Submission guidelines

Please review the article type specifications below, paying close attention to the required word counts, figure and table limits and reference counts. The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references. Manuscripts should be as succinct as possible.

• • • Original research
    • Review
    • Editorial
    • Protocol
    • Supplements

For further support when making your submission please refer to the resources available on the BMJ Author Hub. Here you will find information from writing and formatting your research through to the peer review process and promoting your paper.  We encourage authors to ensure that research articles are written in accordance with the relevant research reporting guideline.

Before you submit your manuscript you may wish to make use of the language editing and translation services provided by BMJ in partnership with Editage. These are paid-for optional services and use of them does not guarantee acceptance of your paper.

Original research

Original research papers should be structured as follows:

• • • Title: include the research question and the study design
    • Keywords: select up to four
    • Structured abstract: use headings Objective, Methods and Analysis, Results, Conclusion
    • Introduction
    • Materials and methods
    • Results
    • Discussion

Additional information, tables, figures and appendices may be included as supplementary materials. However, we would encourage as much methodology and data to be contained in the manuscript as possible. Appropriate reporting guidelines should be followed where appropriate. Please use these guidelines to structure your article. Completed applicable checklists, structured abstracts and flow diagrams should be uploaded with your submission; these will be published alongside the final version of your paper. The Equator Network provides a comprehensive list of reporting guidelines.

Research articles should include a ‘Patient and public involvement’ statement in the Methods section. For more details, see ‘Reporting patient and public involvement in research’ above.

The abstract should be followed by a key messages box headed ‘Significance of this study’. Brief bullet points should be used to answer the following questions:

• • • What is already known on this subject? Summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
    • What are the new findings? Summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
    • How might it impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future? Summarise the implications of this study.

Specifications:

• • • Word limit: 4000
    • Abstract: structured, 300 words
    • Figure/table limit: 5
    • Reference limit: 100

Review

Reviews are usually commissioned by the editor. They focus on important and topical subjects in oncology with a particular focus on recent advances. The editor may consider uncommissioned reviews; if you wish to submit a review, please email a brief outline (maximum 500 words) to the editor indicating its importance and novelty. All reviews (whether commissioned or not) are peer reviewed and an invitation to submit will not guarantee acceptance.

Specifications:

• • • Word limit: 4000
    • Abstract: unstructured, 250 words
    • Figure/table limit: 5
    • Reference limit: 100

Editorial

Editorials are usually commissioned by the editor. Editorials critically discuss original research papers highlighting important issues and identifying areas where more information is needed. All editorials will be peer reviewed and an invitation to submit will not guarantee acceptance.

Specifications:

• • • Word limit: 2000
    • Abstract: none
    • Figure/table limit: 2
    • Reference limit: 25

Protocol

Protocols should report planned or ongoing studies; protocols will not be considered if data collection is complete. BMJ Oncology will consider for publication protocols for any study design, except systematic reviews. More information on protocols can be found on the BMJ Author Hub.

Protocols should be structured as follows:

• • • Title: should include the specific study type, e.g. randomised controlled trial.
    • Abstract: should be structured with the following sections: Introduction; Methods and analysis; Ethics and dissemination. Registration details should be included as a final section, if appropriate.
    • Introduction: explain the rationale for the study and what evidence gap it may fill. Appropriate previous literature should be referenced, including relevant systematic reviews.
    • Methods and analysis: provide a full description of the study design, including the following. How the sample will be selected; interventions to be measured; the sample size calculation (drawing on previous literature) with an estimate of how many participants will be needed for the primary outcome to be statistically, clinically and/or politically significant; what outcomes will be measured, when and how; a data analysis plan.
    • Ethics and dissemination: ethical and safety considerations and any dissemination plan (publications, data deposition and curation) should be covered here.
    • References: state any references used.
    • Authors’ contributions: state how each author was involved in writing the protocol.
    • Funding statement: preferably worded as follows. Either: ‘This work was supported by [name of funder] grant number [xxx]’ or ‘This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors’.
    • Competing interests statement.

The abstract should be followed by a key messages box headed ‘Significance of this study’. Brief bullet points should be used to answer the following questions:

• • • What is already known on this subject? Summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
    • What are the new findings? Summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
    • How might it impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future? Summarise the implications of this study.

Supplements

BMJ Journals are willing to consider publishing supplements. Supplement proposals may arise from a number of sources:

• • • The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, for which sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
    • The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Sponsorship may be sought.
    • BMJ itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
    • A sponsoring organisation (such as a pharmaceutical or medical device company or charitable foundation), that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.

In all cases, it is vital that the journal’s integrity, independence and academic reputation is not compromised in any way. For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines. 

When contacting us regarding a potential supplement, please include as much of the information below as possible.

• • • Target journal in which you would like the supplement published
    • Title or theme of supplement and/or meeting on which it is based
    • Date of meeting/conference on which it is based (if applicable)
    • Proposed table of contents with article titles and proposed authors
    • An indication of whether authors have agreed to participate
    • Sponsor information including any relevant deadlines
    • An indication of the expected length of each paper 
    • Guest Editor recommendation, if appropriate.