Note: These guidelines conform to the 2006 “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.” The complete document may be accessed at: http://www.ICMJE.org.
SCOPE OF THE JOURNAL
The Cancer Journal: The Journal of Principles & Practice of Oncology provides an integrated view of modern oncology across all disciplines. The Journal publishes original research and reviews, and keeps readers current on content published in the book
Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology. In addition, readers may submit questions which will be answered in the Journal. Edited by the same team as the classic book,
The Cancer Journal is a premier educational resource.
The Cancer Journal is published bimonthly and considers original articles in English relating to all aspects of oncology, including clinical aspects; medical, surgical, and radiation therapies; and research from basic science disciplines that has implications for oncology. The Editors are particularly interested in manuscripts that offer a multidisciplinary approach, discuss new modalities, or emphasize translational research.
ETHICAL/LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS
A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in similar form, in any language, without the consent of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the study to a significant extent. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors must state all possible conflicts of interest in the manuscript, including financial, consultant, institutional and other relationships that might lead to bias or a conflict of interest. If there is no conflict of interest, this should also be explicitly stated as none declared. All sources of funding should be acknowledged in the manuscript. All relevant conflicts of interest and sources of funding should be included on the title page of the manuscript with the heading “Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding:“. For example: Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: A has received honoraria from Company Z. B is currently receiving a grant (#12345) from Organization Y, and is on the speaker’s bureau for Organization X – the CME organizers for Company A. For the remaining authors none were declared. In addition, each author must complete and submit the journal's copyright transfer agreement, which includes a section on the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" ( www.icmje.org/update.html ). A copy of the form is made available to the submitting author within the Editorial Manager submission process. Co-authors will automatically receive an Email with instructions on completing the form upon submission.
Permissions
For permission and/or rights to use content for which the copyright holder is LWW or the society, please go to the journal's website and after clicking on the relevant article, click on the "Request Permissions" link under the "Article Tools" box that appears on the right side of the page. Alternatively, send an e-mail to
[email protected] . For Translation approval, License to republish and distribute, or Permission to reuse material in another publication or presentation, please email one of the following:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Authoring Tools
Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.
ONLINE MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
Manuscripts should be submitted online through the Journal Editorial Website (
http://ppo.edmgr.com).
First-Time Users
Please click the Register button from the main menu and enter the requested information. On successful registration, you will be sent an e-mail indicating your username and password. Print a copy of this information for future reference. Note: If you have received an e-mail from us with an assigned user ID and password, or if you are a repeat user, do not register again. Just log in. Once you have an assigned ID and password, re-registration is unnecessary, even if your status changes (that is, author, reviewer, or editor).
Authors
Please click the login button from the menu at the top of the page and log in to the system as an Author. Submit your manuscript according to the author instructions. You will be able to track the progress of your manuscript through the system. If you experience any problems, please contact Annette Gregory, Managing Editor (
[email protected]).
JOURNAL CONTENTS
Please follow guidelines for article length carefully. If accepted articles exceed recommended length, authors will be required to shorten their articles before publication. In addition, the total number of illustrations (sum of tables and figures) may not exceed half of the number of typed text pages minus one. For example, an article with 15 text pages is limited to a total of 7 illustrations and/or tables.
Original Articles
Original articles describing new findings of major importance are invited for submission. Articles should contain no more than 4,000 words of text.
Reviews
Although most reviews are solicited by the Editors, unsolicited reviews will be considered. Reviews should contain no more than 6,000 words of text.
Commentaries
Editorial commentaries are usually solicited by the Editors, but unsolicited editorial commentaries will be considered for publication. Commentaries can discuss any feature of the Journal, including original articles, illustration features, and review articles. Editorials should contain no more than 1,500 words of text.
Letters to the Editors
Letters may comment on work previously published in the Journal or on current topics in oncology. A letter should contain fewer than 500 words of text.
FAST-TRACK REVIEW
If a study is likely to have an unusual influence on public health, the authors may request that the Editors conduct fast-track review. The Editors will contact the author with a decision within 10 days of submission and will schedule the manuscript for publication when it is accepted. Reviewers’ comments will not be provided and decisions will be final.
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT
Authors should acquaint themselves with and follow closely the instructions for submission of manuscripts. Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review.
Title Page
A title page must be submitted as a separate file. Include on the title page 1) complete manuscript title; 2) authors’ full names, highest academic degree(s), position/title, and institutional affiliations; 3) name and address for correspondence, including fax number, telephone number, and e-mail address; 4) address for reprints if different from that of corresponding author; 5) the number of figures and tables; and 6) sources of support that require acknowledgment. The title page must also include disclosure of funding received for this work from any of the following organizations: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Wellcome Trust; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); and other(s).
Structured Abstract
Abstract must be submitted as a separate file. Limit the abstract to 400 words for reports of original data. A four-part structured abstract is required: 1) Purpose; 2) Methods (or Patients and Methods, Material and Methods, etc.); 3) Results, and 4) Discussion. Authors may substitute "Design" for "Patients and Methods" in review articles. For other manuscripts, include a conventional abstract of no more than 150 words. Do not use abbreviations, footnotes, statistical significance values, or references in the abstract.
Key Words
Three to 10 key words or short phrases should be added to the abstract page, using terms from the Medical Subject Heading of Index Medicus.
Text
In most cases, the body of the manuscript should begin with an untitled introduction followed by Methods, Results, and Discussion. These headings should match those in the structured abstract. Longer articles may require subheads to clarify their content.
INFORMED CONSENT
For experimental investigations of human or animal subjects, the “Methods” section should state that an appropriate institutional review board approved the project. For investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. For investigations of human subjects, state in the “Methods” section how informed consent was obtained.
RECOMBINANT DNA RESEARCH GUIDELINES
All manuscripts involving recombinant DNA research must describe the physical and biologic containment procedures practiced, in agreement with the National Institutes of Health Guidelines.
CASE DESCRIPTIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Authors should include a signed statement of consent to publish all case descriptions and photographs from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified in such written descriptions and photographs.
Acknowledgments (if any)
All sources of support in the form of grants or other significant assistance should be acknowledged. Any potential conflicts of interest that may appear to exist should be disclosed, particularly the presence or absence of any financial interest in any of the products mentioned in the manuscript. If the manuscript has been presented in public as a paper or poster, the name, date, and place of that meeting may be included.
References
References should be numbered consecutively in the order they are mentioned in the text. Identify references in the text by superscript numbers or numbers in parentheses. Journal names should be abbreviated as in Index Medicus. Include the names of all authors when three or fewer; if more than three, list the first three and "et al." Do not include personal communications and unpublished work in the reference list; if necessary, they should appear in parentheses in text. Authors must obtain written permission from all individuals named as sources of information in personal communications, whether the communications are oral or written. Copies of signed statements of permission should be submitted along with the manuscript. Unpublished work accepted but not published should be designated as “in press” in the reference list. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.
EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE STYLE
Journal Articles
- Dudley ME, Ngo LT, Westwood J et al. T-cell clones from melanoma patients immunized against an anchor-modified gp100 peptide display discordant effector phenotypes. Cancer J (Boston MA) 2000;6:69–77.
Chapters in edited books
- Marcus R, Couston AM. Water-soluble vitamins: the vitamin B complex and ascorbic acid. In: Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS et al, eds. Goodman and Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (8th ed). New York: Pergamon Press, 1990:1530–1552.
Books
- Taliesnik J. The Wrist. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1985:79–82.
Figures
A) Creating Digital Artwork
- Learn about the publication requirements for Digital Artwork:
http://links.lww.com/ES/A42
- Create, Scan and Save your artwork and compare your final figure to the Digital Artwork Guideline Checklist (below).
- Upload each figure to Editorial Manager in conjunction with your manuscript text and tables.
B) Digital Artwork Guideline Checklist Here are the basics to have in place before submitting your digital artwork:
- Artwork should be saved as TIFF, EPS, or MS Office (DOC, PPT, XLS) files. High resolution PDF files are also acceptable.
- Crop out any white or black space surrounding the image.
- Diagrams, drawings, graphs, and other line art must be vector or saved at a resolution of at least 1200 dpi. If created in an MS Office program, send the native (DOC, PPT, XLS) file.
- Photographs, radiographs and other halftone images must be saved at a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
- Photographs and radiographs with text must be saved as postscript or at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.
- Each figure must be saved and submitted as a separate file. Figures should not be embedded in the manuscript text file.
Remember:
- Cite figures consecutively in your manuscript.
- Number figures in the figure legend in the order in which they are discussed.
- Upload figures consecutively to the Editorial Manager web site and enter figure numbers consecutively in the Description field when uploading the files.
Figure Legends
Include legends for all figures. They should be brief and specific, and they should appear on a separate manuscript page after the references. Use scale markers in the image for electron micrographs, and indicate the type of stain used. No legends should appear on the figures and titles should be avoided.
Color Figures
Authors who submit color figures will receive an estimate of the cost for color reproduction, at a rate of $750 per page of color illustration. A letter will be sent indicating the total cost. If the author declines to accept the costs of color reproduction, the figures will be converted to black and white.
Tables
Create tables using the table creating and editing feature of your word processing software (eg, Word, WordPerfect). Do not use Excel or comparable spreadsheet programs. Cite tables consecutively in the text, and number them in order of their citation. Each table should appear on a separate sheet and should include the table title, appropriate column heads, and explanatory legends (including definitions of any abbreviations used). Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript.
SUPPLEMENTAL DIGITAL CONTENT
Supplemental Digital Content (SDC)
Authors may submit SDC via Editorial Manager to LWW journals that enhance their article's text to be considered for online posting. SDC may include standard media such as text documents, graphs, audio, video, etc. On the Attach Files page of the submission process, please select Supplemental Audio, Video, or Data for your uploaded file as the Submission Item. If an article with SDC is accepted, our production staff will create a URL with the SDC file. The URL will be placed in the call-out within the article. SDC files are not copy-edited by LWW staff, they will be presented digitally as submitted. For a list of all available file types and detailed instructions, please visit
http://links.lww.com/A142.
Figure Legends
SDC Call-outs Supplemental Digital Content must be cited consecutively in the text of the submitted manuscript. Citations should include the type of material submitted (Audio, Figure, Table, etc.), be clearly labeled as "Supplemental Digital Content," include the sequential list number, and provide a description of the supplemental content. All descriptive text should be included in the call-out as it will not appear elsewhere in the article.
Example: We performed many tests on the degrees of flexibility in the elbow (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which demonstrates elbow flexibility) and found our results inconclusive.
List of Supplemental Digital Content
A listing of Supplemental Digital Content must be submitted at the end of the manuscript file. Include the SDC number and file type of the Supplemental Digital Content. This text will be removed by our production staff and not be published. Example: Supplemental Digital Content 1. wmv
SDC File Requirements
All acceptable file types are permissible up to 10 MBs. For audio or video files greater than 10 MBs, authors should first query the journal office for approval. For a list of all available file types and detailed instructions, please visit
http://links.lww.com/A142.
AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Page Proofs and Corrections
Corresponding authors will receive electronic page proofs to check the copyedited and typeset article before publication. Portable document format (PDF) files of the typeset pages and support documents (eg, reprint order form) will be sent to the corresponding author by e-mail. Complete instructions will be provided with the e-mail for downloading and printing the files and submitting corrected page proofs via the ProduXion Manager system or directly to the Proof Manager. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proofs. Changes that have been made to conform to journal style will stand if they do not alter the authors' meaning. Only the most critical changes to the accuracy of the content will be made. Changes that are stylistic or are a reworking of previously accepted material will be disallowed. The publisher reserves the right to deny any changes that do not affect the accuracy of the content. Proofs must be checked carefully and corrections returned within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, as requested in the e-mail notification accompanying the page proofs.
Author Reprints
Authors will have the opportunity to order reprints after issue publication. An e-mail will be sent to each author with a valid e-mail address in Editorial Manager. Contact Customer Service (
[email protected]) with any questions.
Commercial Reprints
For inquiries in the United States and Canada, please send your request to
[email protected]; for inquiries regarding reprint use in other countries, please send your request to
[email protected]. To search for articles that support your messaging, please visit
https://lwwreprints.ovidds.com.
Publisher's Contact
E-mail color letters and corrected page proofs to The Proof Manager, Health Learning, Research & Practice, Wolters Kluwer Health, Email:
[email protected].
Open Access
Authors of accepted peer-reviewed articles have the choice to pay a fee to allow perpetual unrestricted online access to their published article to readers globally, immediately upon publication. Authors may take advantage of the open access option at the point of submission. Please note that this choice has no influence on the peer review and acceptance process. These articles are subject to the journal's standard peer-review process and will be accepted or rejected based on their own merit.
The article processing charge (APC) is charged on acceptance of the article and should be paid within 30 days by the author, funding agency or institution. Payment must be processed for the article to be published open access. For a list of journals and pricing please visit our Wolters Kluwer Hybrid Open Access Journals page.
Authors retain copyright
Authors retain their copyright for all articles they opt to publish open access. Authors grant Wolters Kluwer an exclusive license to publish the article and the article is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons user license. Please visit our Open Access Publication Process page for more information.
Creative Commons license
Open access articles are freely available to read, download and share from the time of publication under the terms of the Creative Commons License Attribution-Non Commercial No Derivative (CC BY-NC-ND) license. This license does not permit reuse for any commercial purposes, nor does it cover the reuse or modification of individual elements of the work (such as figures, tables, etc.) in the creation of derivative works without specific permission.
Compliance with funder mandated open access policies
An author whose work is funded by an organization that mandates the use of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license is able to meet that requirement through the available open access license for approved funders. Information about the approved funders can be found here: https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/lippincott-journals/lippincott-open-access/partner/institutions
Compliance with National Institutes of Health Accessibility Requirements
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires authors to submit the “post-print" (the final manuscript, in Word format, after peer-review and acceptance for publication but prior to the publisher's copyediting, design, formatting, and other services) of research the NIH funds to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, LWW will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and will transmit the post-print of an article based on research funded in whole or in part by the NIH to PubMed Central.
FAQ for open access
https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/solutions/lippincott-journals/lippincott-open-access/faq
MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST
Submission Letter
Complete manuscript:
TITLE PAGE
STRUCTURED ABSTRACT/KEY WORDS
TEXT
REFERENCES
TABLES
LEGENDS
Digital figures, clearly numbered/labeled
Corresponding author designated (in cover letter and title page)
Patient release(s) and/or permission letters
Acknowledgments listed for grants and support
Copyright Transfer form
Conflict of Interest statement