Guide for Authors

Editorial Direction

The Journal of Supportive Oncology is a peer-reviewed journal whose mission is publication of articles relating to practical management issues in the supportive and palliative care of patients with cancer. The aim is to provide the guidance of experts in the management of clinical problems encountered in the day-to-day care of people with neoplastic diseases.

The journal is sent free of charge to over 29,000 healthcare professionals, including medical oncologists; hematologists; radiation oncologists; specialists in pain management and palliative care; oncology physician assistants; and oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing administrators. This wide circulation ensures broad exposure of its editorial material.

Types of Articles

The Journal of Supportive Oncology conforms, in general, to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (N Engl J Med 1997;336:309–315). The decision to publish a manuscript, commentary, case report, or letter to the editor is solely the responsibility of the Editors.

Original Research  Original articles describing new findings of major importance. The article end points should demonstrate that improved palliation and/or improved quality of life was achieved.

Original research will be peer reviewed in the usual manner. The Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editors will initially review all submitted manuscripts. Acceptance will be based on originality and importance to the field. Each manuscript will also be reviewed by two or more experts in the field, and detailed comments from the reviewers are generally returned to the authors.

Articles will generally be published within 12 weeks of acceptance. Authors will be notified of acceptance, need for revision, or rejection of the manuscript within 4 weeks of submission.

Review Articles  Most review articles are solicited by the Editors and will survey a particular topic of current practical importance in supportive oncology. Unsolicited reviews will also be considered.

Each review paper will be referred to one or two reviewers, who will be asked to write a short commentary to be published alongside the paper. The commentary might be complimentary, critical, or somewhere in between. In any case, it will serve to highlight areas of consensus or disagreement among people most familiar with the topic in question.

Commentaries  Editorial commentaries are welcomed by the editors. Commentaries should address major issues in supportive and palliative care that are related to oncology.

Case Reports  Case reports are welcomed by the editors and should highlight management issues that relate to supportive and palliative care in oncology.

Authors should be sure to describe the problem and its solution, keys to successful implementation, and the results obtained from using the recommended course of therapy. Case reports should include a short, relevant history of patient examinations and investigations. The treatment(s) should be identified with clear instructions of procedures, materials used, dosages, and approved names of drugs. The author should summarize the case with a report of progress and lessons to be learned from the case.

How We Do It  This section is for shorter articles where experts share their clinical expertise in practical methods of supportive and palliative care in cancer. For example, “How to use opioid rotation,” “How to use methadone,” or “How to remove a patient from a ventilator.” This section also welcomes “Pearls of Palliative Care.”

Letters to the Editor  Letters may comment on articles previously published in The Journal of Supportive Oncology or on current topics in supportive and palliative care in oncology.

Manuscript Submission

Electronic submission is encouraged. Manuscripts and any accompanying illustrations should be sent by e-mail to C.Lynch@Elsevier.com.

If sent by regular mail, please provide three printed copies of the manuscript, plus a copy of the article on an IBM-PC compatible disk or CD-ROM. Manuscripts and all accompanying materials should be sent to The Journal of Supportive Oncology, 46 Green Street, 2nd Floor, Huntington, NY 11743.

Specifications

Length  Original research articles should be 15 to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages (plus references, tables, and illustrations), typed on 8½ × 11-inch paper.

Review articles should be 15 to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages (plus references, tables, and illustrations), typed on 8½ × 11-inch paper.

Commentaries, case studies, and “pearls“ should be five to eight double-spaced typewritten pages (plus references, tables, and illustrations), typed on 8½ × 11-inch paper.

Letters to the Editor should be no more than two double-spaced typewritten pages, typed on 8½ × 11-inch paper.

Title Page  The title page should include the title, all authors’ names, their academic and clinical appointments, and their primary affiliations, including city and state, plus a mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address for future correspondence.

Abstract  Please include an abstract of approximately150 to 200 words, summarizing the main points of the paper and the major conclusions (for review and research papers only).

Abbreviations  All non-standard abbreviations and acronyms should be explained. In most cases, abbreviations should not be used.

Pharmaceutical Names  Both generic and trade names should be given. The first time a drug is mentioned, the generic name should be followed by the trade name in parentheses. Thereafter, the generic name only should be used.

Tables and Illustrations  All tables must be accompanied by a full caption explaining exactly what the table shows. Tables must be cited chronologically in the text using Arabic numbers. Each numbered table should be typed on a separate sheet, with a title and a legend that includes definitions of abbreviations that have been used in the table but not in the text. If a table(s) has been reprinted, a letter of permission from the copyright holder must be provided by the corresponding author upon acceptance of the manuscript.

All photos and other illustrations must be accompanied by a full caption explaining exactly what the illustration shows. All illustrations should be identified on the back and bear the author’s name. The top of the illustration should be indicated. A list of figure legends should be supplied at the end of the manuscript, double-spaced. Illustrations will not be returned unless requested.

References  References must be cited in text and should be listed sequentially at the end of the manuscript. Please use the form recommended by Index Medicus. Abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals should conform to those used in the latest edition of Index Medicus. This list is obtainable from the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC 20402 or by visiting the National Library of Medicine Web site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html. The Editors prefer that references be limited to no more than 60.

References in this journal generally conform to AMA style. Please note that in citing references there should be no periods or spaces between the authors’ initials, and commas should be used only to separate authors’ names. If there are more than six authors, list the first three, followed by “et al.” Omit periods after journal abbreviations. Titles of journal articles should be typed in all lower case except for the first letter. Titles of books should be typed with initial capitals. Please take particular care to have references typed to this style.

Article example:

Alexander HR, Washington GW, Lincoln AB, et al. Management of nausea and vomiting in patients receiving emetic chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol 2001;42:117–127.

Book example:

Miaskowski C, Portenoy RK. Fatigue. In: Berger A, Portenoy RK, Weissman DE, eds. Principles and Practice of Supportive Oncology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002:141–153.

If you have any questions, please contact Conor Lynch, Editorial Manager, The Journal of Supportive Oncology, Elsevier Oncology, 46 Green Street, 2nd Floor, Huntington, NY 11743; telephone: 631-424-8900 ext 321; fax: 631-424-8905; e-mail: C.Lynch@Elsevier.com.