Ethics, rights and permissions

Oncology Nexus is committed to maintaining the highest level of integrity in the content it publishes. This page sets out the ethical standards we expect of authors, and the copyright and licensing terms under which our articles are published. The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and has a competing interest policy in place. We require authors to comply with international, national and institutional standards for research involving people and animals, and to report their work transparently.

Ethical responsibilities of authors

Authors should refrain from misrepresenting research results in any way that could damage trust in the journal, the professionalism of scientific authorship or the scientific endeavour. Good scientific practice includes the following:

• The manuscript should not be submitted to more than one journal for simultaneous consideration.
• The submitted work should be original and should not have been published elsewhere in any form or language, partially or in full, unless the new work is an expansion of previous work. Authors must provide transparency on the reuse of material to avoid concerns about text recycling.
• A single study should not be split into several parts to increase the number of submissions.
• Concurrent or secondary publication is sometimes justifiable, provided certain conditions are met, for example a translation or a version intended for a different readership. Authors must disclose this at submission.
• Results should be presented clearly, honestly and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate data manipulation, including image manipulation.
• No data, text or theories by others may be presented as if they were the authors' own. Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given, quotation marks must be used for verbatim copying, and permissions secured for copyrighted material. The journal screens all submissions for plagiarism and AI-generated content; see our editorial policies.
• Authors must ensure they have permission for the use of software, questionnaires, surveys and scales in their studies.
• All article types must cite appropriate and relevant literature in support of the claims made. Excessive or inappropriate self-citation, or coordinated self-citation among authors, is strongly discouraged.
• Authors should avoid untrue statements about any individual or organization that could be seen as personal attacks or allegations.
• Research that could be misapplied to pose a threat to public health or national security must be clearly identified in the manuscript.
• The author group, corresponding author and order of authors must be correct at submission. Changes to authorship during revision are generally not permitted and must be explained in detail; changes after acceptance are not permitted.

Upon request, authors must be prepared to provide relevant documentation or data to verify the validity of the results presented, excluding confidential or proprietary data.

If misconduct or fraud is suspected, the journal will investigate following COPE guidelines. Depending on the outcome, measures may include rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction or expression of concern, retraction of the published article, notification of the authors' institution, and inclusion of a notice in the author's bibliographic record.

Suggesting and excluding reviewers

Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and to request the exclusion of specific individuals when they submit their manuscripts. Suggested reviewers must be independent of the work and the authors. The journal recommends suggesting reviewers from different countries and institutions. The journal may not use the suggestions.

Authorship principles

Authorship criteria

The journal follows the recommendations of the ICMJE. All authors whose names appear on the submission must have:

• made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data, or the creation of new software used in the work;
• drafted the work or revised it critically for important intellectual content;
• approved the version to be published; and
• agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The journal assumes that all authors agreed with the content, gave explicit consent to submit, and obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institution where the work was carried out.

Large language models and other AI tools do not satisfy these criteria and cannot be listed as authors. Authors may use AI tools in their work without disclosing them; see our policy on the use of AI.

Role of the corresponding author

One author is assigned as corresponding author and acts on behalf of all co-authors. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission, including the names and order of authors; managing all communication between the journal and all co-authors before and after publication; providing transparency on the reuse of material and mentioning any unpublished material included in the manuscript in the cover letter; and ensuring that disclosures, declarations and data transparency statements from all authors are included in the manuscript.

Affiliation

The primary affiliation for each author should be the institution where the majority of the work was done. If an author has subsequently moved, the current address may additionally be stated. Addresses will not be updated after publication.

Author identification

Authors are recommended to use their ORCID identifier when submitting an article or to acquire one through the submission process.

Deceased or incapacitated authors

If a co-author dies or becomes incapacitated during the writing, submission or peer review process, and the co-authors consider it appropriate to include the author, they should obtain approval from a legal representative, which could be a direct relative.

Authorship disputes

In the case of an authorship dispute during peer review or after publication, the journal will not investigate or adjudicate. Authors will be asked to resolve the dispute themselves. If they are unable to do so, the journal reserves the right to withdraw the manuscript from the editorial process or, for a published article, to raise the issue with the authors' institutions and abide by their guidelines.

Confidentiality

Authors should treat all communication with the journal as confidential, including correspondence with editors and reviewers' reports, unless explicit consent has been received to share information.

Competing interests

Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Disclosure provides a complete and transparent process and helps readers form their own judgments of potential bias. It does not imply that a financial relationship with a sponsoring organization or compensation for consultancy work is inappropriate.

Interests that should be disclosed include, but are not limited to:

• Funding: research grants and research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies and reimbursement for attending symposia) from organizations that may gain or lose financially through publication of the manuscript.
• Employment: recent, present or anticipated employment by any organization that may gain or lose financially through publication, including multiple affiliations.
• Financial interests: stocks or shares, including holdings of a spouse or children, in companies that may gain or lose financially through publication; consultation fees or other remuneration; patents or patent applications whose value may be affected by publication.
• Non-financial interests: professional interests, personal relationships or personal beliefs that could impart bias, including editorial board positions, advisory board or board of director roles, writing or consulting for educational purposes, expert witness work and mentoring relationships.

Interests within the three years before beginning the work should be reported; interests outside that time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. A practical guideline for financial interests is: any undeclared financial interest that could embarrass the author were it to become publicly known after the work was published.

Editorial board members and editors are required to declare any competing interests and will be excluded from the peer review process where a competing interest exists, including having previously published with one or more of the authors or sharing the same institution. Where an editor or editorial board member is an author, another editor will be assigned to oversee peer review. Such submissions receive no priority over other manuscripts.

Original Research articles and Reviews require a disclosure statement. Comments and Reflections may require one depending on their content; authors who are unsure should contact the journal.

Research involving human participants, their data or biological material

Ethics approval

When reporting a study that involved human participants, their data or biological material, authors must include a statement confirming that the study was approved, or granted exemption, by the appropriate institutional or national research ethics committee, naming the committee, and certifying that the study was performed in accordance with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with these standards, authors must explain the reasons for their approach and demonstrate that an independent ethics committee explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. If a study was granted exemption, this should be stated with the reasons.

Retrospective ethics approval. If a study was not granted ethics approval before commencing, retrospective approval usually cannot be obtained and it may not be possible to consider the manuscript for peer review. The decision is at the Editor's discretion.

Retrospective studies. Although retrospective studies use already available data or material, ethics approval may still be required depending on national law and guidelines. Authors should confirm the requirements of their institution and country.

Case reports. Case reports require ethics approval and informed consent from the individual, or a parent or guardian where the participant is a minor or incapable.

Cell lines. Where human cell lines are used, authors must state the source of the cell line, when and from where it was obtained, and whether and how it has been authenticated. For purchased cells, the supplier, cell type, cell line number and batch must be given. Authors should check the ICLAC register of misidentified cell lines. A statement confirming ethics committee approval and informed consent from the donor or next of kin is required.

Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs). Authors are encouraged to use RRIDs when reporting key biological resources such as antibodies, cell lines, model organisms and software.

Informed consent

Individual participants have the right to decide what happens to the identifiable personal data gathered, to what they have said during a study or interview, and to any photograph taken. Identifying details (names, dates of birth, identity numbers, facial features and other distinguishing characteristics) must not be published in written descriptions, photographs or genetic profiles unless the information is essential for scholarly purposes and the participant, or a parent, guardian or legal representative, gave written informed consent for publication. Masking the eye region in photographs is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, authors must confirm that the alterations do not distort meaning.

Consent is not required for images such as x-rays, laparoscopic images, ultrasound images, brain scans and pathology slides unless there is a concern about identifying information. For images reused from prior publications, the journal assumes the prior publication obtained consent; authors must provide appropriate attribution.

When biological material is donated or data generated as part of a research project, authors must ensure that participants were made aware what personal data would be processed, how it would be used and for what purpose. Where data were obtained from a biobank operating under broad consent, authors should confirm that the biobank's policy covers the use reported.

For manuscripts reporting studies involving vulnerable groups, where there is potential for coercion or consent may not have been fully informed, the editor will take extra care and may refer the manuscript to an independent research integrity review.

Clinical trial registration

The journal follows the World Health Organization definition of a clinical trial: any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. Authors must register prospective clinical trials (phase II to IV) in a publicly available registry such as ClinicalTrials.gov or any primary registry of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The trial registration number and date of registration should be included as the last line of the abstract. For trials not registered prospectively, authors are encouraged to register retrospectively and to add the words "retrospectively registered" after the registration details.

Research involving animals

For research involving animals, their data or biological material, authors must supply detailed information on the ethical treatment of the animals, including the name of the approving committee, and should follow the ARRIVE guidelines.

Standards of reporting

The journal advocates complete and transparent reporting of research. Authors must adhere to the minimum reporting guidelines hosted by the EQUATOR Network and upload the completed checklist as supplementary material. Relevant checklists include:

Study design	Reporting guideline
Randomised trials	CONSORT; study protocols: SPIRIT
Observational studies	STROBE
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses	PRISMA 2020; protocols: PRISMA-P; scoping reviews: PRISMA-ScR
Diagnostic and prognostic studies	STARD; TRIPOD
Case reports	CARE
Clinical practice guidelines	AGREE; RIGHT
Qualitative research	SRQR; COREQ
Animal pre-clinical studies	ARRIVE
Quality improvement studies	SQUIRE
Economic evaluations	CHEERS
Survey research	CROSS
Educational interventions	GREET

Statements and declarations

The following statements must be included in the submitted manuscript under the heading "Statements and Declarations", placed after the References section. Submissions that do not include the required statements will be returned as incomplete.

Funding

Describe any sources of funding that have supported the work, including the name of the funding agency and grant number. Example statements:

• "This work was supported by [funder] (Grant numbers [X] and [Y]). Author A.B. has received research support from Company A."
• "The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript."

Competing interests

Disclose financial or non-financial interests as described above. Example statements:

• "Financial interests: Author A and B declare they have no financial interests. Author C has received speaker and consultant honoraria from Company M. Author D has received travel support from Company O. Non-financial interests: Author D has served on advisory boards for Company M and Company N."
• "The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose."

Author contributions

Authors must include a statement specifying the contribution of every author to the research and preparation of the manuscript. Either free-text or CRediT taxonomy format is acceptable. Example statement:

"All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [full name], [full name] and [full name]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [full name] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."

For Reviews, the statement should indicate who had the idea for the article, who performed the literature search and data analysis, and who drafted and critically revised the work.

Data availability

All Original Research articles and Reviews must include a Data Availability Statement describing where data supporting the reported results can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analyzed or generated during the study. When data cannot be shared publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be compromised, the statement should still describe how data can be accessed and any conditions for access. Example statements:

• "The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [PERSISTENT LINK]."
• "The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to [REASON] but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."

Ethics approval

Authors of research involving human or animal subjects must include a statement confirming that the study was approved, or granted exemption, by the appropriate institutional or national research ethics committee, including the name of the committee and the reference number where available. If a study did not require ethics approval, this should also be stated with the reason. Example statements:

• "This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of University B (Date/No.)."
• "This is an observational study. The XYZ Research Ethics Committee has confirmed that no ethical approval is required."

Consent to participate

For all research involving human subjects, freely given informed consent to participate must be obtained from participants, or from a parent or legal guardian for children under 16, and a statement to this effect must appear in the manuscript. Example statements:

• "Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study."
• "Written informed consent was obtained from the parents."

Consent to publish

If the manuscript contains any individual person's data in any form, including individual details, images or videos, consent for publication must be obtained from that person or, for children, from a parent or legal guardian. This applies in particular to case reports and Reflections. Example statement:

"The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of the images in Figures 1a, 1b and 1c."

Clinical trial registration

For clinical trials, the trial registration number, registry name and date of registration must be stated.

Rights and permissions

Oncology Nexus is a fully open-access journal. All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0) and are freely available to read, download and share from the point of publication.

Copyright

Copyright remains with the authors. By publishing in Oncology Nexus, authors grant the journal a licence to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.

Reusing our content

Under the CC BY 4.0 licence, anyone may copy, distribute, translate, adapt and reuse articles published in Oncology Nexus, including for commercial purposes, without asking permission, provided that:

• the original authors and source are credited, with a citation and a link to the article (or its DOI);
• a link to the licence is given; and
• any changes made are indicated.

Some figures, tables or other material in an article may come from third parties and be published under a different licence. Where this applies it is stated in the caption or the credit line, and permission to reuse that material must be obtained from the rights holder.

We encourage patient organizations, educators and community groups to reuse our articles and Plain-Language Summaries in teaching and public education materials.

Using third-party material in your manuscript

Authors wishing to include figures, tables or text passages that have already been published elsewhere must obtain permission from the copyright owner for both print and online formats and include evidence of that permission at submission. Material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors. Material reproduced with permission must be identified in the caption by a citation to the original source.

Images that could identify an individual require that person's written consent to publish; see informed consent above.

Self-archiving

Authors may deposit any version of their manuscript, including the published version, in an institutional or subject repository at any time, with a link to the published article.

Fees

Oncology Nexus is diamond open access: there are no submission fees or article processing charges. See open access and fees.

Permission requests

For questions about reuse that are not covered by the licence, please contact the journal.