In 2024, many CCO authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers.
Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding authors who have been making immense efforts in their research fields, with a brief interview of their unique perspective and insightful view as authors.
Outstanding Authors (2024)
Yasuhiro Nakamura, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Japan
Maria Jiang, Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Canada
Jason C. Ye, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer, USA
Outstanding Author
Yasuhiro Nakamura
Dr. Yasuhiro Nakamura, MD, PhD, is a board-certified dermatologist and dermato-oncologist and a Professor of the Department of Skin Oncology/Dermatology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Japan. His fields of interest include dermatologic oncology, dermatologic surgery, and drug therapy for skin cancer. He is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Japanese Skin Cancer Guidelines. He has conducted projects regarding surgery for skin cancer (Confirmatory Trial of Non-amputative Digit Preservation Surgery in Subungual Melanoma (JCOG1602, J-NAIL), and confirmatory trial of narrower side margin excision for basal cell carcinoma in the Japanese population (JCOG2005, J-BASE-MARGIN)).
Dr. Nakamura thinks that a good research paper is clear about what the problem is. In addition, the subject and methods should be appropriate, and the results should have new findings. In particular, if the problem is unclear and the subject and methods are incorrect, the interpretation of the results will be difficult, and valid conclusions will not be obtained.
During preparation of a paper, Dr. Nakamura believes a basic rule should be followed – to avoid redundant and repetitive sentences. To him, it is important to describe what the problem is, how the research was designed and planned to solve it, and what the conclusions were based on the results in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.
Seeing the prevalence of data sharing in scientific writing in recent years, Dr. Nakamura indicates that it is important but prudent for authors to share research data. In his opinion, data sharing has the potential to bring researchers with different backgrounds and research interests together to share ideas and generate new ideas and research. An online platform would also allow other researchers to review and upload the progress of their research. Data sharing could also help prevent research misconduct if detailed data are made available to the public. On the other hand, there are issues of reliability of shared data and authorship through data sharing.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Di Maria Jiang
Dr. Maria Jiang is a genitourinary medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Center (PM) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She specializes in the management of prostate, bladder, and testicular cancer and has helped author or co-author multiple national guidelines in Canada. She received her Medical Oncology Residency in Toronto, fellowship at PM, and Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research interest includes the use of targeted therapies and investigator-initiated trials in genitourinary malignancies. Dr. Jiang has received multiple research grant awards as well as the Medical Oncology Training Program outstanding teaching award, nominated by residents. Connect with her on Twitter/X @DiMariaJiang.
In Dr. Jiang’s opinion, academic manuscripts in medical oncology should aim to enhance our understanding of disease biology and optimize current management paradigms or their delivery through an evidence-based approach. To her, a high-quality publication first starts with a high-quality study design, which requires a comprehensive literature review, a clinically relevant scientific question, a main objective, and a well-designed study protocol to address current gaps in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and/or treatment.
In addition, Dr. Jiang points out that good scientific writing centers around the main objective and results of the study, using concise, clear, and impactful language. When interpreting study results, authors should minimize bias, encourage critical thinking and facilitate a balanced discussion. According to her, one of the common pitfalls in scientific writing is not having the manuscript centered around the main objective or results of the study. The content in the manuscript should serve to frame the main study question or support the study results.
“Beyond gaining valuable experience and skills in scientific writing itself, the process of preparing a manuscript is one of the best ways of facilitating self-directed learning on the topic at hand. It is a truly remarkable and valuable exercise to help build knowledge base, engage in critical thinking, and facilitate new research questions and ideas,” says Dr. Jiang.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Jason C. Ye
Dr. Jason Ye is an Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology at Keck School of Medicine of USC and serves as the Director of Clinical Operations of Radiation Oncology at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer. He completed a seven-year accelerated liberal arts/medical (BA/MD) education from Boston University, and completed his medical doctorate degree, graduating cum laude and was also inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He completed his residency in Radiation Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine – New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Ye has presented and published studies on topics regarding breast, lung, and central nervous system cancers. He continues to lead various research and education efforts on these and other topics at USC and collaborates with experts around the U.S. and the world. His research interests include decreasing radiation therapy toxicity and combining radiation therapy with novel systemic therapy agents for safer and more efficacious treatments. Connect with Dr. Ye on X and LinkedIn.
In Dr. Ye’s opinion, a well-described rationale for conducting the study to explain why the question being asked is essential for an academic paper. Also important are clear explanations of study methods, analyses that are easy to follow, and a summary of important take-home messages that add to the readers’ knowledge.
According to Dr. Ye, during preparation of a paper, authors should try to write from a reader’s perspective. Most of them likely do not have as much expertise or knowledge about the topic and have not thought about the subject as much as the author. The paper should be clearly organized and easy to follow and provides information that is relevant and easy to understand to the readers. After reading the paper, the readers should have a deeper understanding of their existing knowledge of the topic or learn something entirely new. In either case, the paper should have an impact on how they approach and conduct their day-to-day work.
In view of the prevalence of data sharing in recent years, Dr. Ye comments that while the type and amount of data that can be shared may be limited depending on the situation, it is important for such data to be available. To him, sharing of research data improves transparency of the study and allows the readers to critically analyze the data, which may lead to additional questions and collaborations.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)