Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 32:117 (2002)
© 2002 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
Editorial |
Message from the New Editor-in-Chief
I have been appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology (JJCO) from April 1, 2002. Dr Masaaki Terada, President of the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, retired on March 31, 2002 and I have succeeded to the position of President and at the same time Editor-in-Chief of JJCO. I would like to ask all of the members of and contributors to JJCO for their continuous support to make this journal even more prestigious.JJCO was originated by Dr Masaru Kuru, the third President of the National Cancer Center, in 1971. Initially JJCO was published quarterly, in 1991 increased to bimonthly, and since 1998 JJCO has been published monthly.
I believe the most critical components of any scientific journal’s success are the submission of many high-quality manuscripts, the dedication of the members of its Editorial Board and the readers who continuously support the journal. From the editorial standpoint, I would like to raise the following two issues:
1. Peer Review Process
The prestige and quality of a scientific or clinical journal depend upon the excellence of the reviewers of submitted manuscripts and the efficiency and speed with which the review process is conducted. In this regard, on behalf of JJCO, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to all the members of the Editorial Board for their hard work and sustained efforts.
We have a challenge, however: because of the increase in submissions and the diversity of clinical and research fields, our review process has not been sufficiently efficient and speedy. This may keep authors waiting a long time for reviewers’ comments and editorial decisions. We have to restructure and reinforce the Editorial Board of JJCO.
One possible way to speed up the handling procedures for submitted manuscripts is electronic submission and peer review. These procedures will surely have a strong impact on the speed of the review process. However, since JJCO is not a big journal at present, we have to consider carefully its merits and demerits and the process must be tested before introducing new electronic procedures. This will be our first new task.
2. On-line Publications
Last year, JJCO joined Stanford University’s HighWire Press on-line library of science and medicine publishing 322 on-line sites including over 4500 Medline journals. (as of March 2002) By adding links among authors, articles and citations, advanced searching capabilities, HighWire Press provides added dimensions to the information provided in the printed journals. At the same time, JJCO On-line within the NCC Homepage provides people, regardless of whether or not they subscribe to JJCO, free access to back issues of the journal (subject to a delay of 3 months after publication of each issue).
JJCO publishes original articles and case reports, written in English, devoted to clinical research in cancer-allied fields. We recognize case reports as important when the following considerations are fulfilled: (1) case reports with new findings that will have a significant clinical impact on oncologists, which include unreported adverse events of anti-cancer treatments, remarkable effects of new therapy and novel suggestions or pitfalls in diagnosing tumors; (2) those which may alter the disease concept of a tumor, including unreported subtypes, syndromes or familial accumulation of a tumor; the combined occurrence of different tumors in which molecular biological findings provide etiological suggestions; untreated disappearance or long-term stable condition of a tumor with distinct clinical proof; and unreported metastatic or progression patterns of a tumor.
Reviews on specific aspects of clinical oncology are published upon request by the Editorial Board. Meeting reports, epidemiology notes and news arising nationally and internationally are included at the Editor’s discretion. Letters to the Editor, commenting on articles published previously in the journal or exploring views on topics relevant to clinical oncology, will be published if appropriate. Articles on image diagnosis, endoscopic diagnosis and treatment and surgical treatment, being special characteristics of oncology in Japan, are especially welcome from the stand point of transmission of oncology information from Japan.
Once again, I would like to thank you for your commitment and dedication to JJCO and would like to request your support, contributions and continuous interest. Let us make JJCO the most highly cited cancer journal in the world.
April 2002
Tadao Kakizoe
Editor-in-Chief
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