By Alex Carolan, ASCO Publishing

The Journal of Clinical Oncology’s (JCO) author-friendly submission programs are taking time off the publication process for health care professionals.

JCO’s quick review process programs, Fast Track Presubmission and Rapid Review, aim to make the journal submission and review process easier for authors. In a similar vein, the journal’s Simultaneous Publication program, which debuted at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting, enables authors to present their manuscripts at scientific meetings and publish their full article, and any companion articles, at the same time online at JCO.org.

Robert J. Soiffer, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said that his participation in JCO Fast Track Presubmission shortened his publication time by 4 to 6 months.

“The JCO Fast Track Presubmission process certainly cut down both stress and time that would’ve been guaranteed in the re-submission process,” Dr. Soiffer said.

Fast Track Presubmission is reserved for manuscripts that prestigious journals previously peer-reviewed. In Dr. Soiffer’s case, for example, the New England Journal of Medicine had peer-reviewed his article, “Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase III Clinical Trial of Anti–T-Lymphocyte Globulin to Assess Impact on Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease–Free Survival in Patients Undergoing HLA-Matched Unrelated Myeloablative Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation,” prior to his submission to JCO.

The JCO editorial team then took 1 day to reach a first decision regarding the study’s suitability, and went forward with the publication process.

“Conversations with the editor at JCO made submitting a very streamlined process. After submission, the editor reviewed the paper itself, saw that it did merit publication, reviewed responses to prior reviews, and addressed criticisms as if it were being considered for a resubmission,” Dr. Soiffer said.

While the Fast Track Presubmission program eliminates frustrations for authors who have already gone through the peer review process, JCO’s Rapid Review process is intended for manuscripts that are timely and present breaking research that could immediately affect patient care.

For manuscripts submitted through the Rapid Review program, JCO reviewers complete initial peer review within 72 hours of their assignment, and ASCO staff inform the author of their editorial decision soon after. Authors who submit through the Rapid Review program should describe why their manuscript merits Rapid Review consideration in the cover letter.

Likewise, JCO’s Simultaneous Publication program seeks manuscripts that are high profile and practice changing, and which the author plans to present at an upcoming scientific meeting.

Learn more about Fast Track Presubmission, Rapid Review, Simultaneous Publication, and more at ascopubs.org/jco/site/ifc/submit-my-manuscript.xhtml. To inquire about the manuscript submission process at JCO, email jco@asco.org.

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