Editorial Workflow

Oncology Research: Featuring Preclinical and Clinical Cancer Therapeutics

ISSN: 0965-0407 (Print)

ISSN: 1555-3906 (Online)

Editorial Procedures

All Tech Science Press (TSP) journals are peer-reviewed journals. Oncology Research follows a multi-step process that ensures the published work adheres to Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)´s Best Practice Guidelines and Oncology Research’s Instructions for Authors. This process involves an initial check conducted by the managing editor and a subsequent single-blind peer review process, which are detailed below.

Editorial Policy

The editors will ensure that any submitted articles meet the criteria for the scope of the journal and will then ensure the article is Peer-reviewed in line with the stated editorial workflow. Articles must be based on sound science and should add to the established body of knowledge about Oncology Research.

Initial Checks

A submitted article is forwarded to one of the Co-Editors (CE) based on the article’s country of origin. The CE determines if the article is within the scope of OR and whether it meets the basic standards of research. If it is determined that the article should be forwarded to reviewers, the CE provides the Associate Editor (AE) with the names and contact information of at least two suggested reviewers for detailed peer review.

Peer Review

Comments from the reviewers (minimum 2 reviewers) are expected in 2 weeks or less and are delivered to the AE. After the minimum is met, reviews are forwarded to the CE assigned to the submission. The CE then assesses the merit of the manuscript based on these comments as well as on their own assessment of the article. Special attention is given to declaration of conflict of interest if any.

If relevant, statements on use of appropriate animal protocol approved by institutional regulatory boards and inclusion of appropriate IRB approvals in cases of human studies are verified. Likewise, appropriate comments on use of appropriate statistical tests are ensured.

The CE provides the AE with their determination and authors receive detailed comments along with the final decision of:  accept, accept with minor revision, accept with major revision, or rejection. The comments to authors are blinded.

Reviewers’ Responsibilities

The reviewers are always experts in their field and could be part of the OR editorial board. All reviewers would lack any conflict with the authors and are reviewers in good standing based on previous track record and history.

Reviewers are expected

• to contribute to the orderly running and reputation of the journal and to further its quality-driven mission by evaluating manuscripts objectively and in a timely manner; 

• to maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by the editor or author, to destroy the manuscript after their reviews, and not to copy it or to use or disseminate unpublished information, arguments, or interpretations contained therein without express permission to do so;

• to make clear and justify the bases of their evaluations;

• to be aware of potential conflicts of interest (i.e., financial, institutional, collaborative, or other relationships between a reviewer and an author) and to bring any such conflicts to the editor’s attention, if necessary ceasing their work on the manuscript;

• to notify the Associate Editor and Editors-in-Chief immediately should they become aware of any scientific misconduct, fraud, plagiarism, or other unethical behavior related to the manuscript.

The Peer Review Process

Editorial Decisions

All original articles, reviews, and other types of papers published in Oncology Research go through the peer review process. The decision regarding publication is based on a minimum of two reviewers’ comments and may take one of four forms. 

Accept 

The paper is in principle accepted based on the reviewers’ comments. The decision to publish is not based solely on the scientific validity of an article’s content but may also take into account such considerations as its extent and importance.

Minor revisions 

The paper is to be accepted after it has undergone minor revisions specified in the reviewers’ comments. In this situation, authors have five days to complete the minor revisions along with point-by-point responses to the comments or to provide a rebuttal letter.

Major revisions 

The paper may be accepted if it is thoroughly revised. In this case as well, the authors must provide a point-by-point response or rebuttal to the comments, and the revised version is sent to the same reviewer for further comment.

Decline 

Articles are rejected even after revision when they are found to have serious flaws and/or to make no substantial original contribution to the scholarship.

The editors are authorized to reject any manuscript if its subject is deemed inappropriate, it is of poor quality, or its results are proved to be erroneous. Editors themselves are prevented from serving as external reviewers of manuscripts in order to ensure that every manuscript submitted to the journal undergoes a well-informed and unbiased peer review process. Thus, any manuscript must be recommended by, usually, two or more external reviewers along with the handling editor before it is accepted for publication in its final form. 

In cases where authors do not respond within the specified timeframe, we consider this a sign of author disengagement. We may temporarily decline the submission to uphold the timeliness and quality of our academic discourse. Authors are welcome to reconsider and resubmit their work; however, it will be subjected to a fresh peer review process.

Online First 

Most articles accepted and ready for publication in Oncology Research are published Online First, prior to the assignment to one issue. Articles published Online First are copyedited and proofed by the author(s) before being published. Online First articles can be cited by the article’s Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Every article has a unique DOI which is the permanent identifier of all versions of that article. A DOI will always be resolved to the latest version.