- Journal of Lung Cancer Epidemiology
- Open access · CC BY 4.0
- Published by Open Access Pub
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Lung Cancer Epidemiology publishes research on how often lung cancer occurs, what causes it, and how screening, prevention and care change its course in populations.
What the journal sets out to do
- To publish rigorous research on the occurrence, causes, detection, prevention and outcomes of lung cancer in populations.
- To strengthen the methods of epidemiology, screening evaluation, modeling and evidence synthesis on which lung cancer control depends.
- To report evidence that informs clinical practice, public health programs and policy in every region, including settings where resources for research are limited.
- To make this research openly available, so that researchers, clinicians, policymakers and educators can read and reuse it freely.
Research areas
The Journal of Lung Cancer Epidemiology (JLCE) considers research on the epidemiology of lung cancer, from exposure to outcome. Clinical, molecular and methodological work is welcome when it informs these questions. The areas below are illustrative and form part of a wider field.
- S01
Occurrence and trends
Incidence, mortality and survival across populations and over time; cancer registries, surveillance and burden-of-disease studies.
- S02
Causes and exposures
Tobacco and nicotine products, secondhand smoke, radon, air pollution, occupational carcinogens, genetic susceptibility and gene-environment interaction.
- S03
Screening and early detection
Low-dose CT screening, eligibility and uptake, benefits and harms, and risk-prediction models.
- S04
Prevention and control
Tobacco control policy, cessation, environmental and workplace regulation, and the evaluation of public health programs.
- S05
Outcomes and care
Stage at diagnosis, treatment patterns, survival and survivorship studied at the population level, and disparities in access to care.
Contributions from the clinical, laboratory, molecular, social, behavioral, environmental, data and computational sciences are welcome when they address a question about lung cancer in populations. A topic that is not named above is within scope when it meets that test.
Designs and approaches welcomed
JLCE considers quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research. Study designs are reported within the article types listed below; a cohort or registry analysis, for example, is submitted as Original Research.
- Observational studies
- Cohort, case-control, cross-sectional and ecological studies, including analyses of cancer registries and routinely collected health data.
- Screening evaluation
- Studies of screening programs, eligibility criteria, uptake, follow-up and the balance of benefits and harms.
- Intervention studies
- Randomized and non-randomized trials of prevention, cessation and early detection, and natural experiments in policy.
- Modeling and prediction
- Statistical, microsimulation and risk-prediction models of incidence, mortality, screening and the effects of interventions.
- Molecular and genetic epidemiology
- Studies of biomarkers, genetic susceptibility and tumor characteristics in defined populations.
- Health services research
- Studies of access, treatment patterns and outcomes of care, including disparities between population groups.
- Evidence synthesis
- Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and pooled analyses.
- Methodological research
- New, adapted or validated methods for measurement, analysis, surveillance and evaluation.
What makes a manuscript a fit
Manuscripts are assessed for their relevance to lung cancer in populations, the soundness of their methods and whether their conclusions are proportionate to the evidence. Clinical, laboratory and single-setting studies are considered when they inform the occurrence, causes, detection, prevention or outcomes of lung cancer.
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Clinical and laboratory studies
Studies of diagnosis, treatment or biology are accepted when they address a population-level question, for example the patterns and outcomes of treatment in a registry or national database.
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Commentaries and letters
Commentaries and Letters are accepted when they make a reasoned argument, supported by evidence and cited sources, on a question in the field or on work published in the journal.
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Single-setting studies
Local, national, regional and multi-country studies are all considered. Authors of single-setting studies explain how their findings relate to other populations.
Article types
The journal publishes the article types below. Guidance on the structure, abstract and reporting standard for each type is given in the Instructions for Authors.
- Original ResearchEmpirical studies of lung cancer in populations, using quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods.
- Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisSystematic syntheses of evidence on a defined question, with or without meta-analysis.
- ReviewStructured narrative or scoping reviews that synthesize and interpret a body of evidence.
- MethodsNew, adapted or validated methods for measurement, analysis, surveillance, screening evaluation or modeling.
- Short CommunicationConcise reports of a focused or preliminary finding.
- Data NoteDescriptions of datasets of value to lung cancer research, with their collection, quality and access.
- Policy AnalysisEvidence-based analyses of tobacco control, screening, environmental and health-system policy.
- CommentaryReasoned, evidence-based argument on a current question or on published research.
- LetterBrief responses to articles published in the journal, or short observations of relevance to the field.
Where a manuscript sits between types, authors choose the closest type and explain the choice in the cover letter, and the editors confirm the classification. A scoping review is classified as a Review and a study protocol as Methods.
Scope questions
Is my topic within scope?
A manuscript is within scope when it addresses a question about the epidemiology of lung cancer, whatever its discipline or setting. If you are unsure, send the title and abstract to the editorial office at [email protected] before submitting.
Does the journal consider studies of treatment?
Yes, when the question is studied at the population level, such as treatment patterns, access to care and survival in registries or national databases, or when clinical or molecular findings inform the occurrence, detection or prevention of lung cancer.
Can I submit work that has been posted as a preprint?
Yes. Posting a preprint is compatible with submission to JLCE. Cite the preprint in the cover letter.
Preparing a submission
Read the Instructions for Authors and the Editorial Policies before submitting.