Manuscript Format

Manuscript title page, the body of the manuscript, reference list, footnotes, and figure legends must be typed double-spaced. Tables may be single- or double-spaced, although the type must be large enough and the lines of type sufficiently well spaced to be easily read.

Title Page

The title should be brief (14 words or fewer) and, except for Editorials and Correspondence, should not be in sentence form. If a letter to the editor pertains to an item published in the Journal, the title of the letter should be "Re:" followed by the title of the original item. The title page should give the full name and affiliation of each author and the name and address of the single author to whom correspondence and/or reprint requests are to be sent. Include the telephone and fax numbers and e-mail address of the corresponding author. Authors should be aware that the individual named first in a list of authors of a paper, and his/her institutional affiliation, will be the one named in any publication-related or postpublication citation or communication by the Journal concerning the paper.

Abbreviations

Journal policy is to avoid the use of abbreviations whenever possible. If abbreviations are essential, list and define them. Author-created abbreviations are not to be used.

Abstract

Articles and Reviews must contain an abstract of no more than 250 words; Brief Communications must contain an abstract of no more than 150 words; Commentaries may contain an abstract of no more than 150 words, but no abstract is required. Abstracts should be written using complete sentences. An abstract should clearly state unique elements of the work, should be readable by nonspecialists as well as by experts in the particular field, and should concisely state all important findings of the study. All information in the abstract (including implications) must be explicitly stated in the text.

Include, as appropriate, the following headings in abstracts for Articles (but not for Brief Communications, Commentaries, or Reviews): Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion(s).

The Background should come from the Introduction of the paper and should note relevant previous findings, designated as those of the authors and/or other investigators. It should also state the purpose of the present paper.

The Methods should indicate all important materials or techniques used to fulfill the purpose of the study; these methods will be described more fully in the Methods section of the paper, and for each finding noted in the Results, a corresponding method should be provided in the Methods.

The Results should contain only information detailed in the Results section of the paper. All important results should be noted in the Results. (See "Statistical Methods".) The Methods must not contain results, and the Results must not contain methods.

The next section of the abstract should state any important Conclusion(s) demonstrated or suggested by the results. The Conclusion(s) should come from the Discussion section and can include any implication(s) derived as a next logical step or inference directly from the results of the study reported and other related findings from investigators mentioned in the Discussion. Implication(s), as stated in the Discussion, may suggest directions for future experimental research and/or possible clinical applications and may note a particular need for confirmatory studies or offer cautions regarding interpretation of the results.

Carefully review each statement in the abstract to ensure that the above points are satisfied.

Text

All submitted text should be typed double-spaced and should be written in standard grammatical English. (Refer to the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th Edition on questions of style.) Indent the first line of each paragraph. Number all pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. Dot-matrix or italicized text will not be accepted. All symbols and abbreviations should be defined. Number references, tables, and figures in the order in which they are cited in the text. References in tables should continue the sequence of numbers in the text at the point where the table is first mentioned (i.e., numbering of table references should not be reserved until the end of the reference list). Articles should contain a brief introduction and three additional sections labeled Methods (or a variation of the term), Results, and Discussion.

Methods

The description in the text of methods used must be succinct but sufficiently detailed to allow replication of the study by a qualified investigator. The Methods sections of Articles are exempted from the word count (see "Articles"). Authors should specify full names, types, amounts, and sources of reagents (giving complete names and locations of suppliers); full names as well as standard abbreviations of labeled compounds and isotopes used for labeling; concentrations of solutions; and reaction conditions (e.g., incubation times and temperatures). In addition, techniques and procedures used should be accurately named, clearly and thoroughly explained, referenced when appropriate, and organized under appropriate subheadings. The Methods section must be complete and should include the methodology corresponding to each of the end points presented in the Results. Authors should specify experimental conditions that limit the generalizability of the Results.

For clinical trials, authors should clearly define and explain the purpose of the study, study design, numbers of patients, clinical staging of disease, type and sequence of treatments given before and during the study, time points for evaluation of response, duration of follow-up, end points used (e.g., overall survival, disease-free survival), specific outcomes assessed, and methods of assessment. This requirement should be met, even when the major focus of a study is not the clinical trial to which it is related (e.g., association of gene, messenger RNA, or protein expression with disease therapy or prognosis). (See also "Clinical Trials".)

Where appropriate, clinical and epidemiologic studies should be analyzed to see if there is an effect of sex or any of the major ethnic groups. If there is no effect, it should be so stated in Results.

The Methods section should contain a "Statistical Analysis" subsection, where applicable. (See "Statistical Methods".)

Statistical Methods

The methods of statistical analysis should be described in sufficient detail that a knowledgeable reader could reproduce the analysis if the data were available. The word "significant" should be used only if a result is statistically significant. A P value or confidence interval should be cited in the abstract and in the text for any statistically significant finding reported; wherever possible, exact P values should be given. All tests of statistical significance should be two sided, and the abstract and the text should so state. Outcome variables should generally be given as point estimates, with 95% confidence intervals rather than standard deviations or standard errors.

Clinical Trials

Consent and Approval

Manuscripts reporting on biomedical studies involving human subjects must include explicit assurance that written informed consent was obtained from each subject or from his or her guardian. Such manuscripts must include a statement that the human investigations were performed after approval by a local institutional review board and in accord with an assurance filed with and approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where appropriate.

When a pedigree or family tree is depicted, assurance must be given that written informed consent was obtained from each living individual represented. In addition, authors must state in writing that they have not modified the pedigree or family tree to avoid potential identification of the family or its members. In rare instances, the editorial board may permit modification of a pedigree to preserve patient anonymity if the authors present compelling reasons for making such modifications and the changes made do not affect interpretation of the data. In such cases, authors must provide the original, unmodified data for examination by peer reviewers and the editorial board and must include a statement in the manuscript explaining that the pedigree has been modified.

Animal Welfare

Any study involving experiments with animals must state that their care was in accord with institution guidelines. Where applicable, the dose and schedule of anesthetics and analgesics should be reported.

Gene Nomenclature

Journal policy is to allow use of the specific gene symbol preferred by the author.
For human genes, if a symbol other than
that listed in Human Gene Mapping is
preferred, the author should identify parenthetically, at first mention, the appropriate gene symbol listed in the Human Gene Mapping report from the most recent international workshop on human gene mapping. All Human Gene Mapping designations for human genes should be capitalized; for other species, the symbols should follow nomenclature committee recommendations, and the species of origin should be identified at fi rst mention.

Sequence Information

Microarray and Proteomic Data

Cell Lines

Authors of provisionally accepted manuscripts that use cell lines should state the methods used to authenticate any cell lines used in their studies and should give the date of the last authentication.

Sharing of Materials

Authors of papers published in the Journal are expected to honor reasonable requests from qualified researchers to share biological materials that were used in the reported study. However, authors are not expected to share materials that are difficult to obtain and cannot be propagated, nor are they expected to provide materials for commercial use.

Reference List

For reference citation, the Journal follows the style guidelines of the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th Edition. (See "Editorial Policy.") The reference list should be typed as a separate section at the end of the manuscript. Each reference should be double-spaced. Number references in the order in which they are cited in the text. Use Index Medicus abbreviations of periodical names. For each periodical article, provide author(s), title, journal, year, volume, issue, and first and last page numbers; if an article has more than six authors, list the first three and add 'et al.' For a book chapter or section, name author(s) and title of the pertinent part, the book's editor(s), the book's title, the publisher and location, the year, and the page numbers.

Papers still "in press" also may be listed. However, citation of papers in preparation or submitted for publication, unpublished observations, and personal communications should be noted parenthetically in the text, not in the reference list; in each case, cite the names of the first six investigators only and add 'et al.' Permission must be obtained in writing from one author of papers still in press, in preparation, or submitted for publication and for use of unpublished data and personal communications.

Funding

Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section entitled 'Funding'. This should appear before the 'Acknowledgements' section.

The following rules should be followed:

Figures and Tables

Manuscripts may contain a specific, limited number of figures and tables. Each panel of a figure will be counted as a separate illustration, unless the panels represent a logical sequence of closely related items; dissimilar panels should not be grouped together (e.g., a graph and a photo) unless they present closely related data in different forms. The maximum numbers of figures plus tables are as follows: Articles and Reviews (eight); Commentaries (four); Brief Communications (two); Correspondence (one). An exception to these limitations will be allowed when clinical trials are reported. (See "Clinical Trials".) Revised manuscripts from authors will not be further processed unless these requirements are met.

Where possible, artwork should be in black and white for good reproduction. Gray shading in figures may not reproduce well for publication and should be avoided; do not use overall background shading in figures; do not use gray-shaded bars in graphs—use bars with solid, open, or hatched fill (but avoid exotic varieties of hatching). Avoid fine lines and very small type and symbols in figures: Lines should be reasonably dark and type and symbols should be easily read if the figure is reduced for publication. Label separate figure parts with capital letters A, B, C, etc. Capitalize only the first word in a group of words (e.g., in an axis label) unless capitalization is used in the text of the paper. Figure legends should be double-spaced. Do not include figure legends in the figure files. A legend should begin with the title of the figure; do not include the title on the figure. Identify in each legend any symbols or letters in the figure and define all abbreviations. See "Submission Procedures" for more information about preparing figures for submission.

The cost of reproducing color figures will be borne by the authors. Three-dimensional figures should not be used. All photomicrographs should contain a scale bar. Orders from the UK will be subject to a 17.5% VAT charge. For orders from elsewhere in the EU you or your institution should account for VAT by way of a reverse charge.  Please provide us with your or your institution’s VAT number.

Tables may be single- or double-spaced, but the type must be large enough and the lines of type sufficiently well spaced to be easily read. Provide table titles, footnotes (as appropriate), and headings for all columns. Indicate units of measurement used and define all abbreviations.

Online Data Supplements

Material that substantially enhances a manuscript but cannot, for practical reasons, be printed in the Journal will be considered for placement on the Journal's Web site as a data supplement. Data supplements may include large data sets, videos, three-dimensional structures, extensive sequence comparisons, survey instruments, or ancillary data that are useful to readers but not integral to the printed version of a paper. Material for data supplements should be submitted with the manuscript and will generally be subject to peer review. Authors may not alter a data supplement after a paper is accepted. For information about formats for data supplements, contact the online journal coordinator.

Cover Letter

A cover letter signed by the corresponding author should accompany all submitted manuscripts, including letters to the editor.

The information in the following six statements must be provided. If the manuscript is submitted electronically, the submitter will be required to initial the appropriate statements during the submission process. If the manuscript is submitted in hard-copy form, the appropriate statements must be included in the cover letter.

1. [Choose one statement:] All authors of this research paper have directly participated in the planning, execution, or analysis of the study or All authors of this nonresearch paper have participated in its drafting.
2. All authors of this paper have read and approved the final version submitted.
3. The contents of this manuscript have not been copyrighted or published previously. (But see "Previously Published Material.")
4. The contents of this manuscript are not now under consideration for publication elsewhere.
5. The contents of this manuscript will not be copyrighted, submitted, or published elsewhere while acceptance by the Journal is under consideration.
6. [Choose one statement:] All directly related manuscripts or abstracts, published or unpublished, by one or more authors of this paper have been included with the manuscript submission or There are no directly related manuscripts or abstracts, published or unpublished, by any author(s) of this paper.

Note: "Nonresearch" papers include Reviews, Commentaries, Editorials, and Correspondence/Responses.

All manuscripts are considered for publication with the clear understanding that their contents have not been previously published; abstracts and papers presented at scientific meetings and published as part of the proceedings are excepted, but copies must accompany the manuscript submission. Failure to submit all related abstracts and manuscripts will be cause for rejection, even if the failure is discovered after an acceptance letter is mailed. If there is any doubt about whether a manuscript qualifies as related, it is best to submit it.

The Journal strongly discourages authors from the practice of fragmented reporting of aspects of a single investigation. Authors submitting a paper that is but one of a number of existing or planned manuscripts related to a single study must include a statement in the cover letter that (a) so identifies the paper and (b) justifies the use of the fragmented approach. Authors must describe in the cover letter the scope of each planned related paper. The submitted paper itself must clearly explain and justify the fragmented approach and reveal the full extent of the investigation.

Written permission from the following parties should be submitted with the cover letter, as appropriate: (a) those named in acknowledgments who have been credited with substantive scientific contributions to the work and (b) one author of each work cited in the manuscript as a personal communication, unpublished data, or a manuscript in preparation, submitted for publication, or in press.

If an author has been sanctioned by the Office of Research Integrity of the U.S. Public Health Service, the manuscript will be returned unless the cover letter affirms that the research described is unrelated to the matter for which the author was sanctioned.

Conflict of Interest

Journal policy requires that all authors of research papers, Reviews, Commentaries, Editorials, and Correspondence/Responses sign a statement revealing 1) any financial interest in or arrangement with a company whose product was used in a study or is referred to in a Review, opinion piece, or letter, 2) any financial interest in or arrangement with a competing company, and 3) any other financial connections, direct or indirect, or other situations that might raise the question of bias in the work reported or the conclusions, implications, or opinions stated—including pertinent commercial or other sources of funding for the individual author(s) or for the associated department(s) or organization(s), personal relationships, or direct academic competition. If the manuscript is published, such information may be communicated in a note following the text and references.

License to Publish

With the exception of work held in the public domain, it is a condition of publication that authors grant to Oxford University Press a sole and exclusive license for the full period of copyright throughout the world. A form for this purpose will be sent to the corresponding author upon final acceptance of a manuscript. Authors may use their own material in other publications, provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication and that Oxford University Press is notified in advance in writing.

Open Access Option for Authors

VAT Charges for Offprint Orders

Orders from UK will be subject to a 17.5% VAT charge. For orders from the rest of the EU, we will assume that the service is provided for business purposes, please provide a VAT number for yourself or your institution and ensure you account for your own local VAT correctly.

Author Self Archiving and Public Access

Previously Published Material

Authors submitting manuscripts should avoid the use of copyrighted material (e.g., original, minimally altered, or partial versions of tables and illustrations). If the use of such material is unavoidable, authors must obtain written permission from the copyright holder for use by the Journal and Oxford University Press in print form, microfiche, and all electronic formats. This written permission must accompany the manuscript submission. Permission from the author of the original material is also required.

Authors are strongly encouraged to submit manuscripts electronically via the Journal's Web-based submission system. Although an author may submit hard copies of a manuscript, this may result in slower processing and evaluation of the submission. Authors submitting manuscripts electronically must use the Journal's Web site; submissions will not be accepted by e-mail.

Electronic Submission

Conventional (Hard Copy) Submission

Editorials, Correspondence, and all revised manuscripts must be submitted electronically. Initial submission as hard copy is discouraged but accceptable for an Article, Review, Brief Communication, or Commentary. Manuscripts should be submitted to: Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Oxford University Press, Suite 500, 8120 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814-2743; telephone: 301-841-1270. All correspondence about the manuscript will be conducted by e-mail, so it is essential that the corresponding author's e-mail address be provided. Manuscripts submitted without the corresponding author's e-mail address will be returned without review.

All management and review of submitted manuscripts will be conducted by means of the Journal's online manuscript submission system. Manuscripts that are submitted as hard copy will be uploaded to the system by the Journal staff. When possible, the author’s electronic files will be used. When necessary, text and figures will be scanned to create PDF files. The submission system will generate a PDF file of the cover letter and separate and combined PDF files of the text, tables, and figures. In most cases the corresponding author will be asked to log on to the system and approve these files before they are forwarded to the editorial board.

Please provide a) two copies of the manuscript (fastened, but not stapled, together with the tables); b) the original and one high-quality copy of each figure; c) a disk containing the text of the manuscript and, if possible, all figures, tables, and related articles and the cover letter in digital form. Manuscript files should, if possible, be in Microsoft Word on a Windows- or DOS-formatted disk. Do not send manuscript sections (e.g., title page, references) as separate files. The cover letter and each figure should be in a separate file. Write the first author’s name on the disk label, along with the name and version of the program used. Virus check the disk and verify that it contains the correct files. If a paper is accepted for publication, manuscript copies and figures will not be returned. If a paper is rejected, figures—but not manuscript copies—will be returned whenever possible.

Figures

Do not send photocopies of any figure; do not send figures as negatives. To avoid damage to figures, do not clip or staple them to the manuscript; put each set of figures in a separate envelope. Two sets of all figures must be provided; each figure should be of high quality—that is, all figures should be appropriate for scientific review. Printouts of computer-generated figures are acceptable; glossy photographs of printouts are not desired. On the back of each copy of every figure, indicate the figure number, the top edge of each, and the first author's name. (Make sure writing on the back of one figure does not transfer to the front of another. Do not write directly on the back of glossy prints; please use self-adhesive labels.)

Material that cannot be supplied electronically

Some material that the editorial board requires for the evaluation of a manuscript may not be available in electronic form or may exist in an electronic form that is incompatible with the online submission system. Such material might include: a) figures that must be viewed at very high resolution; b) CDs containing microarray data; c) very large related manuscripts. If such material is included with your submission, please provide five copies, and explain in the cover letter why this material must be handled in this manner.