For Authors
2.1. Aims & scope
2.2 Article types
2.3 Writing your paper
3.1 Word processing formats
3.2 Artwork, figures, and other graphics
3.3 Reference style
3.4 English language editing services
3.5 DOI Number
4.1 How to submit your manuscript
4.2 Copyright form, cover letter, title page, keywords, and abstracts
4.3 Information required for completing your submission
4.4 Permissions
5. On acceptance and publication
5.1 ABC production
5.2 Online publication
5.3 Article processing charge (APC)
6.1 Peer-review policy
6.2 Acknowledgments
6.3 Funding
6.4 Declaration of conflicting interests
6.5 Research ethics and patient consent
6.6 Clinical trials
6.7 Reporting guidelines
To download the Copyright Form, please click here
1. Open Access
Archives of Breast Cancer (ABC) provides open access to all of its materials and contents to ease the exchange of knowledge in the world. ABC aims to provide full access for all users worldwide to all its articles.
All the content of ABC, under a Creative Commons license, can be freely viewed and used online with attribution anywhere in the world.
2. What do we publish?
ABC is open access and peer-reviewed, which publishes articles on all aspects associated with breast cancer research, ranging from pathophysiology, prevention, early detection, and diagnosis, to treatment, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, epidemiology, psychological issues, rehabilitation, and quality of life. While the emphasis of the journal is on breast cancer, ABC also publishes issues related to benign breast diseases and breast health.
- Original article
Original articles are reports of original research, which add to the body of knowledge on the topic. These articles need to have ethical approvals.
Original articles should be limited to 5,500 words and contain an abstract (limited to 250 words), references (With DOI), figure legends, and tables. The number of tables, figures, and references should fit the manuscript content. Authors with a first language other than English need to have their manuscripts proofread prior to submission.
Abbreviations of standard SI units of measurement should be used.
The sections included in an original article are as follows: (1) title page, (2) abstract (limited to 250 words), (3) keywords, (4) introduction, (5) methods, (6) results, (7) discussion, (8) acknowledgments, (9) conflicts of interest, (10) references, (11) figure and video legends, (12) tables, (13) figures, and (14) videos whenever applicable.
- Short communication
This is a small-scale study containing new and significant information with an abstract not exceeding 150 words, a body not beyond 800 words, 2 tables or figures, and references.
Sections of a short communication paper include (1) title page, (2) abstract, (3) keywords, (4) introduction, (5) methods, (6) results, (7) discussion, (8) acknowledgments, (9) conflicts of interest, (10) references, (11) figure and video legends, (12) tables, (13) figures, and (14) videos whenever applicable.
- Commentary
Commentaries present the findings of research on a general topic, providing original ideas about it. They are different from reviews in terms of presenting the author's original ideas rather than reporting previous research. They should not exceed 1500 words, excluding the references.
Sections of a commentary are as follows: (1) title page, (2) keywords, (3) text, (4) acknowledgments, (5) conflicts of interest, and (6) references.
- Editorial
Editorials are written by the editor in chief, deputy editor in chief, an associate editor, or a guest editor presenting opinions relevant to the journal. Under some conditions, other individuals may submit an editorial. An editorial does not go beyond 1500 words, excluding the references.
Sections of an editorial are as follows: (1) title page, (2) keywords, (3) main manuscript (4) acknowledgments, (5) conflicts of interest, (6) references.
- Letter to the editor
Letters comment on or criticize articles published in ABC within the past 4 issues or express views on relevant topics. They do not exceed 1500 words, excluding the references.
Sections include (1) title page, (2) keywords, (3) text, (4) acknowledgments, (5) conflicts of interest, and (6) references.
- Case report and case series
Case reports are case studies that present new insights into the diagnosis or treatment of a disease. These reports should not exceed 1,500 words, including references. The sections of a case report include (1) title page, (2) structured abstract (including background, case presentation, and conclusion), (3) keywords, (4) introduction, (5) case presentation, and (7) discussion.
Ethical considerations, particularly informed consent, should be included.
- Review article
A review article is a detailed examination of previous research on a topic. Authors are advised to contact the editor in chief (akaviani@archbreastcancer.com) before writing a review article to avoid duplication of previous research. These articles should not exceed 7,000 words, including references and the following sections: (1) title page, (2) structured abstract (limited to 250 words), (3) keywords, (4) introduction, (5) methods, (6) results, (7) discussion, (8) acknowledgments, (9) conflicts of interest, (10) references, (11) figure legends, (12) tables, and (13) figures, whenever applicable.
- Clinical experience
The authors present a clinical case by discussing one or more patients whose records have been examined in multidisciplinary team (MDT) sessions of the hospital, along with the clinical decision made in the sessions.
A review article consists of: (1) title page, (2) abstract (limited to 250 words), (3) keywords, (4) introduction, (5) case presentation, (6) question, (7) discussion, (8) acknowledgments, (9) conflicts of interest, (10) references, (11) figure legends, (12) tables, and (13) figures whenever applicable.
2.3.1 General format
Manuscripts should be prepared using MS Word (in .doc or .docx format). PDF submissions are not accepted. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, including text, tables, legends, and references.
Number each page and avoid footnotes; instead, use parentheses within the text. Use the Tab key once for paragraph indents, Times New Roman typeface for the text, and Symbols for Greek and special characters.
2.3.2 Main sections of the manuscript
Papers include the following sections:
Title
- The title should represent the research and its content.
- It should differ from the title of the articles published before.
- It should not exceed 50 words.
Abstract
- The abstract in original and review articles and short communications include:
- Background
- Methods
- Results
- Conclusion
- The sections in case reports and case series include:
- Background
- Case presentation
- Conclusion
- No abstract is required for other articles e.g. editorials, letters.
- The abstract should not exceed 250 words.
Introduction
- Present the main aims of the research.
- Mention the main reasons for doing the research.
- There is no need for a detailed review of the literature.
- References should be cited for the content.
Methods
- State the type of your study.
- Present the methods, tools, and procedures used in detail to allow other researchers to duplicate the results without the need to contact the authors.
- Describe the intervention and control groups, if relevant.
- Describe the statistical tests used.
- Give reasons for using specific statistical tests, if relevant.
- Mention statistical significance.
ABC follows the COPE guidelines; so, authors need to read and follow these guidelines to avoid research misconduct, including falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism. Authors may visit http://www.publicationethics.org to obtain more information.
In addition, the authors should confirm that their study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki, that the ethics committee has approved their research, and that they have sought written informed consent from the participants or their guardians.
Results
- Present the findings in the text, tables, or figures, and avoid presenting the same findings twice.
- Be precise and do not explain your findings here; keep such explanation for the discussion.
- Apply the metric system/SI units for presenting quantities and measurements.
Discussion
- State the original and significant characteristics here. Do not present the findings of the results section again.
- State the importance of the findings and how they are relevant to previous studies.
- Only present the conclusions which are backed up by the data.
- State the limitations and applications of your results.
2.3.3 Making your article discoverable
Attempts should be made to make the article more discoverable. Readers should be able to find your article through search engines by typing your keywords.
3. Preparing your manuscript
We accept Microsoft Word format (DOC or .DOCX) rather than PDF files.
3.2 Artwork, figures, and other graphics
3.2.1 Figures
Only essential Figures should be included. They should not duplicate the data presented in tables or in the text. The manuscripts may have up to 8 figures and tables. More figures and tables are considered supplementary material for online access only. The quality of the figure should not be affected by being printed. Figures should be no larger than 125 (height) × 180 (width) mm (5 × 7 inches) and should be sent as separate files in TIFF format at a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch and 1200 pixels per inch for black-and-white line drawings. PDF is not acceptable for figures and illustrations.
3.2.2 Videos
Authors can submit videos, graphics, and a slide presentation if relevant. They will be referred as with other materials. The anonymity of the patients should be maintained unless written permission has been provided.
The length of each video clip or computer graphic is limited to 40 MB. Up to 3 videos or graphics can be submitted, with a concise legend for each video in the manuscript. We accept videos compatible with Windows Media Player and submitted in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 (.mpg) or QuickTime (.mov) format.
3.2.3 Tables
Tables should be sent in a separate file with a short title for each table. Tables should be cited in the text and numbered by Arabic numerals. If tables are adopted from previous works, mention the reference at the end of the table caption. Asterisks (*) for significance values and other statistical points are necessary under the table.
3.2.4 Figure and video legends
Each figure should have a short caption describing its content. Figure legends should begin with the term Fig. followed by the figure number, both in boldface (e.g., Fig. 1).
ABC follows the Vancouver (superscript) reference style and the standards summarized in the NLM's International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals: Sample References webpage and detailed in the NLM's Citing Medicine, 2nd edition.
The accuracy of reference details is the responsibility of the authors. ABC does not accept personal communications, unpublished observations, and submitted manuscripts as references. References should be cited in the text consecutively by superscript Arabic numerals:
One Ref.(1) | Two Ref.(1, 2) | More than 2 Ref.(1-3)
The list of references at the end of the manuscript should be organized in numerical order according to the order they appear in the text.
Below, you see some examples of acceptable reference formats:
- Harris JR, Lippman ME, Morrow M, Osborne CK. Diseases of the Breast. 5thed. China: Wolters Kluwer Health; 2014. ISBN: 978-1-45-118627-7
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
- Hirshaut Y, Pressman P, Brody J. Breast Cancer: The Complete Guide: 5thEdition: Random House Publishing Group; 2009. Chapter 11: Hormone therapy and chemotherapy; p. 186-234.
Reference to a chapter in an edited book written by authors in a book edited by others:
- Newman LA, Bensenhaver JM, eds. Ductal Carcinoma In Situ and Microinvasive/Borderline Breast Cancer. In: Kanumuri P, Chapgar BA. Epidemiology of Ductal Carcinoma In situ. 4th ed. Springer. New York; 2015, p. 1-12.
With 7 or more authors, list the first 6 ones and then insert "et al."
Reference to an article should be like the following :
- Hjorthaug K, Højbjerg JA, Knap MM, Tietze A, Haraldsen A, Zacho HD, Kramer SM, Borghammer P. Accuracy of 18F-FDG PET-CT in triaging lung cancer patients with suspected brain metastases for MRI. Nucl Med Commun. 2015;36(11):1084-90. DOI: 10.1097/MNM.0000000000000371
The number of references is limited to 30 for Letters, Editorials, and Commentaries, 50 for Case Reports, Clinical Experiences, and Original articles, and 100 for Review articles and meta-analysis.
Use "in press" or "forthcoming" when you cite papers accepted but not published and "unpublished observations" to cite manuscripts submitted but not accepted.
Download EndNote Vancouver (superscript) Reference Style: Online Link
3.4 English language editing services
ABC offers language editing services by third parties available at a charge, with authors publishing with ABC receiving a 50% discount. The cost ranges from 50 to 150 Canadian dollars (CAD) based on the count of words.
All the published manuscripts will be given a digital object identifier (DOI) (Crossref) upon acceptance (for more information, refer to www.doi.org).
4. Submitting your manuscript
4.1 How to submit your manuscript
Submit your manuscripts at www.archbreastcancer.com. Manuscripts should comply with the guidelines for authors; otherwise, they will not be sent for external review.
ABC accepts the following types of articles for publication: original research articles, reviews, letters, clinical experiences, case reports, case series, and short communication.
4.2 Copyright form, Cover letter, Title page, Keywords, and Abstracts
Authors need to provide a title, short title, an abstract, and keywords along with your article. These are vital to making sure that readers can find with their article via online search engines like Google.
4.2.1 Copyright form
The authors need to download the copyright form to be signed by the corresponding author. By uploading this form, the corresponding author verifies that all co-authors have approved the final draft of the manuscript sent to ABC.
To download the Copyright Form, please click here
4.2.2 Cover letter
Manuscripts are sent with a letter covering the following issues:
- A short statement of the importance of the research.
- The novelty of the manuscript.
4.2.3 Title page
The title page contains the following points:
- The full title
- Complete name, the academic degree, and the affiliation of each author, as well as their email addresses;
- Put an asterisk after the corresponding author's name;
- Mailing address, phone/fax number, and email for correspondence;
- A running title not beyond 20 characters;
- The number of words of the abstract and main body of your manuscript.
4.2.4 Abstract
- Abstracts are limited to 250 words;
- There should not be any references in the abstract;
- Avoid using acronyms and abbreviations as much as you can;
- An abstract includes Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
4.2.5 Keywords
- Include 3 to 5 keywords. ABC prefers keywords found in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus (see www.nlm.nih.gov).
4.3 Information required for completing your submission
Authors should provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors through the submission system and identify the corresponding author. These details must match the details in your manuscript. The affiliation is the institution in which the research was carried out. If an author has moved to another institution since the completion of the research, the new affiliation can be added at the end of the paper.
If authors intend to reuse any illustrations, figures, tables, or passages already published elsewhere they should provide permission from copyright owners. Any content received without such evidence is considered to belong to the authors.
5. On acceptance and publication
If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors should cooperate with ABC until the preparation of the Final Copy.
The authors will be notified about the article's progress in the whole production process. We will send the corresponding author PDF format proofs and expect a prompt return. Authors need to examine their proofs to confirm the accuracy of all the information, such as names, affiliations, sequence, contact details, funding, and conflict of interest sections. To make any change to the list of authors, the authors should complete and sign a form to authorize this change.
The advantage of online open access publishing is that it is faster. A further advantage is that there is no limit to the number of pages, and the online publication is fully citable with a DOI number. Finally, the paper is entirely free to read and download for all readers.
5.3 Article processing charge (APC)
Archives of Breast Cancer (ABC) is completely free for article publication.
6. Editorial policies
Peer-review is an inseparable part of Farname's publishing process. Peer-reviewers are scholars who contribute their time to review manuscripts (sent by the journal), offering authors free advice.
Key features of the peer-review process are as follows:
All manuscripts are reviewed by at least two qualified experts.
ABC's editor-in-chief makes all publication decisions based on the reviews.
Editorial board members may provide advice to the editor-in-chief to assist him in decision making.
- Initial manuscript evaluation
All manuscripts are first read by the editorial board. To save time, only manuscripts most likely to fulfill our editorial criteria are emailed for formal review. Manuscripts viewed by the editors as being of insufficient general interest or inappropriate are promptly rejected and are not sent for external review.
- Type of pee- review
ABC uses a double-blind review process, with both the reviewer and author anonymous in the whole process.
- Selecting peer-reviewers
Selecting reviewers is key to the publication process, for which we consider expertise, reputation, specific recommendations, and our prior experience with reviewers.
Reviewers should stick to the principle of confidentiality regarding the content sent to them for a critical review.
- The length of the review process
Typically, this process takes 4 weeks.
- Final report
Acceptance or rejection decisions are sent to the author as well as suggestions and verbatim comments by the reviewers.
Contributors not fulfilling the authorship criteria must be mentioned in the Acknowledgment. A contributor may be a department chairperson who supported the research or a person who provided technical or writing assistance.
The source of financial and material support (e.g., grant number) should be provided under a separate heading. If the authors have received no funding, include the following statement:
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
6.4 Declaration of conflicting interests
Visit ICMJE recommendations for more guidance on how to state conflict of interest.
6.5 Research ethics and patient consent
Medical research on human participants must be carried out according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.
To see our policy in this regard please visit here.
In compliance with the ICMJE requirements, clinical trials should be registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry before the enrolment of the first patient. The trial registry name and URL, and the registration number must appear at the end of the abstract.
Authors should follow the relevant research reporting guidelines for the study type provided by the EQUATOR Network. In this way, enough information is provided for editors, peer-reviewers, and readers to find out how the research was conducted and to determine the reliability of the findings.
The main reporting guidelines include:
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs): CONSORT guidelines
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA guidelines and MOOSE guidelines
Observational studies in epidemiology: STROBE guidelines and MOOSE guidelines
Diagnostic accuracy studies: STARD guidelines
Quality improvement studies: SQUIRE guidelines.
7. Complaints procedure
Authors can contact us via email. In case of complaints, email our managing editor Dr. Mojgan Karbakhsh (mkarbakhsh@archbreastcancer.com).
Complaints will be dealt with within three working days. If possible, you will receive a full response within four weeks.
In case of dissatisfaction with the resolution, the case will be sent to the ABC editor-in-chief, Dr. Ahmad Kaviani.
8. Article retrieval
If the authors intend to withdraw their submitted manuscript, they should send a letter signed by all authors and state the reasons for withdrawal. To request a withdrawal 48 hours after submission, the authors should pay a withdrawal penalty of 300 USD. Submitting the manuscript elsewhere before finishing the submission process here with ABC is considered unethical, and withdrawal can be requested if there are significant errors in the manuscript.
9. Further information
Any correspondence or requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be addressed to ABC editor-in-chief, Prof. Ahmad Kaviani (akaviani@archbreastcancer.com).