Manuscript Turnaround Guarantee

FAQ

What is the Manuscript Turnaround Guarantee?
If the time from completion of submission to the first decision after review exceeds 60 days, the corresponding author will receive a discount code for a full waiver of the journal publication fees (excluding any open access fee) for that manuscript or a different manuscript accepted for publication by an AACR journal^*, and on which he or she is listed as an author.

How is the turnaround time measured?
The time is measured beginning the day the corresponding author receives the official letter from the journal acknowledging receipt of their completed submission and ending the day they receive the first official decision letter from the editor with the reviewer comments.

Does this guarantee apply to manuscripts that are triaged?
No, this guarantee does not apply to manuscripts that are triaged. The guarantee applies only to those manuscripts that are sent out for peer review.

Who can take advantage of this guarantee?
If the measured time described above exceeds 60 days, the individual designated as the corresponding author in the AACR manuscript submission system (SmartSubmit) will receive email notification of the waiver/discount offer and a code necessary to redeem the waiver. The individual who receives the code, and only this person, can use it when he or she is an author on a manuscript submitted to another AACR journal^*, regardless of her/his position in the author list.

When will the corresponding author receive the waiver/discount code?
The code will typically be emailed to the corresponding author of the delayed manuscript within two weeks of receiving the first official decision letter.

Who is responsible for inputting the waiver/discount code?
It is up to the corresponding author to redeem the code on the delayed manuscript or another manuscript submitted to any AACR journal^*, by making sure the code is input into the Discount Code field in SmartSubmit.

When does the code need to be provided by the author?
The code may be entered into SmartSubmit at any point up to and including submission of the final version of a manuscript following Provisional Acceptance, and before receipt of the formal acceptance letter. The code may not be used during the invoicing phase of the publication process.

How long is the code good for?
The code is good for the calendar year in which the original delayed manuscript was accepted or rejected, and for the following calendar year. The redemption date is the initial submission complete date of the manuscript that is ultimately accepted and for which the waiver/discount is input by the author.

How many times may the code be used?
The code may be used to redeem a waiver for a single accepted manuscript. However, the corresponding author receiving the code may enter the waiver/discount as many times as desired during the two-year redemption period noted above.

May the code be entered on behalf of more than one manuscript at the same time?
Yes, the code may be entered on two or more different manuscripts that are under active consideration at other AACR journals^*. However, the waiver will be applied only to the first manuscript that is accepted for publication.

Does the waiver apply to Open Access fees?
No, this waiver/discount does not apply to the additional open access fee that is applied when an author requests that their manuscript be published as gold open access under a Creative Commons license.

^* Excluding the AACR’s open access journal, Cancer Research Communications.

Manuscript Turnaround Guarantee