally permissible.

Repository Recommendations

Data should be deposited in appropriate public repositories. Examples include institutional repositories, domain-specific archives, or general repositories such as Dryad, Figshare, or Zenodo. Genomic and transcriptomic data should be deposited in recognized databases such as GEO or SRA.

Data Availability Statement

Each manuscript must include a Data Availability Statement describing where and how data can be accessed, including accession numbers where applicable. If restrictions apply, authors must clearly explain the reason.

ORCID Policy

FAST-DART encourages authors to provide an ORCID identifier to enhance discoverability and accurate attribution of scholarly work. ORCID registration is free and can be obtained at https://orcid.org.

ORCID identifiers are not required for submission but are strongly recommended, particularly for corresponding authors. Authors may include their ORCID iD in the manuscript at the time of submission.

FAST-DART is committed to rigorous, fair, and timely peer review to ensure the integrity and scientific quality of the published record.

Review Structure

FAST-DART employs a single-blind peer review model. Reviewers remain anonymous to authors, while author identities are disclosed to reviewers. The journal does not practice double-blind review at this time.

All Research Articles, Reviews, Data Reports, and Methods and Techniques manuscripts undergo external peer review. Commentaries and Perspectives are evaluated through editorial review and may be sent for external review at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Editorial Review Categories

Certain article types, including invited Commentaries, Perspectives, and selected Data Reports, may undergo structured editorial review. In such cases, the Editor-in-Chief or designated Associate Editor evaluates the manuscript for scientific accuracy, clarity, and relevance. The review pathway is disclosed upon acceptance.

Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which a conflict of interest exists.

Review Criteria

Manuscripts are evaluated based on the following core criteria:

Scientific Rigor

Experimental design must be appropriate to the research question. Statistical analyses must be correctly applied and transparently reported. Conclusions must be supported directly by the data.

Reproducibility

Methods must be described in sufficient detail to allow replication. Adequate sample sizes, validation experiments, and data transparency are required. For preclinical studies, inclusion of appropriate controls and replication cohorts is strongly encouraged.

Relevance to Angelman Syndrome and Related Translational Research

Submissions must demonstrate clear relevance to Angelman syndrome biology, therapeutic development, biomarker science, or translational neuroscience. Studies extending to related neurodevelopmental or genetic disorders are considered when they provide mechanistic or translational insight applicable to Angelman syndrome. Exceptions can be made at the de

Editorial decisions consider scientific quality, methodological integrity, and contribution to the field rather than perceived novelty alone.

Timeline

FAST-DART is committed to efficient review while maintaining rigorous standards.

Initial editorial assessment is typically completed within 7 to 10 business days.

External peer review decisions are generally communicated within 4 to 6 weeks of submission.

Revised manuscripts are evaluated promptly, typically within 2 to 4 weeks.

These timelines may vary depending on reviewer availability and manuscript complexity.

Corrections and Retractions

FAST-DART maintains a transparent and permanent scholarly record. Post-publication changes are handled according to established publication ethics standards.

Corrections

If errors are identified that affect the clarity or interpretation of a published article but do not invalidate the findings, a formal Correction will be published. Corrections are linked to the original article and indexed accordingly.

Retractions

A Retraction will be issued in cases of confirmed scientific misconduct, data fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, or fundamental errors that invalidate the conclusions. Retraction notices clearly state the reason and remain permanently linked to the original article.

Expression of Concern

When credible concerns arise regarding the integrity of a published article but an investigation is ongoing, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern. This notice informs readers while preserving due process.

FAST-DART reserves the right to contact authors’ institutions or funding agencies if serious misconduct is suspected. All post-publication actions are undertaken with the goal of maintaining trust in the scientific record.

FAST-DART is committed to maintaining high standards of scholarly publishing through accurate metadata, persistent identifiers, and transparent indexing practices. Proper indexing and metadata management ensure that published articles are discoverable, citable, and permanently accessible to the scientific community.

DOI Policy

All articles published in FAST-DART are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to provide a permanent and reliable link to the scholarly record.

Crossref Registration

FAST-DART registers DOIs through Crossref, a leading registration agency for scholarly publications. Each article receives a unique DOI upon publication, which is permanently associated with the article’s metadata and landing page.

Metadata Completeness

The journal maintains comprehensive metadata for each article to support accurate indexing, citation tracking, and long term discoverability. Metadata deposited with Crossref includes, where applicable, article title, author names and affiliations, abstract, keywords, publication date, licensing information, references, and funding acknowledgments. FAST-DART strives to maintain complete and accurate metadata records to ensure compatibility with indexing services and bibliographic databases.

Indexing Goals

FAST-DART aims to ensure broad discoverability of published research through inclusion in recognized scientific indexing services and bibliographic databases.

PubMed Central Application

FAST-DART intends to pursue inclusion in PubMed Central (PMC) once eligibility criteria are met. The journal is structured to comply with the scientific, editorial, and technical standards required for PMC participation, including transparent peer review processes, consistent article formatting, and high-quality metadata.

Database Indexing Transparency

The journal maintains transparency regarding indexing status. Current and future indexing services will be clearly listed on the FAST-DART website. The journal does not claim inclusion in any database until formal acceptance has been confirmed.

Privacy and Data Use

FAST-DART respects the privacy of authors, reviewers, and readers and is committed to responsible handling of personal information collected through the journal website.

Cookies

The website may use cookies to improve functionality, monitor website performance, and enhance user experience. Cookies do not collect personally identifiable information beyond what is necessary for site operation and analytics.

Email List Use

Email addresses collected for manuscript submission, journal updates, or newsletter distribution will be used solely for communication related to FAST-DART activities. Email information will not be sold, shared, or distributed to third parties for marketing purposes.

GDPR Statement

Where applicable, FAST-DART complies with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant privacy regulations. Users may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information held by the journal, subject to applicable legal and editorial requirements.

Editorial independence statement

Scientific decisions are independent of funders or sponsors

Editorial Independence Statement

FAST-DART (FAST Data, Analysis, Reviews & Techniques) operates with full editorial independence. All editorial decisions, including manuscript selection, peer review, acceptance, revision, and publication, are made solely by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board based on scientific rigor, methodological soundness, ethical standards, and relevance to the field.

Although FAST-DART is supported by the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST), the Foundation has no role in editorial decision-making and does not influence the content of published articles. Funding support, sponsorship, or organizational affiliation does not affect the evaluation of submissions, the peer review process, or publication outcomes.

Editors and reviewers are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and to recuse themselves from decisions where such conflicts exist. FAST-DART is committed to transparency, integrity, and the unbiased dissemination of scientific findings, including positive, negative, and neutral results.

This independence ensures that FAST-DART serves as a credible, trustworthy, and scientifically rigorous forum for the Angelman syndrome and broader neurodevelopmental research communities.

Conflicts of Interest Policy

FAST-DART is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and scientific integrity. All authors, editors, and reviewers are required to disclose any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could be perceived to influence the content or evaluation of a manuscript.

Disclosure Requirements

Authors must provide a clear statement of conflicts of interest at the time of submission. Disclosures should include, but are not limited to, employment, consulting fees, honoraria, research funding, equity interests, intellectual property rights, advisory board participation, or any other relationships with commercial or nonprofit entities that may benefit from the published work. If no conflicts exist, authors must include a statement declaring that no competing interests are present.

Editors and editorial board members are likewise required to disclose relevant relationships and must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where a conflict exists. Editorial decisions are made independently of financial considerations or organizational affiliations.

Conflict of interest statements will be published with each article to ensure full transparency for readers.

Ethics and Misconduct Policy

FAST-DART adheres to established principles of research integrity and publication ethics. All submissions must represent original work conducted and reported honestly, accurately, and transparently.

Plagiarism

Manuscripts must be the authors’ original work. Direct copying, paraphrasing without attribution, or appropriation of ideas without proper citation constitutes plagiarism and is not tolerated. All submissions may be screened using plagiarism detection software. Confirmed cases will result in rejection or retraction as appropriate.

Image Manipulation

Figures and images must accurately represent the original data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are permitted only if applied uniformly and do not alter the interpretation of the data. Selective enhancement, obscuring, deletion, or addition of features is considered misconduct. Authors may be asked to provide original, unprocessed image files during review.

Duplicate or Redundant Publication

Manuscripts submitted to FAST-DART must not be under consideration elsewhere and must not have been previously published, except in the case of clearly identified preprints. Redundant publication, salami slicing of datasets, or reuse of substantial portions of previously published work without disclosure is not permitted.

Retractions and Corrections

FAST-DART maintains a transparent post publication record. When errors are identified that affect interpretation but not the overall validity of the work, a formal correction will be issued. In cases of significant error, fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or ethical violations, the journal will publish a retraction. Retractions and corrections will be clearly labeled and linked to the original article to preserve the integrity of the scientific record.

FAST-DART reserves the right to investigate suspected misconduct and may contact authors’ institutions or funding bodies when necessary. The journal is committed to preserving trust in the scientific literature and ensuring that published findings meet rigorous ethical standards.