Scientific assessment

HNCBT assesses submissions for relevance to cancer biology and therapeutics, scientific contribution, methodological quality, reproducibility and ethical acceptability. Decisions must be supported by the submitted evidence and appropriate expert assessment. A positive result, fashionable topic or potential citation count does not substitute for a reliable study.

Editors may decline work outside scope, request clarification or refer a manuscript for external review. Research and review articles that proceed beyond initial assessment undergo the process described under Peer Review. Editorial notices, journal announcements and similar non-research material may be assessed by the editorial leadership without external review; their nature must be clear.

Independence and competing interests

Publication charges, waiver requests, advertising, sponsorship and personal relationships must not determine acceptance. Editors must recuse themselves when a relationship or involvement could compromise impartiality. Manuscripts authored by editors or board members require independent handling and the usual review standards. Guest editors are subject to the same rules.

Confidentiality and fair treatment

Unpublished manuscripts and related correspondence are confidential. Editors and reviewers must not use the information for personal advantage or share it outside an authorized assessment. Authors should be evaluated on the work submitted, without discrimination based on nationality, institutional prestige or personal characteristics. Professional disagreement should address evidence and reasoning.

Evidence, citations and integrity

The journal may request protocols, raw data, original images, author explanations or ethics documentation when needed to assess reliability. Similarity concerns are evaluated in context; a numerical score alone does not establish misconduct. Citation suggestions must improve the scientific account and must not serve a journal, editor or reviewer’s metrics.

Concerns before or after publication are handled under Publication Ethics. Necessary updates to the record follow Corrections & Retractions. Authors may raise a substantiated procedural concern through Complaints & Appeals.