MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDELINES

Resources

Submission cover letter
Submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter briefly describing the work’s significance and identifying the Corresponding Author, with:

complete mailing address
telephone and fax numbers
e-mail address
website address (if available)

For reference, download the cover letter template.

Title page
The first page of the manuscript should contain the following information:

a running head (shortened version of the title) that is no more than 50 characters
the title
name(s) of author(s)
name(s) of institution(s) at which the work was done
correspondence information for Corresponding Author [name, address (including postal code), telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, and website (if available)]
disclaimers, if any
a brief acknowledgment of grants, equipment, drugs, and funding for research support
four to six key words or phrases, using terms from the most recent Medical Subject Headings of Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html)

Abstract

An abstract is required for all Original Articles and Review Articles. The abstract should:

contain no more than 250 words
clearly state the paper’s primary objective
if appropriate, describe materials and methods and results
discuss the implications of the work
summarize any conclusions
be readable by nonspecialists as well as experts in the field
define abbreviations and acronyms on first usage

The abstract should not contain:

footnotes
statistical significance values
references
proprietary names

Within the text:

Acronyms, abbreviations, and symbols must be clearly defined on first usage.
Footnotes are not allowed, except within tables.
References, tables, and figures must be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text.

Gap between current and best practice

Authors of Original and Review articles selected for publication in The Oncologist should describe the best practice concerning their topics, the current practice, and the “gaps” between them (in other words, what needs to be learned on the subject). Authors should explain how their articles will bridge the gap and describe the impact that their articles will have on readers’ competence or performance and/or how the articles might ultimately impact patients’ health.

Learning objectives

The gaps described by the author should lead to learning objectives explaining what the learner should be able to do after reading the article.

Please complete the following table and include it with your submission.

table2

Authors of other types of submissions (Cancer Treatment Reports, Editorials, Commentaries, Letters to the Editor and Reflections) do not need to be concerned about submitting the gap between current and best practice or learning objectives.

Text
The text should be divided into the following sections (as appropriate):

Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion and/or Summary
Acknowledgments
References
Tables
Figures and figure legends

Language
Papers are published in English (with American spellings). Authors who are not fluent in this language are advised to seek editorial help before submitting their papers. Companies that provide substantive editing after the authors draft a first version, including the following:

www.biosciencewriters.com
www.bostonbioedit.com
www.prof-editing.com
www.journalexperts.com
www.bluepencilscience.com
www.stallardediting.com
www.bioedit.co.uk

Neither The Oncologist nor STO takes responsibility for, or endorses, these services. Their use does not guarantee acceptance of a manuscript for publication. Use of any editorial service must be noted in the Acknowledgment section, as well as any support provided for these services.

Proprietary names
Proprietary names of drugs and devices are typically given once, followed (in parentheses) by the name and location of the manufacturer. Proprietary drug names will not be published in article titles; accepted manuscript titles will be modified to contain the generic drug name only.

Units of measurement

Measurements of length, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, and liter) or their decimal multiples.
Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius.
Blood pressures should be given in millimeters of mercury.
Abbreviations for units of measurement need not be defined (e.g., 5 cm, 20°C, 120 mmHg).

Symbols and abbreviations
Define abbreviations and acronyms the first time used, in both the abstract and body of the article. Author-created abbreviations should be avoided, but if used, they must be clearly defined the first time they are used, in both the abstract and the paper.

Footnotes
Footnotes should not be used except within tables.

References
References must be numbered consecutively, without periods after the reference numbers, and ordered as they appear in the text (i.e., citation by number). References must be double-spaced in a separate reference section that follows the body of the text.

Manuscripts “in preparation” or “submitted” are not included in the reference list. If an article has been accepted and published online-ahead-of-print, please provide full citation including URL or DOI.

When unpublished material is cited as personal or private communication, please provide the full name, academic degree, and affiliation of the person with whom the communication took place and the date on which it took place. In addition, please provide proof of permission from that individual to use the cited communication in your article.

Reference format:

List all authors when there are three or fewer.
If more than three authors, list the first three followed by “et al.”
List authors by last name first, followed by their initials (no periods).
Abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals should conform to those in the latest edition of Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html) and on MEDLINE (http://medline.cos.com).
Use full beginning and ending page numbers (e.g., 10270–280 is not acceptable).

Examples of references may be found at http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/misc/TO_references.pdf.

Tables
Tables must be titled and cited in numerical order in the text using Arabic numbers. Each table should be double-spaced and typed on a separate page. Use superscript lowercase letters to denote footnotes within a table in the order in which they appear. Each table must include definitions of all abbreviations used. Abbreviations must be used more than once; if not, do not abbreviate but write out. Tables should be created in Microsoft® Word using the table feature. Failure to comply with these specifications may result in publication delay.

Figures/illustrations
Figures must be titled and cited in numerical order in the text using Arabic numbers. We encourage the submission of illustrations in color. Submit illustrations in electronic format whenever possible. Figures should be labeled with the Corresponding Author name, the appropriate figure number, and orientation (e.g., “top”). Panel labels (A, B, C…) on figures should be 12-point Helvetica bold capital letters, generally positioned at the top left of the panels, outside the image area.

For information and resources to help you with the creation and submission of digital art, go to the Cadmus KnowledgeWorks digital art support website (http://cjs.cadmus.com/da/index.asp).

Figure legends should be double-spaced on separate pages and should contain a brief title and explanation of the figures (maximum of 55 words for title and explanation). In addition, the magnification and stain used for photomicrographs should be stated, and any pertinent notes and definitions of all abbreviations used in the figure must be included.

Supplemental data
The submission of supplemental data that enhance the understanding of the science discussed in the manuscript is encouraged. Supplemental data should be submitted for peer review when the initial submission of the paper occurs. The Editors will review the supplemental data along with the manuscript. Critical information or figures required for the interpretation, understanding, and evaluation of the research must be included in the manuscript and must not be submitted as supplemental data. Supplemental data are published online only.

Videos
Videos for use on the Journal’s website must be approved by AlphaMed Press. The preferred file format is compressed Windows Media® player-compatible (.wmp or .mpg). Video file size should be kept as small as possible while maintaining good resolution and screen size. Video files submitted to The Oncologist are published online only as Supplemental Data. Within the text of your manuscript, you may cite the videos as, for example, “supplemental online video 1.”

Permission for reproduction

Authors must obtain permission if required for reproduction or adaptation of figures or tables from copyrighted (previously published) material. Written permission must be obtained from the publisher of the journal or book concerned. (A form for your use is provided online at http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/misc/Permission_Form.pdf under Other Related Documents.) Copies of all permission documents must be provided with the manuscript submission. The publication from which the figure or table is taken or adapted must be listed in the reference section. Within the legend of a reprinted or adapted table or figure should appear the following: “Reprinted [Adapted] with permission” along with the appropriate reference. All permission listings must be shown in the submitted manuscript; they cannot be entered on proofs.