Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Molecular & Cellular Oncology.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-02

Check readiness free Prepare this manuscript

Article types

Review

Clinical Trial

Methods Article

Brief Report

Editorial

Lectio

Review Article

Letter

Protocol

Case Report

Research Article

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 100 words.
Review: Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 150 words.

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Please provide an abstract no longer than 100 words.
Review: Reviews should be up to 5,000 words and include an abstract of up to 150 words, a maximum of 4 figures/tables, and up to 80 references.
Please limit the paper to 900 words with a 50 word (approx) abstract.
Points-of-View may be up to 2,500 words and should also include an abstract of up to 50 words.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Abstract: A single paragraph of fewer than 250 words.
The primary goal of the abstract should be to make the general significance and conceptual advance of the work clearly accessible to a broad readership.
References should not be cited in the abstract.
Please include the following: Abstract (one paragraph of fewer than 150 words).
Trial registration numbers should be included in the abstract, with full details in the methods section.
There are no strict formatting requirements, but all manuscripts must contain the essential elements needed to evaluate a manuscript: abstract, author affiliation, figures, tables, funder information, references.

Keywords

Include or confirm the keywords required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Reference style

Articlo formats your supplied references to the journal's stored style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
They may include up to 2 figures/tables and no more than 30 references.

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For manuscripts submitted in LaTeX format a.bib reference file must be included.
All bibliographic entries must contain a corresponding in-text citation.
Provide references and brief descriptions of methods that have been published.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: References: No more than 85.
Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
If you reply yes, you will be required to provide the DOI, pre-registered DOI, hyperlink, or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
They must also include the reference/permit numbers where available, and a statement to confirm informed consent was obtained.
The DAS should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s), or information on how the data can be requested from the authors.
A statement to confirm this must be included within the manuscript, which must provide details of the name of the ethics committee and reference/permit numbers where available.
All studies that include covert research must include the following: A statement within the manuscript providing a full rationale for the covert nature of the research and the name of the ethics committee(s) that approved the study (and include the reference/permit numbers where available).

Figure and table rules

Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
Submissions should include a figure legend of 300 words or less which includes all appropriate credits and permissions.

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Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for color, at the correct size).
Figures should be of sufficient resolution to enable refereeing.
Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: EPS, PDF, PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
Consent to Publish statements must confirm that the details and any images, videos, recordings, etc. can be published, and that the person(s) providing consent have been shown the article contents to be published.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Results: Present results in a logical sequence in tables and illustrations.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Figure legends.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Tables: Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals and include descriptive titles and legends.
Identifying information includes (but is not limited to) written descriptions, photographs, illustrations, recordings, videos, pedigrees and rare diseases, physical traits or disorders.

Funding statement

Add or confirm the author-written Funding statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

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Non-stigmatizing and non-discriminatory language should be used when describing different groups by race, ethnicity, age, disease, disability, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Human studies categorized by such groupings should include an explanation of the definitions and categories, including whether any rules of human categorization were required by the relevant funding agencies.

Competing interests

Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Data availability statement

Add or confirm the author-written Data availability statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Authors are required to provide a data availability statement, detailing where data associated with a paper can be found and how it can be accessed.

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If data cannot be made open, authors should state why in the data availability statement.
Authors are required to cite any data sets referenced in the article and provide a Data Availability Statement.

Ethics statement

Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Do not use patients' names or hospital numbers.

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Authors who do not have formal ethics review committees should include a statement that their study follows the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Consent All authors are required to follow the ICMJE requirements on privacy and informed consent from patients and study participants.
Authors may use this Patient Consent Form, which should be completed, saved, and sent to the journal if requested.
Where a study has been granted exemption, the name of the ethics committee which provided this should also be included.
Ethical approval for all studies must be obtained before the research is conducted.
In studies where verbal informed consent has been obtained rather than written informed consent, this must be explained and stated within the manuscript.
As the level of details given in the manuscript can potentially identify the patient, explicit Consent to Publish is required for the publication of the case.
Authors must obtain this from the patient (or their guardians if they are not adults or lack capacity to provide informed consent, or next of kin if deceased).
Research Article: Authors of any research articles reporting the use of donated organs must include a statement to confirm informed consent was obtained.
Authors must be able to verify that all recipients and/or donors of stem cells or tissues (or their next of kin if the donor is deceased) provided full informed consent.
Specifically, authors must include a statement within the manuscript to provide details of the name of the ethics committee(s) which approved the study.
Written informed consent must be obtained from the parent or guardian of any participants who are not able to provide full informed consent themselves.
A statement to confirm informed consent has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
In settings where verbal informed consent has been obtained rather than written informed consent, this must be explained and stated within the manuscript.
Where required by national law or the researcher’s institution, ethical approval must be obtained prior to conducting the study.
In settings where ethics approval for survey studies is not required, authors should include a statement to explain this within the manuscript.
When researchers are interacting with individuals or obtaining private information, they should obtain ethical approval prior to conducting the study.
Researchers should also ensure appropriate anonymization and obtain informed consent from anyone who could potentially be identified.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Indicate whether the procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee of Human Experimentation in your country, or are in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975.
Clinical Trial: Clinical Trials Registry In order to be published in a Taylor & Francis journal, all clinical trials must have been registered in a public repository at the beginning of the research process (prior to patient enrolment).
For non-interventional studies (e.g. surveys), where ethical approval is not required (e.g. because of national laws) or where a study has been granted an exemption by an ethics committee, this should be stated within the manuscript with a full explanation.
Prior to starting the study, ethical approval must have been obtained for all protocols from the local institutional review board (IRB) or other appropriate ethics committee to confirm the study meets national and international guidelines for research on humans.
Specifically, all studies involving transplantation of donated human organs should be conducted with ethical approval from an appropriate committee, and all sources of donor tissue must be provided in the submitted manuscript.
Authors must be particularly attentive to the risks associated with working with vulnerable populations and should be prepared to provide details of the process by which informed consent was obtained.
In accordance with the principles outlined in the Nuremberg Code and the Belmont Report, informed consent must have been given with free will, under no coercion or bribery of any kind.
Retrospective studies Researchers must confirm they have obtained ethical approval to conduct the study, as well as permission from the dataset owner to use the information in databases/repositories for the purposes of the research they are conducting.
Where participants’ details are not required to be anonymized, authors must be able to provide evidence that written informed consent, including consent to publish, was obtained from participants.
Research on indigenous communities Authors should be aware of any specific research ethics approval and informed consent procedures which need to be followed in order to conduct research in communities where special processes for permissions may exist.
Taylor & Francis endorses the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which emphasizes that patients and study participants have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent.
In accordance with the principles outlined in the Nuremberg Code, the Belmont Report and the American Anthropological Association, informed consent must be voluntarily obtained from the participant who should be fully informed of the study including any of the benefits and risks involved.
If only verbal informed consent was obtained, a full explanation for why this was not obtained in written form should be included, along with the name of the IRB/local ethics committee which gave approval for verbal consent.
For patients or study participants who are not adults, or are considered to be vulnerable or unable to provide informed consent, this must then be obtained from their legal guardians, or next of kin if the participant is deceased.
For any submissions including information which can potentially identify an individual (including by their online alias, social media handles etc.), authors must confirm that they have obtained written informed consent to publish the details from the affected individual (or their parents/guardians if the participant in not an adult or unable to give informed consent; or next of kin if the participant is deceased).
Research involving animals Studies involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates (e.g. cephalopods), field studies and other non-experimental research on animals must have been carried out after obtaining approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee or the institutional animal use and care committee.
For experimental studies involving client-owned animals, authors must also document informed consent from the client or owner and adherence to best practices of veterinary care.
Authors must include a statement within the manuscript to provide details of the name of the ethics committee(s) which approved the study and include the permit or animal license numbers where available.
Where a study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethical approval, this should be stated along with the name of the ethics committee which provided the exemption, and the reasons for exemption.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Patients and Methods/Materials and Methods: Describe the selection of patients or experimental animals, including controls.
All studies that include covert research must include the following: Ideally, researchers should seek informed consent from the study participants after completion of the study.
Consent to publish is a journal requirement, and cannot be exempted by an ethics committee.
Clinical Trial: Please confirm that any patient, service user, or participant (or that person’s parent or legal guardian) in any research, experiment, or clinical trial described in your paper has given written consent to the inclusion of material pertaining to themselves, that they acknowledge that they cannot be identified via the paper; and that you have fully anonymized them.

Blinded manuscript

Include or confirm the blinded manuscript required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Cover letter

Using Third-Party Material in your Paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
Field studies should comply with local legislation, and the manuscript should include a statement of appropriate permissions granted and/or licenses.

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The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.
Where permission to use information from a database/repository is not required (e.g. where it is publicly available and unrestricted re-use is permitted via an open license), a statement to explain this must be included within the manuscript.
Please note that not all data can be collected as fair use or a copyright exception.Authors must check the social media platform’s user policy or terms of service in the region where the research was conducted to determine whether permission is required from the platform.
All studies that include covert research must include the following: If the study takes place on a social-media platform (such as Tinder), researchers should consult the platform’s code of conduct and/or terms of use to determine whether they need the platform’s permission to include user data in their research.
In many indigenous communities, additional permissions may need to be sought from community leaders or an Elder.

Author contributions

Submitting authors should be prepared to submit CRediT roles for themselves and their co-authors (where applicable) as part of the submission process.

Supplementary files

Lectio: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Letter: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.

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Review: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Protocol: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Editorial: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Case Report: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Brief Report: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Review Article: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Methods Article: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Research Article: Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
Embed or attach the author-supplied supplementary material so Articlo can extract and label it for the package.
Clinical Trial: Authors must be prepared to provide further supporting information related to their clinical trial (e.g. original data) to the journal editorial office upon request.
Authors must be prepared to provide further supporting information related to their study (e.g. ethical approval and informed consent forms) to the journal editorial office upon request.

Title page and author information

All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript.
One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

All files should be submitted as high resolution PDF or TIFF files (at least 300 dpi) and should be large format (at least 7 inches by 7 inches).
These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.

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Please note that discounts must be applied at the Charges stage of the submission process when the APC quote is confirmed and may not be considered after submission.
Please contact sophie.fagg@tandf.co.uk to find out how to obtain this discount before you submit your article.
Note that, regardless of the file format of the original submission, an editable version of the article must be supplied at the revision stage.
Units of measurement should be expressed in accordance with Systeme International d'Unites (SI Units).
These papers should follow the same structure as Research Papers or Short Articles.
Review: Reviews should capture the broad developments and implications of recent work.
The opening paragraph should make clear the general thrust of the review and provide a clear sense of why the review is now particularly appropriate.
The concluding paragraph should provide the reader with an idea of how the field may develop or future problems to be overcome, but should not summarize the article.
Point-of-View articles should follow the same general guidelines as Reviews; however, there is considerable flexibility in their structure and content.
Review Article: Like Review articles, they should be accessible to a wide readership.
For all NIH/Wellcome-funded papers, the grant number(s) must be included in the declaration of interest statement.
The registry should be publicly accessible (at no charge), open to all prospective registrants, and managed by a not-for-profit organization.
Please include all relevant safety precautions; and cite any accepted standard or code of practice.
Queries Should you have any queries, please visit our Author Services website or contact us here.
All human and animal subjects, living and deceased, should be treated with dignity and respect in academic research.
Ethical research practices require that researchers are vigilant in ensuring that their work minimizes risk and avoids harm.
All research studies on humans (individuals, samples, or data) must have been performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki.
However, if the researcher is in doubt, they should always seek advice from the relevant department before conducting the study.
Authors must be prepared to provide further information to the journal editorial office upon request.
A statement to confirm this must be included within the manuscript.
Authors must be prepared to provide dated copies signed by the participants and author(s) to the journal editorial team if requested.
The public registry must be open to all prospective registrants and managed by a registry conforming to WHO standards.
The trial registration number must be included in the manuscript.
Protocol: Any deviation from the original trial protocol must be explained, especially changes concerning primary outcomes.
Clinical Trial: Clinical trials should be registered prospectively – i.e. before participant recruitment.
Authors of retrospectively registered trials must be prepared to provide further information to the journal editorial office if requested.
This must be done even if the authors have removed direct identifiers.
Authors may use this Consent to Publish form, which should be completed, signed, and saved securely.
Authors should be prepared to share this with the journal editorial office if requested.
A statement to confirm consent to publish has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
Consent must have been given with free will, under no coercion or bribery of any kind.
Data acquired must be kept anonymized unless otherwise advised by the owners of the content in the database.
Their voluntary consent to participate should be recorded and any legal requirements on data protection should be adhered to.
Researchers must also consider the emerging legal frameworks surrounding rights to privacy, which vary considerably across the globe.
Authors conducting covert research should consult relevant guidelines, such as those outlined in the British Sociological Association’s Statement of Ethical Practice.
Authors should also be aware of cultural sensitivities or any restrictions associated with the publication of content, including images included in their manuscripts.
Scholars in the field of communication should be aware of any restrictions for using copyrighted content for their work.
For all studies involving human participants, informed written consent to take part in the research must have been obtained prior to the commencement of the study.
A statement to confirm this must be included in the manuscript.
A statement of how this was documented must also be included in the manuscript.
A statement to confirm that Consent to Publish has been obtained must be included within the manuscript.
Authors must also state who granted consent to publish.
Authors must be prepared to provide copies of signed consent forms to the journal editorial office if requested.
Research procedures must be carried out in accordance with applicable national or international guidelines.
In field studies authors must have also obtained any necessary permits for access to lands.
In submissions describing the sacrifice of experimental animals, details must be provided on humane endpoints.
In particular, details about the planned behavioral observations or physiological measurements used to determine the humane endpoint must be described.
These procedures must be carried out in accordance with applicable veterinary guidelines, such as the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Voucher specimens must be deposited in a public herbarium or other public collection providing access to deposited material.
Information on the voucher specimen and who identified it must be included in the manuscript.
Authors must include a statement within the manuscript to confirm that all necessary permits were obtained, and must include the name of the authority which provided it.
Detailed information must also be provided about the specimens (including numbers and repository information), museum name (if applicable) and geographic location.
As required by local authorities, any discoveries from their sites must be reported to the relevant authorities prior to submission of the manuscript.
Review: Reviews should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field being covered, but should also be written with a view to informing readers who are not specialized in that particular field, and should therefore be presented using simple prose.
Please use SI units (non-italicized).
Please note that data should only be shared if it is ethically correct to do so, where this does not violate the protection of human subjects, or other valid ethical, privacy, or security concerns.
Clinical Trial: Prospective studies on humans Especially where the research involves an intervention (e.g. a clinical trial), participants must provide informed written consent to be part of the study.
Protocol: Clinical trials In addition to the required informed written consent (as stated above), clinical trial protocols must also be registered in a publicly accessible registry prior to participant recruitment.
Clinical Trial: We follow the WHO and ICMJE description of the clinical trial, which is described as: Purely observational studies (those in which the assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator) will not require registration.
Human embryos and human stem cells Authors of research reporting the use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells (including clinical applications of stem cells) and related materials, must include a statement within the manuscript to confirm that all experiments were performed in accordance with all safety considerations, ethical guidelines and applicable regulations.
Researchers must ensure they have informed all participants why the research is being conducted, whether or not anonymity is assured, and how the data they are collecting is being stored.
The participant’s right to confidentiality should always be considered and they should be fully informed about the aims of the research and if there are any risks associated.
Social media research Scholars using data gathered from social media platforms (e.g., X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, etc.) should be aware of national laws and ethical guidance on the gathering of and publication of such information.
Where participant data have been anonymized, this should be clearly stated within the manuscript with a note to confirm that such alterations have not distorted the scholarly meaning.
The process of obtaining consent to publish should include sharing the article with the individual (or whoever is consenting on their behalf), so that they are fully aware of the content of the article before it is published.
Specifically, submissions of research involving laboratory-based animals (vertebrates or regulated invertebrates) must include details on housing, husbandry and steps taken to reduce suffering.
Research involving plants Research on plants (cultivated or wild), including the collection of plant material must be carried out in accordance with guidelines provided by the authors’ institution(s) and national or international regulations.
Research involving protected heritage sites Researchers working on protected heritage sites must comply with all necessary ethical guidelines (including process of data collection, deposition and handling specimens) and obtain all necessary permits from relevant authorities for access to sites and/or specimens prior to conducting the work.
If according to national or international regulations any permits are required for the research and/or the publication of the work, this must be obtained from the relevant authority.
Authors reporting archaeological work involving human remains must comply with all necessary ethical guidelines (including observing best practice in data collection, recording and deposition) and obtain all necessary permits from relevant authorities for access to sites and handling of the human remains prior to conducting the work.
Taylor and Francis journals will only consider research which has been carried out in compliance with institutional biosafety and biosecurity policies, which in turn should be informed by national or international recommendations.
Researchers should be aware of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) related to their work, which according to the NIH Office of Science Policy “can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products or technologies that could be directly misapplied to pose a significant threat with broad potential consequences to public health and safety, agricultural crops and other plants, animals, the environment, material, or national security”.
Researchers of relevant work are advised to be aware of the WHO recommendations of responsible life sciences research, and should take steps to mitigate any risks contributed by their research.
Where concerns are raised about potential risk, we may seek expert advice to assess this, so authors should be prepared to provide any further information requested by the journal editorial office.
All studies that include covert research must include the following: The use of aliases or online personas should be declared.
Given the vast number of academic journals in existence, you need to have a few ways to narrow down the field to a shortlist of potential candidates.
Please note, some journals may not accept retrospectively registered trials, and so authors are advised to consult with the Editor of the journal prior to submission.
Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.
Clinical Trial: However, for clinical trials that have not been registered prospectively, Taylor & Francis journals may consider clinical trials which have been registered at least prior to data analysis.
Covert observational research Covert observational research requires particular ethical and legal considerations but may be acceptable in rare cases with a strong justification.

Preprints and prior publication

If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.

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Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.

Language and text style

Discount codes must be presented at quotation and cannot be applied retrospectively.

Authorship and originality

Preparing Your Paper All authors submitting to medicine, biomedicine, health sciences, and allied and public health journals should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Article type and manuscript length

Structure Your paper should be compiled in the following order: title page; abstract; keywords; main text introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion; acknowledgments; declaration of interest statement; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figures; figure captions (as a list).

Manuscript structure

Clinical Trial: All papers which report in vivo experiments or clinical trials on humans or animals must include a written statement in the Methods section.
Note that for interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research, researchers should decide which guidelines are relevant based on the type of research they are conducting.

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Any euthanasia or anesthesia methods must be described in detail, including information about the agents used.
Authors must ensure they have provided detailed information about the methods used for the research work and the analysis (including phylogenies).
Methods Article: Methods Articles must present original research that focuses mainly on a new experimental technique, procedure, or reagent that provides a significant advance in the field.
Brief Report: Brief Reports should constitute unusually interesting data combined with a discussion of what the data might mean, or an explanation of why the data contradicts current paradigms.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Introduction.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: Discussion: Do not repeat in detail data given in the Results section.
Research Papers or Reports should include the following sections in the following order: For reagents listed in the Materials and Methods section, the company that supplied the reagent and the catalog number should be listed in parentheses; do not list the company location.

Study reporting guidelines

Clinical Trial: This should explain that all work was conducted with the formal approval of the local human subject or animal care committees (institutional and national), and that clinical trials have been registered as legislation requires.

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What your package checks

Abstract: 100 words

Paper: 900 words

Declarations: Data availability, Funding, Ethics, Artificial intelligence

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source