Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy (RPOR) is a bimonthly interdisciplinary journal that publishes original contributions in clinical and radiation oncology as well as in radiotherapy physics, techniques, and equipment. The journal welcomes original research papers, review articles, preliminary communications, technical notes, and novel case reports, as well as letters to the editor on recent RPOR articles or controversial issues in the field.

The journal serves researchers and practitioners in the fields of clinical oncology, radiation oncology and medical physics, providing an international platform to exchange practical, multidisciplinary clinical and scientific knowledge and achievements in oncology and related disciplines. The journal recognizes the increasing need for effective interdisciplinary collaboration in the fight against cancer. Articles published in the journal in recent years cover diverse issues in oncology and medical physics, particularly radiotherapy treatment planning, clinical dosimetry, treatments based on nonionizing radiation, and cancer diagnostics.

(A) Categories of articles consdiered for publication: 

• Research papers (Original articles) 
• Review articles and Invited reviews
• Editorials and Invited editorials
• Letters to the Editor
• Responses to letter to the Editor 
• Research letters
• Clinical vignettes (replaces classical case reports)
• Technical notes

(B) General rules

Reports in Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy (RPOR) is a platform for the exchange of ideas in the field of clinical oncology and radiotherapy. To facilitate the transfer of such knowledge between authors and readers, the editorial team of RPOR respectfully asks authors to adhere to the following rules regarding the preparation of articles:

Authorship

RPOR abides by the rules of responsible and ethical publishing. It is understood that all persons added to the list of authors must have substantially participated in collecting and analyzing the data and/or in preparing the manuscript, and that none of the researchers/clinicians significantly involved in the project have been omitted from the list of authors. It is also assumed that all the listed authors have read and approved the manuscript prior to its submission.

Structure of manuscript

For each type of manuscript, instructions regarding structure follow:

Title page

The first (title) page of each manuscript must contain the title of the article, the name(s) of the author(s), scientific degrees and affiliations, and the name and address of the corresponding author.

Title

The title should be no longer than 160 characters, and should describe the subject (or topic) discussed in the paper.

Abstract

An abstract is required for Research papers, Invited Review articles, Review articles, Editorials, Guidelines, and Short communications. Abstracts are not required for Technical Notes, Clinical Vignettes and Letters to the Editor, or Commentaries. Such articles should be titled so as to give the reader an insight into the content of the text.

Key words

The abstract, or the title, should be followed by 4 - 8 key words that allow a precise indexing of the paper. The exact name of the clinical entity that is the main topic of the paper must form one of these key words.

Ethical permission

A statement on the ethical aspects of every submitted paper should be included. If a paper does not describe any clinical observations of experiments (e.g. Reviews or Commentaries), the sentence ‘Ethical approval was not necessary for the preparation of this article’ should be placed after the main text of the manuscript. If the paper describes an original discovery, the statement on ethical approval should appear in the methodological part of the manuscript.

Illustrations

Illustrations should be submitted as a separate file with captions provided within the text of the manuscript. Illustrations should be numbered according to their order of appearance in the text. The number of illustrations is limited to two. However, additional illustrations or videos can be included in supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.

Tables

Tables should be prepared using the same text processing software as the rest of the manuscript. Tables should be numbered according to their order of appearance in the text. Tables should be placed on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. The number of tables is limited to two. However, additional tables can be included in supplementary material.

Tables, illustrations and photographs

Tables, illustrations and photographs should be of quality allowing readability after 100% downsizing. 

• tables should be editable in .doc (.docx) files
• charts, if available, shoud be editable in .doc (.docx) or .ppt (.pptx) files
• images should be in following graphic formats: .jpg, .png, .tif files

References

The Vancouver style of referencing is required in papers submitted to RPOR. The number of references for specific types of articles is limited as follows: Research papers: up to 50, Invited Review articles and Review articles: up to 100, Editorials: up to 30, Guidelines: up to 80, Short communications and Technical Notes: up to 10, Letters to the Editor and Commentaries: up to 10. Additional references can be included in supplementary material.

Funding

Clear and precise identification of any funding source must appear after the main text. When no external sources of funding were involved, the sentence ‘This publication was prepared without any external source of funding’ should appear.

Conflicts of interest

Any possible conflict of interest regarding the submitted paper should be described for each author in a separate paragraph following the main text.

(C) Specific types of articles

1. Research papers

Research papers presenting the results of performed experiments and/or clinical observations form the core group of publications in RPOR.

1. Word count - research papers must contain no more than 3,500 words, excluding references, captions and tables.
2. Title -the title, of no more than 160 characters, should be informative and concise, and should directly address the clinical entity described in the manuscript.
3. Abstract - must be no longer than 250 words and be divided into the following paragraphs: Introduction (Background); Materials and Methods; Results; Conclusions.
4. Key words - abstracts should be followed by 4 - 8 key words. At least one of these words should be the name of a specific clinical entity (e.g. breast cancer), a syndrome (e.g. peripheral neuropathy) or a procedure (e.g. adjuvant chemotherapy).
5. Structure and content of the main text - the main text should be divided into the following sections:

Introduction (Background) defining the aim of the paper, putting it in the context of recent publications and explaining why the results of the study are supposed to be clinically useful or scientifically inspiring; Materials and Methods. A description of the studied and control populations and the interventions and observations undertaken or performed. It should also contain a precise description of laboratory experiments (where applicable) specific enough to allow reproduction, and of statistical methods used for data analysis. The authors’ statement regarding ethical approval of their project should also appear in this section. Results. Results should be presented very in a logical fashion, with no need for the reader to solve. One should remember that curves and columns are more readable than tables or results presented in plain text. Discussion. Authors must set out their specific findings in the context of the most recent publications in the particular field. The Discussion should also identify any strong or weak aspects of the project, and any limitations of the work carried out. Authors must conclude their Discussion with specific conclusions as to how their findings compare to those in the literature. Conclusions.  Conclusions should refer to the aims of study and be presented in precise form. 

6. Number of Tables - research papers may contain either one or two tables, numbered according to their appearance in the text, with precise legends and titles. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - research papers may feature up to two illustrations. These should be numbered, titled and clearly described. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.
8. References -research papers should have no more than 50 references.

2. Review articles and Invited reviews

1. Word count - review articles should contain no more than 5,000 words, excluding references, captions and tables.
2. Title - highly specific titles are preferred.
3. Abstract - an abstract of no more than 250 words is required. It should define the topics covered by the Review, and signal whether the paper is addressed more to clinicians or to researchers. Abstracts may not be divided into the paragraphs. 
4. Key words - abstracts should be followed by 4–8 key words. At least one of these words should be the name of a specific clinical entity (e.g. breast cancer), a syndrome (e.g. peripheral neuropathy) or a procedure (e.g. adjuvant chemotherapy).
5. Structure and content of the main text.

The structure of a Review is largely a matter for the author. These however are our suggestions: Introduction defining the purposes of the Review. State of the Art section describing the significance of the topic of the Review, with special consideration given to the most recent discoveries in the field and Conclusions summing up the most important facts presented in the Review.

6. Number of Tables -reviews may contain either one or two tables, numbered according to their appearance in the text, with precise legends and titles. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - reviews may contain either one or two illustrations. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.
8. References - reviews may contain up to 100 references. Additional references may be submitted as a supplementary material.

The Editor-in-Chief might invite an author to write a review article on a selected topic. The aim is to present the current state of knowledge in the field.

 3. Editorials and Invited editorials

Editorials are articles written by RPOR Editors or by authors invited by the Editors. The aim of an Editorials and Invited editorials is to comment on a paper published in RPOR or to place it in its wider scientific context. 

1. Word count - editorials should contain no more than 800 words, excluding references.
2. Title - should be relevant to the article being commented upon.
3. Abstract - no abstract is required.
4. Key words - key words are not required for Editorials.
5. Structure and content of the main text - editorials need no specific structure.
6. Number of Tables - editorials may contain either one or two tables. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - editorials may contain either one or two illustrations. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.
8. References - editorials may contain up to 30 references. Additional references may be submitted as supplementary material.

4. Letters to the Editor

Authors are invited to comment on the articles published in the RPOR. These views will be considered as Letters to the Editor. They will be addressed (if desired) by the authors of the original manuscript. If the authors of original manuscript elect to decline the response, this will be noted.

Note, that Letters to the Editor should start with "To the Editor:" sentence. 

1. Word count - letters to the Editor should contain no more than 1,000 words, excluding references, captions and tables.
2. Title - should convey to the reader the most important information in the Letter to the Editor.
3. Abstract - no abstract is required.
4. Key words - title should be followed by 2–4 key words.
5. Structure and content of the main text - although no specific structure is required, authors are asked to present their clinical observations first, then to place them in the context of published data, with special attention given to the novelty and uniqueness of the presented finding, or comment on the point of importance they wish to raise in relation to the article they are commenting on
6. Number of Tables - letters to the Editor may contain one table. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - letters to the Editor may contain one illustration. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome
8. References - letters to the Editor may contain up to 5 references. Additional references may be submitted as supplementary material. 

5. Responses to Letter to the Editor

Authors are invited to respond to Letters to the Editor submitted to the Editor of the RPOR. This category predominantly applies to those authors whose original article has been commented on in the Letter to the Editor. If the authors of original manuscript elect to decline the response, this will be noted.

Note, that Letters to the Editors should start with "To the Editor:" sentence.

1. Word count - response to the Letter to the Editor should contain no more than 500 words, excluding references, captions and tables.
2. Title - should include the title of initial manuscript and statement that this is a Response Letter to the Letter to the Editor.
3. Abstract - no abstract is required.
4. Key words - no key words are required.
5. Structure and content of the main text - no specific structure is required, but the original paper or commentary should be cited in the text.
6. Tables and Illustrations - no tables and illustrations are  permitted.
7. References - only 3 references are allowed, two of them should cite the original manuscript and the Letter to the Editor.

6. Research letters

Research letter is a type of article used to present data coming from a case series or short projects of preliminary studies.

1. Word count - research letter should contain no more than 750 words, excluding references, captions and tables
2. Title - of no more than 160 characters, should be informative and concise, and should directly address the clinical entity described in the manuscript
3. Abstract - of no more than 250 words should be divided into four paragraphs: Introduction (Background); Materials and Methods; Results; Conclusions.
4. Key words - abstracts should be followed by 4–8 key words. At least one of these words should be the name of a specific clinical entity (e.g. breast cancer), a syndrome (e.g. peripheral neuropathy) or a procedure (e.g. adjuvant chemotherapy).
5. Structure and content of the main text - must be divided into the following sections:

Introduction (Background). A very short paragraph defining the topic of the paper and putting it in the context of recent publications; Materials and Methods. A description of the studied and control populations and the interventions and observations undertaken or performed. It should also contain a precise description of laboratory experiments (where applicable) specific enough to allow reproduction, and of statistical methods used for data analysis. The authors should add their statement upon ethical approval of their project to this section.  Results. Results should be presented very in a logical fashion, with no need for the reader to solve. One should remember that curves and columns are more readable than tables or results presented in plain text. Discussion. Authors are kindly asked to put their specific findings in the context of the most recent publications in the field. They must finish their discussion with specific Conclusions resulting from their findings in the context of the literature. 

6. Number of Tables - research letters should contain no more than one table. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - research letters contain no more than one illustration. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.
8. References - research letters may contain up to 20 references. Additional references may be submitted as supplementary material.

7. Clinical vignettes (replace classical case reports)

The goal of this category is to present brief reports of highly informative cases illustrated with interesting images accompanied by detailed legends. All applicable imaging techniques may be described in this category (ultrasound, X-ray and CT scans, biopsy and other). Text should be limited to 750 words, including title page, references, and figure legends. The number of references and authors is limited to five. Maximum one figure is allowed of no more than four panels each, labelled (a), (b), (c), (d). Additional figures and also videos may be published online as supplementary data. Publication of typical case reports may be considered on rare occasions but require individual contact with RPOR Editor prior to submission.

8. Technical notes - these papers focus on new operational techniques or on new devices that can improve procedures in oncology and radiotherapy. Considerably greater detail of the experimental procedures should be provided than would normally be given for a research article.  

1. Word count - technical notes should contain no more than 750 words, excluding references, captions and tables
2. Title - should directly describe the technique or device.
3. Abstract - not required.
4. Key words - 4 key words. At least one of these words should be the name of a specific clinical entity (e.g. breast cancer), a syndrome (e.g. peripheral neuropathy) or a procedure (e.g. adjuvant chemotherapy).
5. Structure and content of the main text - no specific structure is required.
6. Number of Tables - technical notes may contain no more than one table. Additional tables (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material.
7. Number of Illustrations - technical notes may contain no more than one illustration. Additional illustrations (clearly addressed in the text of the manuscript) may be submitted as supplementary material. Composite illustrations are welcome.
8. References - technical notes may contain up to 10 references. Additional references may be submitted as supplementary material.

Publication mode

Reports in Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy (RPOR) has adopted a gold open access mode of publication.  Currently there is no Author's Prepration Charge (APC) for any submission.     

Ethics in publishing

Via Medica strongly recommends that journal editors, authors and readers adhere to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), particularly in dealing with ethical misconduct. For more information, please visit the COPE website: http://publicationethics.org/.

Conflict of interest

Authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships with people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.

Authors must disclose any interests in two places: 1. A summary declaration of interest statement in the title page file. If there are no interests to declare, please state: 'Conflicts of interest: none'. This summary statement will be ultimately published if the article is accepted. 2. Detailed disclosures as part of a separate Author(s) Statement, which forms part of the journal's official records. It is important for interests to be declared in both places, and that the information matches.

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect, is sensitive to difference, and promotes equal opportunity. Articles should make no assumptions about the beliefs of any reader, should contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of race, sex, culture or any other characteristic, and should use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, for instance by using 'he or she', 'his/her' instead of 'he' or 'his', and by making use of neutral job titles (e.g. 'chairperson' instead of 'chairman' and 'flight attendant' instead of 'stewardess').

Contributors

Each author must declare his or her individual contribution to the article: all authors must have materially participated in the research and/or article preparation, so roles for all authors should be described. The statement that all authors have approved the final article should be true and included in the disclosure.

Role of the funding source

Please identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement, this should be stated.

Language (usage and editing services)

Please write in English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture). Authors who feel their English language manuscript may require editing to eliminate grammatical or spelling errors, and to conform to correct scientific English, should use the recognized English Language Editing services involved in medical writing.   

Permissions

Material taken from another source must be accompanied by a written statement from both author and publisher giving permission to RPOR for reproduction. Permission in writing is required from at least one author of papers still in press, unpublished data, and personal communications.

Peer review

All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final.

Single-blind review

Since 2021 this journal uses a single blind review, which means the identities of the authors are not concealed from the reviewers, but the identities of the reviewers are concealed from the authors. 

Use of word processing software

It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the word processor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the word processor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts. Note that source files of figures, tables and text graphics will be required whether or not you embed your figures in the text. To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell-check' and 'grammar-check' functions of your word processor.

Article structure

Subdivision - numbered sections

Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section numbering). Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text'. Any subsection may be given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line.

Introduction

State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.

Material and methods

Provide sufficient details to allow the work to be reproduced by an independent researcher. Methods that are already published should be summarized, and indicated by a reference. If quoting directly from a previously published method, use quotation marks and also cite the source. Any modifications to existing methods should also be described.

Results

Results should be clear and concise.

Discussion

This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Essential title page information

• Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
• Author names and affiliations. Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. You can add your name between parentheses in your own script behind the English transliteration. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lowercase superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about Methodology and Materials. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.
• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.
• Acknowledgements

Collate acknowledgements in a separate section and include it on the title page only. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).

Abstract

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, References should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. The abstract should be included in the Blinded Manuscript.

Keywords

Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 5 keywords, using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations that are unavoidable must be defined twice: (1) at their first mention in the Abstract and (2) at their first mention in the remaining part of the article. Ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article.

Units

Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI.

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article. Many word processors can build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Otherwise, please indicate the position of footnotes in the text and list the footnotes themselves separately at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.

Artwork

Electronic artwork

General points

• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Embed the used fonts if the application provides that option.
• Aim to use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or use fonts that look similar.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Size the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the published version.
• Submit each illustration as a separate file.

Formats

If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then please supply 'as is' in the native document format. Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):

EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts. TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi. TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black & white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi. TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/halftone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of 500 dpi.

Please do not:

• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (e.g., GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); these typically have a low number of pixels and limited set of colors;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Color artwork

Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF), or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution.

Figure captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Tables

Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables can be placed either next to the relevant text in the article, or on separate page(s) at the end. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.

References

Citation in text

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

Reference links

Increased discoverability of research and high quality peer review are ensured by online links to the sources cited. In order to allow us to create links to abstracting and indexing services, such as Scopus, CrossRef and PubMed, please ensure that data provided in the references are correct. Please note that incorrect surnames, journal/book titles, publication year and pagination may prevent link creation. When copying references, please be careful as they may already contain errors. Use of the DOI is highly encouraged. A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it as a permanent link to any electronic article. An example of a citation using DOI for an article not yet in an issue is: VanDecar J.C., Russo R.M., James D.E., Ambeh W.B., Franke M. (2003). Aseismic continuation of the Lesser Antilles slab beneath north eastern Venezuela. Journal of Geophysical Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JB000884. Please note the format of such citations should be in the same style as all other references in the paper.

Web references

As a minimum, the full URL should be given and the date when the reference was last accessed. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.

Data references

This Journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

References in a special issue

Please ensure that the words 'this issue' are added to any references in the list (and any citations in the text) to other articles in the same Special Issue.

Reference management software

Please follow the format of the sample references and citations as shown in this Guide. If you use reference management software, please ensure that you remove all field codes before submitting the electronic manuscript. More information on how to remove field codes.

Other software that can be used for reference management: RefWorks (http://www.refworks.com), BibTeX (http://www.bibtex.org), ProCite (http://www.procite.com). Users of Mendeley Desktop can easily install the reference style for this journal by clicking the following link: link When preparing your manuscript, you will then be able to select this style using the Mendeley plugins for Microsoft Word or LibreOffice.

Reference style

The references should be based on the readily available texts published in the latest and major journals mainly written in English. Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear in the text.

Model of reference to a journal publication:

Last name, initial, full paper title, journal full name, year, volume (number) first and last page.

Examples:

Reference to a journal publication:

[1] Paivio A, Jansen B, Becker LJ. Comparisons through the mind's eye. Cognition 1975;37(2):635– 47.

Reference to a book:

[2] Letheridge S, Cannon CR, editors. Bilingual education: teaching English as a second language. New York: Praeger; 1980.

Reference to a chapter in an edited book:

[3] Strunk Jr W, White EB. The elements of style. 3rd ed. New York: MacMillan; 1979 [chapter 4].

Reference to a conference (only abstracts 2-page long may serve as references):

[4] Douglis F, Ball Th. Tracking and viewing changes on the web. In: Proc. 1996 USENIX technical conference; 1996

Data references:

[5] Oguro M, Imahiro S, Saito S, Nakashizuka T. Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions, Mendeley Data, v1; 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.

Data visualization

Include interactive data visualizations in your publication and let your readers interact and engage more closely with your research. Follow the instructions here to find out about available data visualization options and how to include them with your article.

Supplementary material

Supplementary material such as applications, images and sound clips, can be published with your article to enhance it. Submitted supplementary items are published exactly as they are received (Excel or PowerPoint files will appear as such online). Please submit your material together with the article and supply a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file. If you wish to make changes to supplementary material during any stage of the process, please make sure to provide an updated file. Do not annotate any corrections on a previous version. Please switch off the 'Track Changes' option in Microsoft Office files as these will appear in the published version.

INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT A REVISED MANUSCRIPT
Before you begin submitting your revision, please ensure you have all the revised files ready. Please provide a separate covering letter outlining the changes that have been made to the submission in response to the reviewers’ comments and any other changes. All changes to the manuscript text should be tracked in the revised manuscript file ('Track Changes' mode if using Microsoft word).

Submission declaration and verification

Submission of an article implies that the work has not been published previously except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors, and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright holder. To verify originality, your article may be checked by the originality detection service Crossref Similarity Check.

Submission

Our online submission system guides you stepwise through the process of entering your article details and uploading your files. The system converts your article files to a single PDF file used in the peer review process. Editable files (e.g. Word) are required to typeset your article for final publication. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, is sent by e-mail. Please, note that each submission to be processed must be accompanied by Cover Letter and Author Statement uploaded as separate documents.  Respective forms are available below. 

Referees

Please submit the names and institutional e-mail addresses of several potential referees.

Changes to authorship

Authors should consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of names in the authorship list can be made only before the manuscript has been accepted, and only if approved by the Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers such a request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.

Submission Checklist

Authors are required to check their submission's compliance with all of the following. Submissions may be returned to authors not adhering to these guidelines:

Manuscript File: Required Components and Formatting

1.1 Title page with all required information

1.2 Word count (varying, according to article type)

1.3 Structured abstract, unstructured abstract or none (varying, according to article type)

1.4 Running head

1.5 Key words

1.6 Table/Figure legends

1.7 References superscript in text, compiled at the end of the paper in the Vancouver style

1.8 Limited number of references

1.9 Text submitted in .doc/.docx or .rtf format

1.9 Text double-spaced, using Times New Roman and font size 12

1.10 Manuscript checked for spelling and grammar

1.11 Article type correct 

Supporting Files (Attached as Separate Documents)

2.1 Cover letter

2.2 Author Statement 

2.3 Written permission for usage of photographs, illustrations, figures, or text from another source

2.4 Figures: TIF, JPG, EPS, CDR format at the standard resolutions, i.e. 300 dpi for photos, 600 dpi for line art

2.5 Each table, figure, photograph, or illustration in separate a file

2.6 Movies submitted as "Suppl data" in .avi, .mov, or .mp4 formats (max. 6MB in size)

Revision/Resubmission: Required Components and Formatting

3.1 ‘Track changes’ mode

3.2 Rebuttal letter

Final PDF file checked before manuscript submission

• The above-mentioned work has not previously been published and has not been submitted to the publishers of any other journal (with the exception of abstracts not exceeding 250 words).
• All the co-authors named and the relevant authorities of the scientific institutions in which the work has been carried out are familiar with the contents of this work and have agreed to its publication.
• The authors empower the Publisher to make any necessary editorial changes to the submitted manuscript.
• The authors are familiar with the regulations governing the acceptance of works as published in the PJNNS and agree to follow them.
• Protocol of the study was approved by the local Human Investigation Committee (or respective body) and subjects involved in the study signed informed consent approved by the institution.
• The authors report any potential conflict of interest, which might include: grants funding the project, speaker honoraria from a company, consulting fees and stock options, other forms of gratification.

Author statement

Cover letter

Submit an article

Proofs

One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author or a link will be provided in the e-mail so that authors can download the files themselves. Via Medica now provides authors with PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download the free Adobe Reader, version 9 (or higher). Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs (also given online). The exact system requirements appear on the Adobe site.

If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections and return them to Via Medica in an e-mail. Please list your corrections, quoting line numbers. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and scan the pages and return via e-mail. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures.

Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Completion of the online submission form electronically (the Author's Statement) is tantamount to automatic transfer of the copyright for publishing and distribution of the submitted material (in all current and future forms and fields of exploitation) to the Copyright Owner, i.e. Greater Poland Cancer Centre (Poznan, Poland), on condition that these materials are accepted for publication. The authors agree not to publish any data or figures presented in their work in any place or in any language without the prior written consent of the Publisher.