Non-profit scientific publisher IOP Publishing has announced the launch of Convergent Science Physical Oncology journal. The journal claims to be the first and only interdisciplinary title dedicated to bringing together all researchers in the field of the physics of cancer.
From oncologists, cancer biologists, patient advocates, pharmacologists and physicists, to scientists working in biophysics, mathematics, chemistry and bioengineering, the journal will help researchers address the major questions and barriers in cancer research.
Currently, interdisciplinary papers arising from this research are published in a diverse range of subject specific journals, but authors face multiple challenges during the peer-review process because of a lack of common language between the disciplines. Once papers are eventually published they often do not reach their full audience.
To help address this problem, IOP has recruited four equal Founding Editors: an oncologist, a physicist, a pathologist and a patient advocate – to provide appropriate editorial coverage and ensure that the journal fulfils its goal of reducing the barriers between the researchers in different disciplines working on the same questions from different angles.
The Founding Editors are Professor Peter Kuhn, PhD (University of Southern California, USA), Dr Kelly Bethel, MD (Scripps Clinic, USA), Dr Jorge Nieva, MD (University of Southern California, USA) and Dr Carole Baas, PhD (National Cancer Institute, USA). The team of Founding Editors will be supported by a group of section editors, and an international editorial board.
To accelerate high-quality review for the authors, the board will also facilitate an informal open discussion between reviewers to address the challenge of translating research between the disciplines and enabling constructive peer review. This break from traditional peer review is expected to become a new standard for the journal.
The editorial board is inviting submissions from across the physical oncology community.
As part of the journal's launch phase, all content in the journal will be free to read for individual users, universities and academic research institutes throughout 2015. The journal will also offer open-access publishing options.
