FAST DART E-Journal

FAST is providing a free online archive and distribution service for Angelman syndrome (AS) related unpublished data and preprints.  Unpublished data and preprints include manuscripts or data that has not been peer-reviewed.  Providing this data allows other researchers in the AS space to build on prior work, avoid duplicating unsuccessful experiments, and gain insight into potential challenges or pitfalls. Negative or null results, although often overlooked in traditional publishing, are valuable because they help refine hypotheses, enhance experimental designs, and guide future research more effectively. Sharing these findings transparently helps researchers identify what strategies may not be fruitful and allows them to course-correct early, optimizing the use of time, funding, and resources. 

An e-journal dedicated to publishing negative or null data has the potential to revolutionize how the scientific community engages with AS research. By creating a centralized platform for such data, researchers can easily access a broader and more accurate record of the state of research in the field. This open access to previously unpublished results helps to prevent unnecessary repetition of experiments and could streamline the discovery process, accelerating the development of effective therapeutic strategies for AS. 

In addition to negative and null results, this e-journal includes non-peer-reviewed biotechniques and literature reviews that provide even greater value. Techniques that are still in development or under refinement may not yet have the rigorous validation required for traditional publication but are nonetheless crucial for progressing research. Sharing these biotechniques through a non-peer-reviewed e-journal allows researchers to collaborate and improve upon methodologies before they are finalized, fostering innovation and efficiency. It also creates a space for ongoing dialogue and feedback on experimental procedures, ensuring that techniques evolve with input from the broader scientific community. 

Moreover, literature reviews that aren't peer-reviewed can offer valuable insights into emerging trends, gaps in the existing body of work, and potential new directions for AS research. By giving researchers, a platform to share their evolving understandings and perspectives, this type of e-journal fosters a dynamic exchange of knowledge that accelerates the synthesis of information. This is especially important in a rare disease field like Angelman syndrome, where the pool of researchers may be smaller, and collaboration is key to overcoming the complexity of the condition. 

Ultimately, having a non-peer-reviewed e-journal for publishing negative or null data, biotechniques, and literature reviews dedicated to Angelman Syndrome serves to democratize scientific information, support collaboration, and promote a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of the disease. It ensures that all aspects of the research process—from setbacks and failures to new techniques and evolving theoretical frameworks—are shared, enhancing the overall progress toward effective treatments and interventions for individuals with AS. 

Articles posted here have not been accepted for publication by a journal.  Once the articles are posted on the FAST website, the articles are citable; therefore, they cannot be removed; however, they can be revised. 

Articles that are posted here are not peer-reviewed, nor are they edited.  The articles are reviewed to ensure the data included in scientific in nature and does not generally pose a health risk and to ensure the article is not offensive in nature. FAST does not endorse the articles and does not peer-review the methods, assumptions, conclusions or scientific quality. Authors are solely responsible for the content they share. 

There is no fee to submit articles to FAST-DART. 

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 and copyright dictates the use. 

FAST-DART does not charge article processing fees or submission fees. Publication costs are supported through the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics. 

JOURNAL PREPRINT POLICIES 

Authors should consult the following two lists-SHERPA/RoMEO and Wikipedia and any other source to ensure that they can provide FAST their preprint prior to publication.  FAST will not be responsible for ensuring preprints are allowable prior to publication. 

FAST agrees that the Author will retain copyright.  The Author has the option to choose from Common Creatives’ several distribution/reuse options: 

• CC0: public domain 

• CC BY: allows distribution, remixing, adaption and build upon as long as attribution is given to creator; 

• CC BY-NC: allows distribution, remixing, adaptation and build upon as long as attribution is given to the creator and only noncommercial use of the work is permitted; 

• CC BY-ND: allows copying, distributing in unadapted form only and attribution must be given to the creator; 

• CC-BY-NC-ND: allows copying and distributing in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only and attribution must be given to the creator. 

• No reuse 

 This will provide the Author with the ability to determine how the article is available through a simple, standardized way for the Author to give permission to share their paper. The Author can determine the most appropriate license by using the Common Creatives’ Chooser.  

By posting on DART, the Author explicitly consents to text mining of their work (e.g., by search engines or researchers). 

If FAST determines an article contains plagiarized material, FAST reserves the right to remove the article, as determined and at its sole discretion.  In the event of removal, the Author will be notified.  If the Author disputes the decision, they may contact FAST in writing to request a review by submitting a request to FASTDart@cureangelman.org. 

If you believe your copyright has been violated, please notify us with your contact information, description of the infringement and a signed statement of ownership to FASTDart@cureangelman.org. 

We value your privacy and are committed to protecting personal data.  The FAST Privacy Policy explains how FAST collects, uses, and shares your information. Click here to read FAST’s full Privacy Policy. 

CITATION 

Preprints deposited in FAST Dart can be cited using their digital object identifier (DOI). Revised versions of manuscripts retain the same DOI assigned to the first version. 

Termination: FAST may terminate or suspend access to the website at any time. 

Governing Law: These terms are governed by the laws of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law rules. 

FAST may update this policy.  The updated version will be posted with the effective date. 

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 screened for formatting, and to identify non-scientific, misleading, or potentially harmful content only.   

Learn More

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. 

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. FAST-DART reserves the right to refuse or remove any material that does not adhere to the relevant ethical standards or regulatory requirements.   

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. 

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. 

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. 

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 minor errors are identified that affect the clarity or interpretation of a published article but do not invalidate the findings, authors may submit a revision, which will have the same DOI as the original article.   If the changes to the article represent a significant change in the content of the article, authors should submit the revised article as new.   

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. 

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. 

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, ethical approvals where applicable 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. 

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.