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Author Instructions

INSTRUCTION TO AUTHORS
MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
Original article
Review article
Case reports
Clinical trial notes
Genetics reports
Epidemiology notes
Technical notes
Short communications
Letters to the Editor
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Text
Title page
Abstract, mini-abstract and key words
References
Tables
Colored photographs
Survival curves
Abbreviations and symbols
Statistics
AUTHORS’ RESPONSIBILITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM
Authors’ responsibility
Funding
Conflict of interest
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Peer review
Offprints and reprin
Contact

The Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology (JGO, J Gastrointest Oncol, ISSN 2078-6891; www.thejgo.org ) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed, open-access (OA) journal, published by AME Publishing Company. JGO publishes manuscripts that describe new findings in the field provide current, practical information on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions related to gastrointestinal (GI) oncology. Topics of primary interest include carcinogenesis, prevention, early detection, molecular epidemiology, staging, molecular biology, population genetics, therapy, combined-modality approaches, patient outcomes (QOL and clinical benefit), supportive care, pharmacoeconomics, and theoretical hypotheses. Original articles are considered most important and will be processed for rapid review by the members of Editorial Board. Review articles, Clinical trial notes, Cancer genetics reports, Epidemiology notes and Technical notes are also published. Case reports implying new findings that have significant clinical impact are carefully processed for possible publication. Free submissions to JGO will be charged of article processing fee 1390 USD if they are accepted to be published in JGO (http://jgo.amegroups.com/pages/view/article-processing-charges). The acceptance of the article is based on the merit of quality of the manuscripts. All the submission and reviewing are conducted electronically so that rapid review is assured.

MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
Original article
Originality and clinical impact are essential for acceptance of Original Articles. Descriptions of the following points are critically evaluated.

In reports of prospective clinical trials:
The study rationale, trial design, and number of cases
Approval of local ethical committees and informed consent by patients
Precise data presentation and justifiable conclusions
For reports of randomized controlled trials, authors should refer to the CONSORT statement (www.consort-statement.org).

In reports of retrospective clinical observations:
Selection criteria of cases
Efforts to eliminate possible biases in retrospective analysis
Justifiable conclusions
In reports of basic research:
Clinical impact of the study

Case reports
The Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology publishes case reports with new findings that may alter the disease concept of gastrointestinal oncology. The former includes unreported adverse events of remarkable effects of a new therapy; novel suggestions or pitfalls in diagnosing gastrointestinal oncology. Authors are requested to clarify in Discussion what readers could learn from the case. A pathologist should be included as an author when the histological findings play a key role of the report. Information that can be linked to the patients’ identification must be carefully masked.

Clinical trial notes
The Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology publishes protocol digests of prospective clinical trials that have been approved and commenced by established clinical groups. A clinical trial note will include concise description of trial backgrounds and rationale, endpoints, eligibility criteria, treatment methods, scheduled analyses and statistical consideration. Trial resources and approval by institutional review board should also be shown. Importance and possible impact of the study can be briefly discussed. Any preliminary results of the trial must not be included. A non-structured abstract of fewer than 350 words and only essential references should be provided. A copy of the original protocol (in English) should be sent to the editorial office by post, or Email to: jgo@amepc.org

Genetics reports
Previously undescribed pathogenic germline mutation in a hereditary cancer syndrome or related diseases will be reported in this section as a pedigree case report. Similarly high penetrance polymorphisms or mutations associated with a significant adverse drug reactions will be also accepted. A case report with known mutation or polymorphism may also be considered if the report can be expected to contribute substantially to the advancement and/or accumulation of the current knowledge in the field of clinical cancer genetics.

The nucleotide sequence of the mutation or polymorphism must be defined on the genomic DNA. The method of the mutation/polymorphism detection should be described explicitly, such as with PCR conditions and primer sequences. Whenever appropriate, a pedigree (family tree) must be presented. The pedigree should be drawn according to the “Recommendations for Standardized Human Pedigree Nomenclature”, Am J Hum Genet 1995;56:745-52. Some basic keys of the nomenclature are summarized in “Excerpt from the Pedigree Nomenclature”
(http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jjco/for_authors/nomenclature.pdf).

Strict care should be taken to prevent the identification of the patients and any other relevant family members. It is the responsibility of authors to obtain appropriate informed consent for publication.

No running head or mini-abstract is necessary. An abstract of fewer than 150 words should be provided as well as a genetic summary describing disorder, ethnicity, gene and its GenBank, EMBL or DDBJ accession number and chromosomal assignment, type of DNA variant, mutation, allelic frequency, method of mutation detection, etc.

Epidemiology notes
New data in GI oncology epidemiology derived from periodic or ad hoc surveillance may be published in this section. Tabulated or illustrated data are shown with brief descriptions of backgrounds and new findings.

Technical notes
Originally-devised techniques for GI oncology diagnosis or treatment are published as a Technical note. The backgrounds are briefly described in introduction and the technique is intelligibly explained using clear illustrations. The advantage and possible benefit to use the new technique should be highlighted.

Short communications
A small-scale study that includes important new information may be published as a short communication. It usually carries an abstract of fewer than 250 words, text of fewer than 2500 words, up to three tables or figures, and essential references.

Letters to the Editor
Letters commenting on articles published previously in the Journal or expressing views on topics relevant to GI oncology will be published. An appropriate title should be provided.
The following papers are published in principle at the Editor’s request

Review articles
Editorials
Meeting reports
Special lecture notes

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All articles are now submitted electronically, and the total review process is electronic. The electronic format is through Editorial Manager, http://jgo.edmgr.com, an electronic system that is used to manage over 100 other journals. Accordingly, the system is welldesigned and functions very well with minimal difficulties. New users will find it user friendly, but if problems arise, there is a web link to the managing editor. Just contact us, and we will help solve the problem.

The challenges facing authors whose native language is not English is appreciated. Nevertheless, it is the authors' responsibility to ensure correct use of English (the mechanical accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar, as well as the stylistic consistency of the writing through a scientific translator or similar).

Text
Before submission, please prepare the main document including the title page and save it as a Microsoft Word document (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf ), or PostScript (.ps) file. Set the page layout of A4 or letter-size paper with margins of at least 25 mm. Use a large, clear font (e.g. 12-point or larger Times New Roman or Arial) and double-spacing throughout. Number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page.

Title page
The title page should carry a) the title of the article; b) authors’ names with institutional affiliations; c) corresponding author’s name with phone and fax numbers, street address and E-mail address; d) a running head of no more than 45 characters including spaces. Where there are more than 12 authors, list the first 12 authors in the title page, and list the other authors as an appendix.

Abstract, mini-abstract and key words
The second page should carry an abstract of no more than 250 words (see also instructions for specific categories above). Do not use abbreviations or references in the abstract. The abstract of an original article should be structured into four paragraphs with headings of Background (or Objective where relevant), Methods, Results and Conclusions. The abstracts for all other manuscript types should be non-structured. An abstract is not required for Letter.

A mini-abstract of fewer than 30 words, specifying the significant conclusion of the study, should also be provided. The mini-abstract will appear in the table of contents of the Journal.

Provide three to five key words. Use terms from the medical subject headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus.

FIGURES
All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be cited in consecutive order in the text. Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration. If figures have been reproduced from another source, a letter from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher), stating authorization to reproduce the material, must be attached to the covering letter.

Size Figures should be sized to fit within the column (82 mm), intermediate (118 mm) or the full text width (173 mm).
Resolution Figures must be supplied as high resolution saved as .eps or .tif. Halftone figures 300 dpi (dots per inch), Color figures 300 dpi saved as CMYK, figures containing text 400 dpi, Line figures 1,000 dpi.

Color figures Files should be set up as CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) and not as RGB (red, green, blue) so that colors as they appear on screen will be a closer representation of how they will print in the Journal.

Line figures Must be sharp, black and white graphs or diagrams, drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package.

Text sizing in figures Lettering must be included and should be sized to be no larger than the journal text or 8 point (Should be readable after reduction – avoid large type or thick lines). Line width between 0.5 and 1 point.

Figure legends Type figure legends on a separate page. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.

References
Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus.

List all authors, but if the number exceeds six, give six followed by “et al.” When citation of articles written in non-English languages is unavoidable, follow the style of example No. 4 below.
1 Ogawa K, Ktube T, Wtanabe T. Usefulness of the level of immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) in the serum in the treatment of stomach cancer. Asian J Surg 1992;15:217-24.
2 Kogure M, Kashimura S, Matsuyama S, Ohtani S, Saze Z, Odashima Y, et al. Prognostic role of immunosuppressive acidic protein in patients with esophageal cancer. Dis Esophagus 2008;21:214-9.
3 Sakamoto J, Teramukai S, Koike A, Saji S, Ohashi Y, Nakazato H. Prognostic value of preoperative immunosuppressive acidic protein in patients with gastric carcinoma. Findings from three independent clinical trials. Tumor Marker Committee for the Study Group of Immunochemotherapy with PSK for Gastric Cancer. Cancer 1996;77:2206-12.
4 Liu M, Wu J, Bao L, Cong X. Determination of Immunosuppressive Acidic Protein in Patients with various cancers. J Shanghai Immunology 1996;16: 261-4. (in Chinese)
For other styles of publication or Internet articles, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

Tables
Number all tables consecutively in the order of reference in the text. Each column must carry an appropriate heading and, if measurements are given, the units should be given in the column heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in each table. When statistical methods are used, exact P values should be given, such as P = 0.23 instead of the term ‘N.S.’ or ‘not significant’. For online submission, insert tables at the end of the text to be saved as a part of the main document, or save them as separate image files. (Note that when a manuscript is accepted for publication, tables must be submitted as data- .doc, .rtf, Excel or PowerPoint files-because tables submitted as image data cannot be edited for publication.) The Journal may reject manuscripts if remarkable deviation from this instruction is found.

Colored photographs
Publish color figures in the print version free of charge. However, switching a color figure to black and white figures after acceptance will be decided by Editorial choice. It is possible to publish a black and white figure in the print version and color figures in the online version. Authors will be able to see the color version of the figure as online supplement.

Survival curves
Cumulative survival rates are usually calculated with the Kaplan-Meier’s method and the differences are evaluated with the log-rank test. Survival curves are preferably drawn in the following style.
Characters should be clear, written with simple fonts such as Arial or Helvetica, and large enough to be legible after reduction for publication.
Censored cases should be shown as short vertical lines (“whiskers”) on the curves. Alternatively, the exact numbers of the cases at each unit time should be shown in an attached table as “No. at risk”.
Events such as death and relapse must not be shown as marks such as open circles or triangles, but as simple step-downs of the curves.
Labels for curves can be written in the graph area when the curves are far enough from each other.
Abbreviations and symbols
The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement. If many abbreviations are used, they should also be listed and explained at the foot of the first page of the text.

Statistics
Describe which statistical methods were used for which analyses. A P value or confidence interval should be cited in the abstract and in the text for any statistically significant finding reported; wherever possible, exact P values should be given. Outcome variables should generally be given as point estimates, with 95% confidence intervals rather than standard deviations or standard errors.

AUTHORS’ RESPONSIBILITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM
Authors’ responsibility
We ask all authors to confirm that 1) they have not previously published or have not submitted the same manuscript elsewhere, 2) they took a significant part in the work and approved the final version of the manuscript, 3) they have complied with ethical standards, 4) they agree AME Publishing Company. to get a licence to publish the accepted article when the manuscript is accepted, and 5) they have obtained all necessary permissions to publish any figures or tables in the manuscript, and assure that the authors will pay for any necessary charges.

Funding
Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section entitled 'Funding'. This should appear before the 'Acknowledgements' section.

The following rules should be followed:
The sentence should begin: ‘This work was supported by …’
The full official funding agency name should be given, i.e. ‘National Institutes of Health’, not ‘NIH’ (full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies) Grant numbers should be given in brackets as follows: ‘[grant number xxxx]’
Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma as follows: ‘[grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]’
Agencies should be separated by a semi-colon (plus ‘and’ before the last funding agency)
Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to [author initials]'.
An example is given here: ‘This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [hfygr667789].’

Conflict of interest
Conflict of Interest exists when an author (or the author’s institution), reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships with other persons or organizations that inappropriately influence (bias) his or her actions. The existence of such relationships does not necessarily represent true conflict of interest. The potential for conflict of interest can exist whether or not an individual believes that the relationship affects their judgment. Financial relationships (such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patents) are the most easily identifiable conflicts of interest and the most likely to undermine the credibility of the journal, the authors, and of science itself (http://www.icmje.org/index.html).

Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology policy requires that all authors of all manuscripts sign a statement revealing 1) Any financial interest in or arrangement with a company whose product was used in a study or is referred to in an article, 2) Any financial interest in or arrangement with a competing company, 3) Any other financial connections, direct or indirect, or other situations that might raise the question of bias in the work reported or the conclusions, implications or opinions stated including pertinent commercial, governmental, private or other sources of funding for the individual author(s) or for the affiliated department(s) or organization(s), personal relationships, or direct academic competition. Statements related to study design, such as providers of the drugs used in the study should be indicated in the Methods section of the article, and other financial interests which are not directly related to carrying out the study should be stated in the Acknowledgements.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Peer review
Submitted manuscripts are first read by the editors within two days. Some papers may be declined at this stage. The others will be sent for peer-review to two external referees usually selected from among the specialists in the Reviewers Board of the Journal. The editors decide whether to accept or reject based on the referees’ recommendations.

Offprints and reprints
Authors will be sent a free url link to the published online article for their personal use. Authors who wish to purchase hard copy offprints should fill out the offprint order form which will be sent with the author proof. Orders should be sent to editorial office. Order for reprints should be sent to the Publisher Office.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Stephen D. Wang, MD
Editorial Coordinator
AME Publishing Company
Room 604 6/F Hollywood Center, 77-91 Queen's road, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Phone: +852-2139 3077
Fax: +852-2139 3217
Email: jgo@amepc.org

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.

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