Statement on research and publication ethics

When establishing the Journal of Radiation Oncology, we planned conservatively to ensure a strong and solid foundation. However, the feedback and response that we received soon after the inaugural issue were certainly overwhelming. During the first 12 months of the journal, we received more than 150 submissions and approximately 60 reviews and original articles have been published. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers, contributors, and reviewers for the support that they have given this new forum of our academic community.

Following our initial success, we would like to reassure our readers of our commitment to the highest standards of ethics in clinical research and the publication of scholarly work. The Journal’s publication ethics are guided by the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication,” issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

Approval by or exemption from the Institutional Review Board is required for all studies. All authors must disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantial conflict of interest that might be construed as influencing the results or interpretation of their paper.

One of the most important areas of ethical consideration is the obtaining of informed consent from all participants in clinical research. Articles submitted to the Journal of Radiation Oncology must demonstrate a valid and ethical process of informed consent for all subjects in experimental studies. For observational, dosimetry, physics, and radiobiology studies that do not involve human/animal subjects, authors are required to declare that no human/animal subjects were involved.

We would also like to encourage our readers and contributors to join our reviewer team in order to expedite the review process for the journal. We anticipate your continuing support for the Journal of Radiation Oncology.