Introduction
The Brazilian Journal of Oncology (BJO) is an open-access publication sponsored by the Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Clínica (SBOC), Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Oncológica (SBCO), and Sociedade Brasileira de Oncologia Pediátrica (SOBOPE). The journal publishes high-impact, original, and pertinent articles across all oncology domains, including clinical practice, surgery, radiation oncology, and pediatric oncology. Our readership includes medical and surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, hematologists, gynecologic and urologic oncologists, researchers, oncology nurses, and pharmaceutical professionals.
Peer Review Ethics and Confidentiality
Conflict of Interest
Reviewers must disclose any affiliations or engagements that could introduce bias. If a conflict of interest exists, reviewers must notify the editors and recuse themselves from the process. The review process prioritizes transparency and the rigorous management of competing interests.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
- For Reviewers: Manuscripts are strictly confidential. Reviewers are prohibited from uploading any part of a submitted manuscript into generative AI tools. Doing so violates author confidentiality and proprietary rights and may breach data privacy laws regarding personally identifiable information.
- For Authors: The use of AI tools in manuscript preparation must be transparently disclosed in the Acknowledgments or Methods section.
Animal and Human Rights
- Animal Studies: For research involving animals, authors must provide the specific Ethics Committee name and approval number within the methodology.
- Human Subjects: All research involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must explicitly state that informed consent was obtained and provide Ethics Committee approval details.
The Review Process
Responding to Invitations
Upon invitation, you will receive the manuscript’s abstract to assist in your decision. Please respond promptly to indicate your acceptance or decline; we kindly request that reviews be completed within two weeks. If you require an extension, please notify the editorial office immediately.
Publication Criteria
Manuscripts must demonstrate:
- Originality and cross-disciplinary interest.
- Relevance to researchers and practitioners.
- Methodological Rigor with evidence-based conclusions.
- Data Availability: Authors are encouraged to provide a Data Availability Statement, in line with Thieme/BJO policies.
Conducting the Review
Your evaluation should be constructive, objective, and professional. Please assess:
- Clarity and Context: Is the research question well-defined and appropriately contextualized?
- Technical Quality: Is the methodology transparent and the data robust?
- References: Provide specific suggestions to improve the scholarly work.
- Confidential Comments: Specific concerns regarding scientific integrity or ethics should be directed only to the editors, while suggestions for improvement should be shared with the authors.
Editorial Decisions
The final decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors. Decisions are based on a rational choice of the highest-quality contributions rather than a “majority rule” of reviewer votes.
Possible Outcomes:
- Acceptance
- Minor Revisions
- Major Revisions: Authors are invited to enhance the manuscript for further consideration.
- Reject and Resubmit: Authors may resubmit after substantial revision or additional data collection.
- Outright Rejection: Due to a lack of originality, clinical significance, or sound methodology.
Reviewers may be invited to perform a second or third review after authors have submitted their corrections.
Reviewer Selection and Feedback
Reviewers are selected based on expertise, publication record, and past performance. In our double-anonymized peer review system, your comments are shared with the authors. If fundamental disagreements occur, the Associate Editor may share all reviews with the participating reviewers to reach a final decision. You will always be notified of the final outcome.