AIMS AND SCOPE
Vision
Annals of Surgical Oncology is the world’s leading
resource for original translational and clinical research,
scholarly reviews, and expert opinion in the field of Surgical Oncology.
Mission
The mission of the journal is to: 1) disseminate highquality
clinical and translational cancer research, review,
and expert opinion/commentary articles; 2) represent and
advance the profession of Surgical Oncology throughout the
world; 3) promote high-quality multidisciplinary patient care
worldwide; 4) improve global cancer surgery education and
training; and, 5) promote diversity in all of its endeavors.
Audience
Surgeons, physicians, scientists, and other health care
professionals who have a major professional interest and
commitment to oncology.
Authorship
All authors must have made substantive intellectual contribution
to the article for which they are listed on the byline.
The four criteria for authorship defined by the International
Committee of Medical Journal Editors are:
- substantial contributions to the conception or design of
the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation
of data for the work; and
2. drafting the work or revising it critically for important
intellectual content; and
3. final approval of the version to be published; and,
4. agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the
work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy
or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately
investigated and resolved
Disclosure
Any author affiliation with or financial involvement in any
organization with a direct financial interest in the subject matter
or materials discussed in the manuscript must be disclosed.
Ethics
Research, Publication, and Good Practice. All authors
are expected to adhere to accepted standards and guidelines
for ethical reporting in their submissions to Annals and
are referred to the Research ethics, publication ethics and
good practice guidelines resource provided by the Equator
Network.
A list of best practices and codes of conduct regarding
publishing ethics is also provided by Springer.
Experimental Subjects
All authors are expected to abide by accepted ethical
standards. In investigations that involve human subjects
or laboratory animals, authors should provide an explicit
statement in the ‘‘Materials and Methods’’ section that the
experimental protocols were approved by the appropriate
institutional review committee and meet the guidelines
of their responsible governmental agency. In the case of
human subjects, informed consent is essential.
Originality
All manuscripts submitted to Annals must be original; i.e.,
not published elsewhere (except in abstract form) and not under
consideration for publication elsewhere. Annals accepts manuscripts
prepared according to the ICJME ‘‘Recommendations
for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly
work in Medical Journals’’ (updated December 2018).
Peer Review
All manuscripts submitted to Annals are subject to
peer review. The decision of the Editor-in-Chief and Executive
Editor is final. Authors are notified of the decision with
reviewer comments if applicable.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
Original articles must adhere to a 3,500-word limit (not
including the title page, abstract, and references) and cannot
contain more than 7 figures and tables combined. The
manuscript should conform to the following order: title page,
synopsis, abstract, text of manuscript, acknowledgements,
references, figure legends, and tables. Manuscript should be
written in high-quality English suitable for effective communication
to a professional medical audience.
New as of May 2019.
Adherence to Study Type Guidelines
Articles of the study types listed in the Equator for
Health Research Reporting website should be submitted
Annals of Surgical Oncology
Instructions to Contributors
with a completed study guideline checklist for the respective
article type. Study types requiring submission with a completed
checklist include but are not limited to:
Randomized Trials. These must adhere to the CONSORT
guidelines and provide both a CONSORT checklist and flow
diagram.
Systematic Reviews, including Meta-Analyses. These
must adhere to the PRISM checklist.
Authors should refer to the Equator for Health Research
Reporting website for these checklists and those for other
study types that may be submitted to the journal. All types
listed on this site will require a completed respective checklist
to be uploaded and submitted with the manuscript files.
Compliance with this requirement thus involves these
two steps:
• UPLOAD AND SUBMIT the completed checklist and
flow diagram as/if appropriate with the manuscript
files in Step 2, FILE UPLOAD, when submitting via
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aso
• PROVIDE text page locations for each question, as appropriate
and indicated per manuscript types listed in the
Equator for Health Research Reporting website
If these steps are not completed as part of the submission
process for appropriate manuscripts, the paper will be
considered an incomplete submission and returned to authors
for completion.
Cover Letter. A cover letter must be included with each
manuscript submission. The cover letter should explain why
the manuscript content is significant and fits within the scope
of the journal. An affirmative statement should be included
that confirms that neither the manuscript nor any part of its
content is currently under consideration or published in another
journal. The cover letter should be concise.
NOTE. The submitting and corresponding authors’ contact
information and Twitter handles if available should be
provided in the article’s cover letter.
Title page. The title page should include:
• full names, degrees and affiliations for all authors
• full mailing and e-mail address of the author to whom
correspondence and proofs should be sent
• title and subtitle of the paper
• shortened version of the title for the running head
(no more than 45 characters, including spaces)
• disclosure of any commercial interest that any author
may have in the subject of study and the source of any
financial or material support
Synopsis. Authors must provide a brief 1-3 sentence
explanation, not to exceed 40 words, of their manuscripts
(except editorials and Letters-to-the-Editor). This synopsis
will appear in the table of contents and used for social media.
Abstract. Each manuscript must include a structured
abstract of no more than 250 words, divided into the following
subheadings: (1) Background or Purpose, (2) Methods,
(3) Results, and (4) Discussion or Conclusions.
IMRad. Manuscript contents should be organized using
the structure of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion
(IMRad), the common way of structuring a scientific article.
Acknowledgments. Acknowledgment of grant support
and assistance of others in the study or in the preparation of
the manuscript should be made in a separate paragraph following
the text and preceding the References. Acknowledgments
should be as concise as possible.
References. Annals uses the American Medical Association
Manual of Style, 10th Edition (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2009). References must be cited in consecutive
numerical order at first mention in the text and arranged numerically,
not alphabetically, on pages preceded by the head
‘‘References.’’ In each reference, list all authors’ names when
there are six or fewer; if there are more than six, list the first
three authors followed by et al.
The author is responsible for the accuracy of the references.
References must be printed double-spaced. Material
cited in the reference list ‘‘in press’’ must have been accepted
for publication, not merely submitted for review. Ibid references
are not permitted.
Unpublished data and personal communications should
not be included in the reference list; this information may be
included in the text, with pertinent identification (A. Author,
unpublished data) or (B. Author, personal communication).
The unpublished data of others and personal communications
can be used only when written authorization from the
data owner or communicator is submitted with the original
manuscript.
Sample References for Style Examples
Journal
1. Klompmaker S, Peters NA, van Hilst J, et al. Outcomes
and Risk Score for distal pancreatectomy with celiac
axis resection (DP-CAR): An international multicenter
analysis. Ann Surg Oncol. 201926: 772-781.
Journal Article with DOI Reference
2. Moris D, Machairas N, Tsilimigras DI, et al. Systematic
review of surgical and percutaneous irreversible
electroporation in the treatment of locally advanced
pancreatic cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. (2019). https://doi.
org/10.1245/s10434-019-07261-7
Book
3. Mahul B. Amin, Donna M. Gress. AJCC Cancer Staging
Manual, Eight Edition. New York: Springer, 2017.
Book Chapter
4. McMasters KM, Vauthey JN. Follow-up and salvage
therapy for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma. In:
McMasters KM, Vauthey JN, eds. Hepatocellular
Carcinoma: Targeted Therapy and Multidisciplinary Care.
New York: Springer, 2011:383-392.
Web-Based Resource
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2017.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm
Accessed 25 Feb 2018.
Figures
Manuscripts cannot contain more than 7 figures and
tables combined.
• all figures are to be numbered using Arabic numerals
• figure parts should be reasonable in number and denoted
by lowercase letters
• figures should always be cited in text in consecutive
numerical order
• for each figure, authors should supply a figure caption
• authors need to identify all elements found in the figure
in the caption as well as any previously published material
by giving the original source in the form of a reference
at the end of the caption
• original magnification and staining methods should be
included
• acknowledgement of previous publication must be noted
(see ‘‘Permissions’’ below)
Dynamic Figures/Videos as Figures
Up to 3 (one minute maximum each) videos per manuscript
submission is allowed. Make sure to note in the textbased
manuscript the location for the placement of the video
figures.
Article Feature Figure
Authors are encouraged to provide a feature figure to
represent a summary or the highlights of the article. This
can be one of the figures cited in the manuscript or can be
prepared separately. The feature figure may be used in social
media should the article be accepted.
Tables
Manuscripts cannot contain more than 7 figures and
tables combined.
• all tables are to be numbered using Arabic numerals
• tables should always be cited in text in consecutive numerical
order
• for each table, authors should supply a table heading
• the table title should explain clearly and concisely the
components of the table
• spell out all abbreviations found in the table or footnotes
• use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables
• identify any previously published material by giving the
original source in the form of a reference at the end of the
table heading
• footnotes to tables should be indicated by superscript
lower-case letters (or asterisks for significant values and
other statistical data) and included beneath the table body
• footnotes to the table should be limited, and extensive
description included in the text, not in footnotes, as appropriate
Permissions
If a figure or table has previously appeared in copyrighted
material, or if extensive material is quoted, the corresponding
author must obtain written permission from the
copyright holder (usually the publisher, not the author, of the
original work) to reprint it in Annals in both the print and the
online format. Full credit to the original publication must be
included in the legend of the figure or footnote to the table.
All letters granting reprint permission must be provided to
the Editorial Office. Authors are responsible for payment of
applicable fees to the copyright holder for reprinting previously
published material. The use of photographs that identify
patients require a written release form from the patient
(or guardian) to do so. Obtaining this release is the authors’
responsibility, and a copy of the release must be provided to
the Editorial Office (info@asoeditorial.org).
Spreadsheet/Presentation Graphics
Most presentation programs (Excel, PowerPoint, Freelance)
produce data that cannot be stored in an EPS or TIFF
format. Therefore, graphics produced by these programs
cannot be used for reproduction.
ADDITIONAL MANUSCRIPT TYPES
Editorials
• Description: Editorials in most cases are invited and discuss
an article published in Annals and place the relevant
issues in the wider context of the field.
• Word limit: 1,500 words maximum excluding references.
• Abstract: not required.
• References: 20 maximum, including the article discussed.
• Figures/tables: 2 maximum.
• Manuscript processing fee: not required.
• See Manuscript Preparation and Specifications for additional
details and requirements.
Review Articles
• Description: Review articles are comprehensive current
overviews and analyses of specific topics. These articles
include both invited articles as well as unsolicited. Review
articles are subject to peer review.
• Word limit: 5,000 words excluding abstract.
• Abstract: 250 words maximum, sub-headers are acceptable
although not required.
• References: no maximum.
• Figures/tables: minimum 1 image or figure, excluding
the feature figure; no maximum.
• Manuscript processing fee: required for unsolicited review
articles.
• See Manuscript Preparation and Specifications for additional
details and requirements.
Multimedia Articles/Streaming Video Articles
• Description: Multimedia articles are submissions that include
video with an accompanying abstract and references.
• Special instruction: upon submission of multimedia
articles, the authors are required to submit the video in
the following format: (1) videos should not exceed 9
minutes; (2) videos must include narration in English;
and, (3) multimedia articles must include with the
video submission a title page. abstract, and references if
appropriate to the submission.
• Word limit: not applicable.
• Abstract: 250 words maximum, sub-headers are acceptable
although not required.
• References: no maximum.
• Manuscript processing fee: required.
• See Manuscript Preparation and Specifications for additional
details and requirements.
• Special Note. Excessive size video files cannot be
accommodated. Please contact the Editorial Office (info@
asoeditorial.org) for further information if needed.
ASO Author Reflections
• Description: ASO Author Reflections provide readers
with author perspective regarding the significance and
relevance of recently accepted articles from Annals of
Surgical Oncology. These brief commentaries provide a
forum in which authors provide expert brief opinion and
insight that complements their article.
• Word limit: 300 words approximately.
• Abstract: not required.
• References: 5.
• Figures/tables: no.
• Manuscript processing fee: not required, solicited brief
articles.
• See Manuscript Preparation and Specifications for additional
details and requirements.
Letters to the Editor
• Description: Letters must offer perspective to content
published in Annals. A Letter must reference the original
source. If accepted and appropriate, the source article author
will be invited to submit a reply.
• Word limit: 500 words maximum.
• Abstract: not required.
• References: 5-10 maximum.
• Figures/tables: 1 maximum.
• Manuscript processing fee: not required.
• See Manuscript Preparation and Specifications for additional
details and requirements.
Case Reports
The Annals does not consider Case Reports for publication.
ONLINE SUBMISSION
Manuscripts are submitted online to the Annals of Surgical
Oncology via Manuscript Central:
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aso
Manuscript Processing Fee
As described in the online submission site, there is a
processing fee of $50 USD for each new submission of an
unsolicited Annals original article, excluding editorials. New
manuscripts are not entered into the review process until payment
of the submission fee is completed. There is no processing
fee associated with solicited or resubmitted manuscripts.
Preparing Electronic Files for Submission
After entering all the information about manuscript title,
abstract, authors and other details, authors will be prompted
for uploading fi les. For review purposes, text and fi gure
file(s) will be converted into HTML to be easily viewed with
a browser on the Internet. Electronic fi les will also be converted
into a PDF document. The fi les will be presented in the
order uploaded/ specified. Authors should save each fi gure as
a single image fi le in either uncompressed TIFF (Tag Image
File Format) or EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) format. The
JPEG format is acceptable if the image is saved at the highest
quality (without or with less compression). Images created in
slide presentation programs, such as Microsoft PowerPoint,
are not recommended. Charts created with Microsoft Excel
are not acceptable in any circumstances.
BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL STANDARDS AND
ANNALS POLICIES
Data Sharing
Annals encourages authors, where possible and applicable,
to deposit data that support the findings of their research
in a public repository. Authors and editors who do not have a
preferred repository should consult Springer Nature’s list of
repositories and research data policy.
List of Repositories
Research Data Policy
Reporting of Randomized Trials
The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting
Trials) Statement offers a standard way for authors to prepare
reports of trial fi ndings, facilitating their complete and transparent
reporting, and aiding their critical appraisal and interpretation.
Authors are recommended to review the following
references for further information regarding the CONSORT
Statement:
Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D, for the CONSORT
Group. CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines
for reporting parallel group randomised trials. BMJ
2010;340:c332.
Moher D, Hopewell S, Schulz KF, Montori V, Gøtzsche
PC, Devereaux PJ, Elbourne D, Egger M, Altman DG,
for the CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 Explanation
and Elaboration: updated guidelines for reporting parallel
group randomised trial. BMJ 2010;340:c869.
Consensus Statement on Surgery Journal Authorship
In the majority of clinical and research studies submitted
to surgery journals for possible publication, many individuals
participate in the conception, execution, and documentation
of each of those works. However, recognition of work
in the form of authorship has varied widely. Authors are recommended
to review the following consensus statement for
further information regarding these issues regarding surgical
journal authorship.
Consensus Statement on Surgery Journal