Authors

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer (IJGC), the official journal of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology, is the primary educational and informational publication for topics relevant to detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of gynecologic malignancies. IJGC emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, and includes original research, reviews, and video articles. The audience consists of gynecologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, and research scientists with a special interest in gynecological oncology. Questions? Contact ijgc@jjeditorial.com

For guidelines on policy and submission across our journals, please click on the links below:

• Manuscript Preparation
• Editorial Policies
• Patient Consent Forms
• License Forms
• Peer Review
• Submission and Production Processes

Authors may find it useful to consult our pre-submission checklist. Please review the article type requirements below and the Author Guide, prior to submitting your manuscript or revision. Copyright and Licensing Articles are published under an exclusive licence (or non-exclusive license for UK Crown and US Federal Government employees) and authors retain copyright. Articles can also be published under a Creative Commons license to facilitate reuse of the content; please refer to the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer Copyright Author License Statement. Institutional Review Board Approval Every research article, including every submitted article involving human participants, requires a statement of ethical or institutional review board approval within the manuscript text. Furthermore, a formal letter of ethical or institutional review board approval must be uploaded along with the manuscript files at initial submission. In addition, please note that all manuscripts reporting clinical research on human subjects must state in the first paragraph of the Methods section that: 1) The study was approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), and 2) written informed consent was obtained from all subjects, a legal surrogate, the parents or legal guardians for minor subjects, or the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the IRB. For the above, please state whether written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. If written informed consent was not obtained, please state whether the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the IRB. If a waiver from the IRB was obtained, the authors must provide documentation from the respective IRB that such waiver was granted, and this must be dated. Find more information about ethical approval. Author’s Response When submitting a revision, please include an Author’s Response to the reviewers’ comments. Please list each comment from each reviewer and provide a point-by-point response indicating how the comment has been addressed and the specific page(s) and line number(s) where the change was made in the manuscript text file. Additionally, please copy and paste the changed text in the Author’s Response. Of note, the authors must address all questions by the Reviewers, Associate Editors or Editor-in-Chief, in the body of the text of the manuscript rather than answering the questions without actually modifying the manuscript. An example is below: Reviewer 1, Comment 1: Please clarify what you mean by “borderline pathology.” Author’s Reply: We have clarified this in the Methods section on page 6, lines 4-5. Modified Text: “Patients with borderline mucinous and serous tumors were more likely to be partially satisfied, not satisfied or not at all satisfied compared to patients with cancer (p=0.027).” Please note that authors may be required to provide data or cited works upon request for purposes of peer review.

Abbreviations Abbreviations are not permitted and must be spelled at each use (including the title, abstract, and main text) for all terms. If a submission contains abbreviations, it will be returned to the author for all abbreviations to be spelled through the submission prior to review. The only allowed exceptions to this rule are listed below. Abbreviations are always allowed for:

• Units of measure
• Clinical trial names
• Any name of a gene (e.g., BRCA) or serologic market (e.g., CA125)

Abbreviations are allowed but must be spelled at first use for:

• Statistical terms: SPSS, Stata, CI, HR, OR, RR (ratio terms)
• The following organizations and groups: NCI, WHO, FDA, CDC, NCCN, FIGO, NCDB, EORTC, EGOG
• The following terms: HPV, Pap, MRI, USG, CT, PET/CT, HIPEC, RIFLE, FDG, SLN,  AUC, VIN, dVIN, HSIL, PD-L1, PARP, QoL, TCGA, VEGF, PD-1, CD8+/FOXP3+, PI3K, AKT, mTOR, TIL, NK, DNA, QLQ-C30 and RECIST

Page and Line Numbering Please include page numbering and continuous line numbering in the manuscript document.

Word Count The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements and contributions and the references. IJGC strictly follows the length limits for each article type and will return submissions to authors if text exceeds the limit. Note that this applies to both original and revised submissions. If you are not a native English speaker and would like assistance with your article there is a professional editing service available.

Excluded Article Types The IJGC is not currently accepting submissions on breast cancer. Additionally, given the high volume of submissions on the subject of HPV and pre-invasive disease of the lower genital tract, we will restrict consideration for review and ultimate publication to those manuscripts reflecting novel data from either large prospective trials or high-level scientific multi-institutional efforts reflecting a high number of patients. Manuscripts reflecting findings that have already been published by others with similar results will not be considered for review and will be returned to authors. We also do not encourage submission of articles on basic science research. The journal does not accept Case Reports.

Editors as Authors When a paper has been submitted from the Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editors’ departments, such authors will not have a role in the reviewing or decision-making process, nor will such authors have access to the processing of such manuscripts. This also applies to any Associate Editors who are authors, in which instance the reviewing process is handled by the Editor-in-Chief.

Industry Authorship At IJGC we encourage authors to submit scientific work deemed of value to the community of gynecologic oncology and related health care areas. This includes industry-sponsored work and this may include authorship of Original Research articles by individuals directly employed by industry (that is, companies producing drugs, devices, tests, equipment or companies with an interest in the topic of the article). An individual is considered employed by industry if at least 25% of anticipated annual income is derived from a single manufacturer (as defined above). Individuals not employed by industry may submit manuscripts with the understanding that the IJGC financial disclosure policy is strictly adhered to. IJGC may publish a manuscript if an author has any stocks or shares, equity, or a named position on a company board that is producing the product evaluated in the publication as long as they provide full financial disclosure.

File Formats When submitting to IJGC, please ensure all files are submitted correctly with the corresponding file types selected. Doing so can help reduce the amount of time before your paper receives a decision. Specific Examples:

• All tables must be submitted in the manuscript document after the references section. The main manuscript document (with tables) file should be in Word doc format. (Do not embed tables or figures in the main running text.) Tables should be in portrait orientation, not landscape.
• Each figure should be uploaded as a separate “Image” file. Figures may be in TIFF, EPS, PDF, or JPEG format.

Our intent is to publish high quality research as it relates to clinical trials, outcome analyses, translational research, cost utility analyses, etc. Meta-analyses and literature reviews should be submitted as Original Articles and require a PRISMA Checklist. Authors should use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system for grading evidence when submitting a clinical guidelines article. Word Count: up to 2,700 words Abstract (not including abstract or references): up to 300 words, with the subsections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion Tables/Figures: up to 5 tables and/or figures References: up to 35 (for systematic reviews/meta-analyses, up to 50) Authors: up to 40 (no more than 8 from a single institution) Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following headings. This section should be no more than 3-5 sentences and should be distinct from the abstract; be succinct, specific and accurate.

• • • What is already known on this topic – Summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
    • What this study adds – Summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
    • How this study might affect research, practice or policy – Summarise the implications of this study

This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article. The manuscript text should have the following headings: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. Please note the following requirements for these sections: Methods – The following statement should be included in the Methods section: “In accordance with the journal’s guidelines, we will provide our data for independent analysis by a selected team by the Editorial Team for the purposes of additional data analysis or for the reproducibility of this study in other centers if such is requested.” If such statement is not included, the authors must submit a statement as to the reason for not being willing to volunteer the data. Authors may also include supplemental figures and tables.

Discussion – For Original Research Articles, the Discussion section must be structured with four (4) subsections using the subheadings listed below:

• Summary of Main Results: In this section, authors must clearly and concretely provide the main findings of their study with a particular focus on the primary objective of the study as the first statement of the Discussion section. Subsequently, the authors should provide the main findings on any secondary objective of the study. Authors should refrain from interpreting the findings and the potential implications of their results in this section and only findings that are supported by the data presented in the Results section should be documented. It is important to highlight that information should not be repetitive and absolute data that is already presented in the Results should not be repeated in this section.
• Results in the Context of Published Literature: In this section of the Discussion, the authors should provide a detailed analysis on how the results of their study either agree or disagree with the most relevant data published in the literature thus far. An evaluation of previously published studies should be focused and directed at information that either agrees or refutes the results presented in the current study. The authors should also provide fair and balanced analysis on the reasons as to why other data previously published in the literature may differ from their findings. The authors should focus their discussion on the most relevant and pertinent studies, ideally highlighting those studies with highest quality and evidence-based relevance. It is expected that authors provide details on potential gaps or flaws in the studies that are being presented from the literature.
• Strengths and Weaknesses: In this section, the authors should provide a detailed outline as to the strengths of the study. Such strengths should be supported by the data provided and the results obtained in the study. These itemized points should highlight reasons as to why this study provided added value to the literature. The section should also include recognized weaknesses of the study as perceived by the authors and should also reflect additional weaknesses provided by Reviewers.
• Implications for Practice and Future Research: In this section, the authors should highlight details as to what is the most impacting contribution to the literature from their study. The emphasis should be on how the results of their study should impact patient care or future research directions. The primary focus should not be a reaffirmation of prior published literature and, therefore, the authors should provide clear and concrete statements as to what is the contribution to the literature from their study. A detailed, clear, and direct message regarding the gap in knowledge that is being filled with the results from their study.

Conclusions In this section, the authors should provide a brief and concise statement regarding the overall conclusion of their study. This statement should be congruent with the results of their study. It should not be an interpretation on how the authors view their own results or how the reader should view their results, but rather a definitive statement that is comprehensive and reflects only the findings of their study. In addition, it should not be a general statement that is all-encompassing regarding the known literature, but instead it should be direct reflection of the findings of the results of their study.

Review articles will address a topic of major interest in the field of gynecologic oncology and should include an unstructured abstract of no more than 300 words. Authors may also include supplemental figures and tables. NOTE: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must be submitted as Original Research and meet all requirements for that article type; however, systematic reviews and meta-analyses are permitted 50 references.

Abstract: up to 300 words Word Count (not including abstract or references): up to 5,000 words Tables/Figures: up to 7 tables and/or figures References: up to 50 Authors: up to 5

Note that IJGC does NOT consider Case Reports. “Tumor Board” submissions are considered by invitation only; authors interested in submitting must first submit a letter of intent to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), via ijgc@jjeditorial.com. The EIC will determine if the proposal can be prepared as a full submission and, if so, authors will be invited to email the completed files directly to the EIC prior to formal submission as a manuscript to the journal. The EIC will edit the submission and once finalized, the authors will be asked formally to submit to the journal. Authors should include the following with their letter of intent: 1) Proposed title, 2) Author list and affiliations, 3) Brief description of the case and why it’s of interest, etc. (500 words max), 4) Presenter Name, 5) Pathologist Name, 6) Radiologist Name, 7) Discussant Name(s), and 8) Anticipated date of submission The goal of this section is to feature a case in gynecologic oncology that focuses on either medical or surgical topics of interest in management of disease. Cases selected do not necessarily represent a medical rarity but rather a topic of controversy or challenge in management.  The purpose of the case presentation is to reflect discussion as routinely held in a tumor board meeting, where the case is presented with complimentary information from pathologists and/or radiologists. These adjoining disciplines are expected to provide a detailed analysis of the pathology or imaging studies to highlight points of relevance in the case. In addition, a primary discussant is expected to provide and lead primary discussion of the case with a focus on considerations for differential diagnosis, nature of disease, evaluation, management options, and disease outcomes. When pertinent, discussants are to also include data on molecular factors that might impact disease diagnosis, management, or outcomes. In addition, any details on translational research or targeted therapeutics that are applicable to the case presentation will be encouraged. Of note, the authors must outline as to who is the Presenter, Pathologist, Radiologist, and Discussant (s). Images or figures must be of high quality and must not contain any patient identifiers. Each image or figure must be accompanied by a figure legend that provides a brief description of the findings. The more extensive details on the images or figures should be within the body of the manuscript provided by the respective expert.

Abstract: none Word Count (not including references): up to 2,500 Tables/Figures: up to 1 table and 4 figures References: up to 10 references Authors: up to 5

Letters should be a short and concise communication commenting on a recently published Original Article in the Journal or commenting on a controversial current issue of concern to the readership. The letters must be submitted within 90 days of publication of the Original Article in question. A Letter to the Editor is not a site for publication of original results. A statement of potential sources of conflict of interest must accompany the letter and may be published along with the letter. The Editorial Board reserves the right to decline publishing insulting or inflammatory comments in letters to the editor.

Word Count (not including references): up to 200 References: up to 5 Authors: up to 3

The type of article should provide novel insight and perspectives on a topic of interest in the field of gynecologic oncology. The manuscript should address unresolved and timely issues that may impact the evaluation, management and/or surveillance of patients with gynecologic cancers. In this section, the authors may provide their insight regarding topics that have been published either in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer (IJGC) or in other journals. However, it is particularly about a specific article that was published in IJGC then such manuscript should be submitted as a Letter to the Editor. IJGC Commentaries may involve discussions on new treatment strategies, surgical approaches, pathology diagnosis, or imaging modalities. This may include disagreements regarding such approaches. Given that this forum may lend itself to personal or group opinions, there should be evidence provided to support the arguments submitted through appropriate referencing. Speculations without supportive evidence are to be avoided. This is not a forum for presentation of new data or analyses constituting original research. The manuscript should be limited to no more than 400 words, no more than 5 authors, and no more than 5 references.

Word Count: up to 400 References: up to 5 Authors: up to 5

By invitation, Editorials have a limit of 500 words and a limit of 2 authors, and 5 references, including the article in question.

Word count (not including references): up to 500 References: up to 5 Authors: up to 2

This type of submission focuses on high-quality videos that includes any educational topic in Gynecologic Oncology. IJGC’s aim is to provide gynecologic oncologists around the world with a unique educational opportunity using multimedia. Video articles may focus on radiological imaging, ambulatory procedures, pathology, surgical anatomy, exposure, innovation, reconstruction, step-by-step-procedures, complications and resolutions, as well as anatomic variations, tips and tricks in gynecologic oncology, robotics, or new devices. Video Articles may also illustrate ways of improving surgery in developing countries or implementing surgery in scenarios with low resources. Videos that have been presented at a meeting are eligible to be submitted to IJGC. Authors are now required to use our template to create their video. Authors should use the first slide of the video template to create a title page and the second slide as the background for the remaining slides in the video. Detailed preoperative clinical information and relevant radiological images of the clinical case are encouraged to be added to your submission. The final slides should include information on surgical data such as the length of surgery, time of hospitalization, estimated blood loss, and relevant complications. It should also indicate the final pathology and the patient follow-up when it is available. Please do not skip through text sides quickly in your video; ensure there is enough time for the contents to be read by viewers. Provide time enough for your text slides that can be read easily. A video article should include a video that is between 5 and 8 minutes in duration and no larger than 350 MB. The video must be narrated in English and should not include music. The video may include slides, not exceeding 2 minutes in total. The first slide of the video must include the submission title and the authors’ name(s) and institution(s). The last slide of the video must include the conclusions and acknowledgments. Whenever a video article shows a surgical procedure, it is recommended to add within the video (or as supplementary material) two tables showing the specific material needed and a summary of tips for carrying out the procedure. Authors are encouraged but not required to include one slide at the end that includes pictures of the institution and the surgical team. If you do not have video editing software, you can edit your submission with a free online platform such as Clipchamp Online Screen Recorder, Screencast-o-Matic, Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder, Ace Thinker, or Screencastify.

The manuscript text should only be an unstructured summary of no more than 350 words, and must include references, no more than 4. Please include a title page in the main manuscript that includes the title, author list, author institutions, and corresponding author information. Please list the length (in minutes), the size (in megabytes), and the type of video file (.mov, .mpg, .avi, or .mp4) on the title page as well. An individual high quality still image of the video should also be submitted that illustrates the technique demonstrated in the video. Please include a figure legend for the still image, as well as a caption for the video, at the end of the main document text after the references. We encourage authors to include text and drawings in the video showing and pointing out the anatomical structures as well as schemas either of the procedure or the surgical field. Attractive educational content along with a high-quality video and sound are greatly appreciated at the time of the evaluation. Authors are encouraged to contact IJGC’s Video Editor Luis Chiva for any questions or assistance with creating a Video Article. Summary: up to 350 words, unstructured References: up to 4 Authors: up to 6 Length: up to 8 minutes File size: up to 350 MB

Usually, this type of video article is accepted by personal invitation from the Editorial Board. However, any author may submit a pre-submission inquiry, which will be evaluated for possible full submission by IJGC’s Video Editor, Dr. Luis Chiva. Please send pre-submission inquiries to the Editorial Office at ijgc@jjeditorial.com. Authors are now required to use our template to create their video. Authors should use the first slide of the video template to create a title page and the second slide as the background for the remaining slides in the video. These submissions will show a review lecture of any updated educational topic on gynecologic oncology, typically supported by a narrated slide presentation. Surgical videos might be embedded within the presentation, but it should be shown in full screen when they were played. The author may introduce himself/herself at the beginning of the lecture within a short clip and afterwards, only his/her voiceover will accompany the presentation of the slides. Presentations of lectures given in any recent meeting can be accepted if they are not under any copyright restrictions. A final slide showing the conclusions, top reference articles, and acknowledgments is recommended. Quality of the educational content and updated information will be the most relevant features to consider the submission for publication.

Additionally, the manuscript text should only be an unstructured summary of no more than 500 words and a reference list (no more than 10). Please list the length (in minutes), the size (in megabytes), and the type of video file (.mov, .mpg, .avi, or .mp4) in the title page. Please also include an individual high quality still image that illustrates or summarizes the content of the Video lecture. Please include a figure legend for the still image, as well as a caption for the video, at the end of the main document text after the references. Finally, please upload a headshot of the lead author and include a short bio (2-4 sentences) as a figure legend for the headshot at the end of the main document text after the references. Authors are encouraged to contact IJGC’s Video Editor Luis Chiva (lchiva@unav.es) for any questions or assistance with creating an Educational Video Lecture. Summary: up to 500 words, unstructured References: up to 10 Authors: up to 6 Length: up to 15 minutes Maximum number of slides: 30 File size: up to 350 MB

These articles will look at ongoing clinical trials in the field of gynecologic oncology. We do not accept submissions of this type for completed clinical trials. The articles must have a main objective and the studies must have and/or be accruing patients. The articles should include an Introduction, explaining the rationale for the study; a Methods section (inclusion and exclusion criteria for the study must be clearly outlined), detailing the study design; and a Discussion section, describing how the study may change current standards of care and practice. Authors may also include supplemental figures and tables. Word Count (not including abstract or references): up to 2,500 words Tables/Figures: up to 5 tables and/or figures References: up to 15 Authors: up to 30 Detailed formatting requirements are provided below: *Abstract Please use all of the subheadings listed below.

• • • • Background (2 sentences)
      • Primary Objective(s) (1-2 sentences). Please do not include secondary/exploratory objectives in abstract
      • Study Hypothesis (1 sentence)
      • Trial Design (3-4 sentences)
      • Major Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria (2-3 sentences)
      • Primary Endpoint(s) (1-2 sentence)
      • Sample Size
      • Estimated Dates for Completing Accrual and Presenting Results
      • Trial Registration

*Manuscript Introduction (Heading) Should include brief background, rationale, and hypothesis (3-4 paragraphs) Methods (Heading) Trial Design (Subheading) – Description of trial design/treatment plan – Include funding source (if applicable) – Setting including participating organizations and number of sites – Include study schema as a figure Participants (Subheading) – Inclusion/exclusion criteria (major) – Can be more detail than abstract but do not get into minutia Primary Endpoints (Subheading) – Include primary and secondary objective(s) and endpoints – Important translational/exploratory endpoints (but not all) Sample Size (Subheading) – How sample size was determined – When applicable, explanation of any interim analyses and stopping guidelines Randomization and blinding (Subheading) (if applicable) – Method used to generate the random allocation sequence – Type of randomization – If done, who was blinded after assignment to interventions (for example, participants, care providers, those assessing outcomes) and how Statistical Methods (Subheading) – Brief details of analysis of primary and secondary endpoints (1-2 paragraphs) Discussion (Heading) Brief summary of expected results and how they will change practice

A brief article highlighting those in the field of gynecologic oncology who are doing impactful work in either their local community or abroad. IJGC’s goal is to show the global scope of our mission and to excite other who are doing great work. Though there is a limit of 5 authors for the article, an Acknowledgements list for those involved in the work may be included.

Abstract: none Word Count (not including abstract or references): up to 500 words Tables/Figures: up to 3 figures References: none Authors: up to 5

Authors are encouraged to submit novel and impacting images (maximum of 2) that represent unique disease manifestations and offer educational and training value to gynecologic oncologists. We encourage authors to submit material that is not only unique and novel but that also provides an insight into diagnostic challenges. Images should not absolutely represent rarities in the field, but we also encourage submissions of findings that may be encountered in everyday practice but that provide unique insight in the management of patients with gynecologic cancers. Images should be original and have not been published as part of a previously published manuscript. In addition, these must be of very high resolution and quality. In preparing the images please remove all information that could be used to identify a patient, including name, medical record number, hospital name, or city. Authors should also remove all brand names of equipment or industry. All efforts should be made to obtain informed consent from patients who are alive prior to publication of the image. If such is not possible, the authors must provide a statement documenting as to the efforts that have been made and the reason as to why consent is not provided. When preparing the images, please provide a title page with the title of the image (no more than 8 words). In the title page, each author name should be listed with the respective affiliation. No more than 2 authors will be allowed and each should have substantially contributed to the submission. A briefly detailed explanation of the findings should be included as a descriptive legend (not to exceed 150 words). The legend may provide the following: clinical information, which may include patient’s history, index presentation, important physical examination or laboratory findings, clinical course, and ultimate outcome. No black and white images will be accepted. No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced.

The text of the legend is not in the standard format of a manuscript. Therefore, it should not include an abstract. It should be strictly a description of the findings as outlined above. Authors should make sure to provide a legend for each figure and not as a composite of both figures. For detail specification, it is encouraged for the authors to use arrowheads only to minimize obstructive distraction from the image. If there is more than one panel, please label each panel as Image A&B (according to the total number of images). No references are allowed. Images should be submitted in .JPG or .TIFF format. There is no minimum resolution, but we recommend that all images be at least 1200 pixels wide by 600 pixels long. No single image can be larger than 350 MB. Word Count: up to 150 words Images: up to 2 Authors: up to 2 Size: up to 350MB

Authors are encouraged to submit a brief, image-centered, discussion of a pathologic entity of interest to gynecologic oncologists and gynecologic pathologists. The topic does not need to be a rare or esoteric entity; it can represent a common finding of clinical relevance and the images and discussion should concisely highlight the pertinent pathologic features. High quality images (a minimum of 2 and maximum of 4; see below for further technical details) are central to the discussion and should include at least one H&E-stained microscopic image and can also include images of gross findings, immunohistochemical stains and other ancillary techniques of educational value. An image legend should be included and should provide an explanation for each individual image. For detail specification, authors are encouraged to use only arrowheads, to minimize obstructive distraction from the image. Photographs of identifiable patients will not be accepted. The text of the manuscript should provide a brief (no more than 500 words) overview of the pathologic entity, ensuring to highlight/reference the findings in the included images, and using clear language that is accessible to the non-pathologist.  The structure is not in the standard manuscript format and therefore does not include an abstract. The manuscript can be structured either as an overview of the pathology entity using example images without giving clinical details of a specific case or it can be presented using a specific case to showcase the relevant pathologic findings (broadly similar in style to a case report). However, if using the latter approach, the clinical aspect of the manuscript should be kept to a minimum with the emphasis on the pathologic findings and including a broader discussion of the entity itself.  The title should contain no more than 10 words and the title page should include the title, the names of all the authors and their respective institutional affiliations. A maximum of 4 authors will be permitted and each should have substantially contributed to the manuscript. A maximum of four references are allowed.

Image requirements: No black and white images will be accepted. If there is more than one panel, please label each panel as Image A, B, C and D (according to the total number of images). Images should be submitted in .JPG or .TIFF format. There is no minimum resolution, but we recommend that all images be at least 1200 pixels wide by 600 pixels long. No single image can be larger than 350 MB. Word Count: up to 500 words References: up to 4 Images: up to 4 Authors: up to 4 Size: up to 350MB

A rapid response is a moderated but not peer reviewed online response to a published article in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer; it will not receive a DOI and will not be indexed. Find out more about responses and how to submit a response.

IJGC aims to operate a fast submission and review process, to ensure timely, up-to-date research is available worldwide. Submissions should be made through the Journal’s online submission system, here. Articles should not be under review by any other journal when submitted to IJGC. IJGC adheres to the highest standards concerning its editorial policies on publication ethics, scientific misconduct, consent and peer review criteria. To view all BMJ Journal policies please refer to the BMJ Author Hub policies page.

IJGC is a Plan S compliant Transformative Journal. Transformative Journals are one of the compliance routes offered by cOAlition S funders, such as Wellcome, WHO and UKRI. Find out more about Transformative Journals and Plan S compliance on our Author Hub.

Articles are published under an exclusive licence (or non-exclusive license for UK Crown and US Federal Government employees) and authors retain copyright. Articles can also be published under a Creative Commons license to facilitate reuse of the content; please refer to the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer Copyright Author License Statement. When publishing in International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, authors choose between three licence types – exclusive licence granted to BMJ, CC-BY-NC and CC-BY (Creative Commons open access licences require payment of an article processing charge).

As an author you may wish to post your article in an institutional or subject repository, or on a scientific social sharing network. You may also link your published article to your preprint (if applicable). What you can do with your article, without seeking permission, depends on the licence you have chosen and the version of your article. Please refer to the BMJ author self archiving and permissions policies page for more information.

Articles submitted to International Journal of Gynecological Cancer are subject to peer review. In most instances we aim for two external opinions (and often additional statistical assessment) for reasons of fairness and science. The journal is not prepared to compromise on this stance. The journal operates single anonymised peer review whereby the names of the reviewers are hidden from the author; Manuscripts authored by a member of a journal’s editorial team are independently peer reviewed; an editor will have no input or influence on the peer review process or publication decision for their own article. For more information on what to expect during the peer review process please refer to BMJ Author Hub – the peer review process. BMJ requests that all reviewers adhere to a set of basic principles and standards during the peer-review process in research publication; these are based on the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Please refer to our peer review terms and conditions policy page.

BMJ is committed to transparency. Every article we publish includes a description of its provenance (commissioned or not commissioned) and whether it was internally or externally peer reviewed. During the submission process, authors must not suggest reviewers who are current or recent colleagues of themselves or their co-authors. For more information about suggesting reviewers please visit our Author Hub. Plagiarism is the appropriation of the language, ideas or thoughts of another without crediting their true source and representation of them as one’s own original work. BMJ is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. BMJ runs manuscripts through iThenticate during the peer review process. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting www.ithenticate.com.

During submission, authors can choose to have their article published open access. There are no submission, page or colour figure charges. The costs for open access for members are $2,200 and for non-members the costs are $3,595. Publishing open access has multiple benefits including wider reach, faster impact and increased citation and usage.

If authors choose to publish their article open access, an APC waiver may be available. Before applying for an APC waiver please consider: (1) Does your institution have an open access agreement with BMJ? If it does, then this may cover all or part of the APC for your article. Check BMJ’s open access agreements page to find out whether your institution is a member and what discounts you may be entitled to. (2) Have you received funding from a funder with an open access mandate or policy that covers paying APCs? If so, BMJ expects that the APC will be paid in full. If neither (1) nor (2) above apply then consider (3) Are all the authors of your article based in low-income countries*? If so, you are eligible to apply for a full or partial waiver from BMJ. Visit our author hub to learn more about our waivers policy and how to request one. Please note that regardless of the funding situation, authors can still choose to publish with us at no cost, and articles will be made available to our subscribers. *This list is reviewed annually and is based upon HINARI Core Offer Groups A and B, and the World Bank Country and Lending Groups.

BMJ is committed to ensuring that all good quality research is published. Our article transfer service helps authors find the best journal for their research while providing an easy and smooth publication process. If authors agree to transfer their manuscript, all versions, supplementary files and peer reviewer comments are automatically transferred; there is no need to resubmit or reformat. Authors who submit to the IJGC and are rejected will be offered the option of transferring to another BMJ Journal, such as BMJ Open. Please note that the article transfer service does not guarantee acceptance but you should receive a quicker initial decision on your manuscript. Contact the Transfer Editor at transfers@bmj.com

BMJ is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. iThenticate checks submissions against millions of published research papers, and billions of web content. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting ithenticate.com.

IJGC adheres to BMJ’s Tier 3 data policy. We strongly encourage that data generated by your research that supports your article be made available as soon as possible, wherever legally and ethically possible. All research articles must contain a Data Availability Statement. For more information and FAQs, please see BMJ’s full Data Sharing Policy page.

Preprints foster openness, accessibility and collaboration by allowing authors to make their findings immediately available to the research community and receive feedback on an article before it is submitted to a journal for formal publication. BMJ fully supports and encourages the archiving of preprints in any recognised, not-for-profit server such as medRxiv. BMJ does not consider the posting of an article in a dedicated preprint repository to be prior publication.

Preprints are reports of work that have not been peer-reviewed; Preprints should therefore not be used to guide clinical practice, health-related behaviour or health policy. For more information, please refer to our Preprint policy page.

IJGC mandates ORCID IDs for the submitting author at the time of article submission; co-authors and reviewers are strongly encouraged to also connect their ScholarOne accounts to ORCID. We strongly believe that the increased use and integration of ORCID iDs will be beneficial for the whole research community. Please find more information about ORCID and BMJ’s policy on our Author Hub.

Peer review may seem like a thankless task, but without it research would be unreliable. IJGC and BMJ value reviewers and want to encourage good standards of review. We encourage reviewers to read the Reviewer Guide or view the video below to learn more as Dr. Pedro Ramirez, IJGC’s Editor-in-Chief, provides reviewers with detailed instructions and considerations for preparing review comments for IJGC manuscripts. If you have any questions about reviewing, please contact our Editorial team at ijgc@jjeditorial.com. Information on how to review for any BMJ Journal is also available here.

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:

• The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
• The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Again, sponsorship may be sought.
• The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
• A sponsoring organisation, often a pharmaceutical company or a charitable foundation, that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.

In all cases, it is vital that the journal’s integrity, independence and academic reputation is not compromised in any way. For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines.

When contacting us regarding a potential supplement, please include as much of the information below as possible.

• Journal in which you would like the supplement published
• Title of supplement and/or meeting on which it is based
• Date of meeting on which it is based
• Proposed table of contents with provisional article titles and proposed authors
• An indication of whether authors have agreed to participate
• Sponsor information including any relevant deadlines
• An indication of the expected length of each paper Guest Editor proposals if appropriate