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Matching the Growth and the Mission of the JCO

Just about a year ago, I wrote an editorial note introducing the 12 new issues of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, in which I invoked the quote of the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, "Less is more." Hopefully, most of you will not feel that way about this and forthcoming issues of the JCO, which will be about one third larger than the typical JCO issues, although over the past months there has already been a steady increase in the journal's size. This growth represents both the positive and the challenging sides of publishing this most valuable clinical oncology resource. The positive side is that within the covers of the JCO lie an increasing number of practice-changing results derived from leading clinical trials, involving virtually every aspect of clinical oncology, and mirroring the breadth and diversity of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The challenging side is ensuring that the journal doesn't grow for the sake of growth. The JCO Editors are confident that the growth you see represented in these pages supports the positive side, with each article being worthy of your attention. In maintaining the diversity and the quality of the journal, growth has been a natural outcome.

The Editors and staff have been proud of the fact that JCO's average turnaround time from acceptance to print publication has been steadily decreasing over the past years—from 16 weeks in 2001 to 14 weeks in 2003. At the beginning of 2004, we began an ambitious schedule of just 8 weeks' turnaround—among the best of any clinical journal—but this has been creeping upward with the influx of so much significant publishable research. To move back toward that 8-week schedule, we are squeezing extra manuscripts into the August and September issues because we are committed to giving authors the fastest track available for publication of their manuscripts. The literally weighty issues will not subside after September, unless we take creative steps.

Since the launch of our online submission and peer review system in November 2004, the journal has experienced a significant increase in submissions of high-quality papers in all subject areas. In addition, the journal has widened its scope this year to include six molecular oncology issues, creating a home for the best research papers and review articles in the field. This Special Series has proven to be extremely popular among our readers, and we are now receiving a significant number of important articles that readers will see not only in the Special Series but also in the other two issues of JCO each month. Further, the January 10, 2005, issue marked the beginning of a six-issue series of theme-based review articles. Add to that an increase in the amount of editorials and correspondence published, creating a robust dialogue among oncologists. Together, the amount and type of information the Editors believe is vital to our readers' interests has created the size of the issues we're now publishing.

But we want you to read each issue cover-to-cover, and we realize this will be difficult as the issues contain more articles. Thus, here are three initiatives we are putting in place immediately to make reading easier:

(1) The word limit for original articles was previously set at 3,500 words; after evaluation of the content, and of the word limit of other journals, the Editors have determined that lowering the limit to 3,000 words will still allow authors to convey the important points they wish to make while allowing readers to spend less time with each article. In order for the authors to retain their own voice, when manuscripts are returned for revision the authors themselves will be asked to hone the revised paper to conform to the 3,000-word policy. We believe that this is more acceptable than turning the paper over to an editor for rewriting. In this regard, less is sometimes definitely more: both the Introduction and Discussion sections can usually be significantly shortened without losing the message of the paper.

(2) Figures are an important communication tool that allows readers to see a lot of information concisely. We've noticed that the format we began using last year has led to inconsistency in the size of figures and that the presentation is not optimally accessible. The JCO production staff will begin working with authors to enhance the quality of figure presentation, as well as to size them more consistently. Readers will notice the difference in a few months.

(3) The Editors, in consultation with the Editorial Board and the ASCO Publications Committee, and with the aid of reader usage data from JCO.org, will reassess the content and quality of the papers we are now publishing. In the past, the acceptance rate had set itself naturally, and we do not want to arbitrarily reset it to downsize the journal, but we will be looking across the entire spectrum of the papers we have been publishing recently to make sure that the quality of the papers stays high and that the number of papers remains commensurate with that goal.

The Editors wish to thank authors for participating in the growth of JCO, not for growth's sake, but for the journal to remain a definitive source of clinical and translational oncology research.

Author's Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest

The author indicated no potential conflicts of interest.

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