Categories of Articles

Molecular Cancer 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 Molecular Cancer 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

Original Research Articles should present significant new information gathered from basic research. They should report on novel and well-designed studies and present a complete body of work. Conclusions should not be based on unpublished work or preliminary summaries of data. Previous studies or precedents should be clearly and completely referenced.

• 250-word abstract, including a statement of implication (a succinct single-sentence summary that distills the overall findings and/or conclusions into a larger context for a general scientific audience)
• 5,000–6,000 words of text
• 50 references
• 7 figures and/or tables
• Visual Overview (a single 10 x 7.5 inch slide containing a clear and condensed diagrammatic summary of the major findings and biological implications — optional for Research Articles)

Rapid Impacts

Rapid Impacts are brief articles of high impact, featuring studies demonstrating unusual significance, timeliness, or novelty.

• 150-word abstract, including a statement of implication (a succinct single-sentence summary that distills the overall findings and/or conclusions into a larger context for a general scientific audience)
• 2,500 words of text
• 3 tables and/or figures — Please note that each figure or table is limited to a maximum of 4 panels.
• 20 references
• Visual Overview (a single 10 x 7.5 inch slide containing a clear and condensed diagrammatic summary of the major findings and biological implications — required for Rapid Impact submissions)

Reviews

Review Articles are encouraged; the Editors believe that well-organized, inclusive updates of timely topics by those with expertise in specific areas stimulate further research and progress. Authors of unsolicited Review Articles should submit a proposal to the journal office at [email protected].

• 250-word abstract
• 6,000–7,000 words of text
• 75 references
• 7 figures and/or tables

Minireviews

Minireviews are narrower in concept and shorter in length than full Review Articles.

• 250-word abstract
• 2,500–3,000 words of text
• 50 references
• 4 figures and/or tables

Perspectives

Perspectives offer a point of view on a topic of current interest. They can be speculative and creative and are meant to stimulate thought on a topic of interest to our readership. They are short and to the point.

• 1,200–1,500 words of text
• 200-word abstract
• Not more than 25 references
• Not more than 3 figures and/or tables

Letters to the Editor

Letters from readers are invited and will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. If found to meet the journal's publication criteria (scholarly commentary on a subject of import and interest to the broad readership, length appropriate to the content), the Letter may be sent to the author(s) of the originally published article and possibly to other interested parties for a response to be published in the same issue of the journal as the Letter.

• 400 words of text
• Include a title: "Running title of the original article" — Letter
• 5 references; the first reference must be to the original article
• Figures or tables only if they show data that refute the conclusions of the original article; figures or tables showing unpublished data in support of the conclusions of the original article will not be considered