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Clinical Cancer Research: The Next Decade

Editor-in-Chief, Clinical Cancer Research

Ten years ago, Dr. John Mendelsohn and a talented editorial board set out to develop for AACR a journal that would offer a bridge between the important work being done in the laboratory and the pressing need of oncologists for up-to-the-minute information. By all measures of excellence, Clinical Cancer Research has succeeded beyond the original expectations of all involved. The journal has published many high-quality articles, and its impact factor puts it in the top tier of oncology journals. It has been my privilege to serve as Co-Deputy Editor with Dr. Waun Ki Hong.

I now take on a new role for this important and prestigious journal. The thought of receiving the baton from the distinguished physician/scientists who brought the journal to this point is humbling, indeed. As the new Editor-in-Chief, I have assembled a group of notable Deputy Editors and Senior Editors and together we have defined a set of operating principles for Clinical Cancer Research:

"CCR is responsible to its readers, contributors, and parent organization for the timely publication of information that will have major impact on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

• For our readers, the information we publish must be original, accurate, educational, and important.
  
• For our contributors, the review process must be consistent, fair, rigorous, and rapid.
  
• For our professional society, we must maintain a publication of high impact, one that is authoritative, prestigious, inclusive, and interesting. The editorial content should express opinions; propose, oppose, or support policies; and take risks without being reckless.
  

If we remain true to these principles, our journal will continuously improve and make important contributions to the eradication of cancer."

At a recent editorial retreat of the Clinical Cancer Research editors, we unanimously approved two significant changes:

1. We will institute a pre-review system to identify papers unlikely to be accepted for publication. These papers will be returned promptly to contributors with a brief explanation of the pre-review decision. This process should help speed the review process both for the contributor and for the journal. Included in the revised Information for Contributors are the pre-review criteria that will be used by the Senior Editors in their decision making.
   
2. We agreed that a decision made by the reviewers and senior editors to reject a manuscript will be final. Although we recognize that all review processes are imperfect, we also believe that the process of appeal is overly subjective and fraught with real or perceived conflicts. A good paper will ultimately be accepted in another fine journal.
   

You will also notice a change in the format of the Table of Contents. It has been redesigned to help readers quickly identify articles within their areas of interest. Major headings now include Cancer Prevention; Cancer Therapy; Imaging, Diagnosis, and Prognosis; and Human Cancer Biology. We also plan to introduce icons denoting pathways, modalities, or organ sites. We look forward to publishing your opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor or Brief Editorials on pressing topics.l

The Editors have instituted a formal nominating process for our editorial board to continuously refresh our reviewers and editorial content. We will continue to seek opportunities to publish supplements that address major topics in clinical/translational research. All supplements go through the same review process as submitted manuscripts.

I thank the Publications Committee and the Board of Directors of the AACR for giving me this extraordinary opportunity. I look forward to your contributions and to hearing your opinions.

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