Categories of Articles

« Return to General AACR Journals' Instructions for Authors

Cancer Prevention Research welcomes submission of the following article types to be considered for publication in the journal, subject to peer review as noted below for each type. Please see About Cancer Prevention Research for information about the journal, and Instructions for Authors for important policies and instructions relevant to all authors submitting to an AACR journal. Where applicable, the journal’s editorial team reserves the right to edit the title, abstract, and any article summary statement to improve the article's clarity, brevity, and quality prior to publication.

Please note: The article size recommendations below, and most formatting requirements for final publication, are not enforced for initial submissions and do not impact the manuscript’s assessment for potential publication. Word counts are exclusive of cover page, abstract, methods section, tables, and references.

Research Articles

Reports of original research (preclinical, clinical, or translational) in one of the 4 major categories (oncogenesis, risk factors and risk assessment, early detection research, or preventive interventions) that are well documented, novel, and significant.

250-word abstract
5,000 words of text
6 tables and/or figures (please keep panels and subpanels to a minimum)
50 references

Research Briefs

Brief reports of original research (preclinical, clinical, or translational) that describe definitive findings of high impact, exceptional significance, and timeliness. Research Briefs may not be sufficiently developed for publication as Research Articles, and they are generally not required to describe underlying mechanism; however, they should have the potential to make a significant impact on areas of interest to the journal. Research Briefs receive accelerated review.

250-word abstract
2,500 words of text
Up to 3 tables and/or figures
25 references

Reviews and Minireviews

Reviews and minireviews on timely subjects of interest and importance to readers are welcome. Unsolicited reviews will be considered for publication, and others will be invited by the Editor. Authors of unsolicited reviews should first submit an outline of the proposed review article for consideration by the Editors. All review articles, whether invited or not, will be subject to peer review.

200-word abstract
6,000 words of text for reviews
3,000 words of text for minireviews
100 references
5 figures and/or tables

Commentaries

Articles on topics of current interest in basic, clinical, and translational cancer prevention research that are meant to incorporate the original thoughts, fresh insights, and creative speculations of the author and should not present a comprehensive review of the literature. All commentaries will be subject to peer review.

200-word abstract
3,000 words of text
30 references
5 tables and/or figures (Please keep the number of panels per figure to an absolute minimum)

Letters to the Editor

Readers are welcome to submit comments on articles recently published in the Journal. If found to be potentially acceptable, Letters will be sent to the authors of the originating article for a Reply. If accepted, both pieces of correspondence will be published as a set. All Letters to the Editor (and Replies) will be subject to peer review.

400 words of text
5 references, the first of which should be the original article
no figures or tables unless approved by the Editor
Include a title: "Running title of the original article" — Letter