Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) has recently launched several new features for readers under the direction of Stephen A. Cannistra, MD, who began his tenure as Editor-in-Chief in June 2011. These initiatives include the creation of two new article types: Rapid Communications (RC) and Understanding the Pathway (UTP).
RC papers are original reports with significant potential to become practice changing and are free access upon publication. UTP articles are written to accompany select original reports and explain the underlying pathway or biology presented in a study.
The podcast program is a recent initiative that has now become a mainstay for many online users, providing key results from a clinically useful perspective for those on the go. Also, the launch of the JCO app for commonly used mobile devices has further enhanced the ability of readers to access timely and practice-changing information from virtually anywhere.
New Initiatives Bring Latest Research into Daily Practice
As part of JCO’s ongoing commitment to help clinicians bring the latest research into daily practice, the Journal has now embarked on two additional initiatives. First, video instruction is being offered online with select original reports to illustrate important medical procedures (eg, laparoscopy). Articles with video content are identified in the print version with a video icon in the Table of Contents and include a QR code at the end of the article for quick access with a mobile device.
The other initiative is the creation of a third new article type, called Oncology Grand Rounds (OGR). These articles are written to accompany select original reports by leading experts, who discuss common patient scenarios and then suggest the best management approaches based on the literature and their own clinical experience.
“I have often felt that it is difficult for busy practitioners to fully know how to integrate the findings of original research into their own clinical practice, and my hope is that this new [OGR] section will help to accomplish this goal,” said Dr. Cannistra. “These articles are expected to be data-driven and recognize all relevant literature (JCO or otherwise), including ASCO Practice Guidelines and Provisional Clinical Opinions where appropriate.”
JCO envisions that these initiatives will help create a thematic consistency around high-profile original reports (Fig. 1), and will better enable its readership to take another step toward the ultimate goal of providing better patient care. ■
© 2012. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All Rights Reserved.
