Abstract
I am pleased to announce the launch of Cancer Growth and Metastasis—a new peer reviewed open access journal published by Libertas Academica. This is an exciting time for oncologic research, as new scientific and technical innovations both expand our understanding of the biology of malignancy and permit the development and translation of new modes of cancer prevention and therapy. ‘Cancer Growth and Metastasis’ is an open access, peer reviewed journal which covers all aspects of the growth, invasion and spread of cancer within the body. Research at both the basic and applied levels, and on the molecular, cellular or organ levels, is of interest. Mutation, carcinogenesis, proliferation, tumour formation and metastasis are examples of the topics included. Submissions on oncological and radiological treatment of cancer will also be considered.
The journal will be competing head-on with a number of existing subscription-based journals. However, there is clearly a niche for this new journal because all journal articles will be accessible without any access boundaries to all internet users throughout the world. As research becomes globalized, the accessibility of previous results becomes increasingly important to permit others to read and build upon them. Another major benefit of open access online journals is that anyone can contribute, and not only those in major institutions. These freedoms are coupled with rigorous, fair and prompt standards of peer review.
Cancer Growth and Metastasis is published exclusively online. Articles will follow a consistent format so that the visual impact will be high and equal to that of the best hard-copy publications. In contrast to paper-based journals, however, the electronic format allows the full use of digital technologies and permits the inclusion of large data sets, from field and laboratory studies, links to other web pages, animations, slide shows, video clips and unlimited colour, all at no additional charge. Open access means that all articles are freely available to all, worldwide, and at no cost to the reader. Authors retain copyright of their work and can grant anyone the right to reproduce and disseminate it, provided that it is correctly cited and no errors are introduced, under the Creative Commons “CC-BY” licence.
In hard-copy journals, the costs of publication are met by subscriptions, paid by the reader. In Cancer Growth and Metastasis, as in other open access journals, these costs are borne by the author in the form of a publication processing fee. Many grant-awarding bodies recognise the value of open access publishing by allowing their funds to be used for PPFs. Fee waivers and discounts are available on a case-by-case basis, and we shall make every effort to ensure that lack of funds does not impede the overall objective of publishing the best science, irrespective of authorship or country of origin.
I do not foresee that open access, online journals will totally replace the traditional print format in the immediate future, although this may be an increasing trend with time. I am certain, however, that the benefits of online publication, and the extra opportunities that digital technologies give to authors, will be increasingly recognised. Open access is of huge benefit to the researchers working in institutions around the world where institutional libraries are unable to afford subscription fees for a full range of journals.
I expect that Cancer Growth and Metastasis will attract manuscripts of the highest quality which are of the greatest possible benefit to readers. The review process can sometimes be cumbersome and painful for authors. In contrast, we will use the electronic submission and review process to provide a first decision on submitted manuscripts within two weeks in most cases. Moreover, peer review will be undertaken by at least two leading experts in the area of the manuscript. We therefore anticipate that reviews will be both useful and prompt, permitting rapid publication of timely information of high quality.
Paradoxically, prospective authors may also be concerned about the accessibility of an open-access online journal. This journal will utilize an aggressive indexing program by the publisher to achieve listings in PubMed, Google Scholar, and DOAJ in order to help readers find their way to the journal's material while its reputation grows.
For further information on what we hope will be an exciting and highly useful new journal, please click on the “about this journal” link on the journal's web page.