JRSNZ call for papers: Special Issue on cancer prevention: turning evidence into policy

The Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for a Special Issue planned for release in mid-2025, entitled "Cancer Prevention: Turning Evidence into Policy".

Cancer is among the most common causes of death and morbidity in Aotearoa, as well as a source of substantial disparities in health outcomes within our population. While much of public attention and political discourse in Aotearoa is dedicated toward the treatment of cancer, the primordial prevention of the exposures that cause cancer are less prominent yet arguably more important. Many of these exposures are modifiable, and with the number of New Zealanders forecasted to develop cancer set to double in the next 20 years, cancer prevention remains the only pathway by which we may be able to avoid a public health catastrophe.

To a large degree, the evidence required to act on the most important modifiable exposures that lead to cancer in Aotearoa already exists. However, the path from evidence generation and acceptance to implementation of that evidence through public policy is not linear. Intervening to reduce the burden of cancer and improve public health often meets political, philosophical and commercial barriers. In short, even if the evidence for a given intervention is clear, the means by which it is introduced to our population often is not.

In this Special Issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, we want to tackle the issue of evidence implementation. The title of our special issue, Cancer Prevention: Turning Evidence into Policy, reflects the need for open discourse on the body of evidence available on the prevention of a given exposure, lessons-learned regarding what has and has not worked to prevent that exposure in the past, current challenges, and future opportunities. 

We welcome submissions of original research papers and review articles that cover a range of subtopics and content areas. Your article should present a summary of existing evidence and then discuss various aspects of evidence implementation into policy and action, including:

• Evidence for the link between the exposure and the carcinogen;
• Incidence and impact of disease(s) caused by the exposure;
• Equity impact of the exposure;
• How risk factors and disease epidemiology have changed over time;
• History of intervention and strategies, including:
  

  -          Successes and failures;
  -          Stakeholders and controversies (where relevant);

• Challenges, opportunities, and areas for future research. 

The guest editorial team includes Associate Professor Jason Gurney (Ngāpuhi) (U Otago) and Professor Christopher Jackson (U Otago).

If you’re affiliated with any of the 42 universities in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, you may publish your articles Open Access at no cost to yourself in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Find out if you’re eligible. 

Submission information

Please send a preliminary title, indicative author list, affiliations and a short descriptive paragraph outlining the scope of your proposed manuscript as soon as convenient to the Publishing Office (via publish@royalsociety.org.nz) by 8 April 2024.

Authors will be notified of the result and formally invited for full submission by 26 April 2024. The anticipated manuscript submission deadline is 31 August 2024.

Following acceptance, individual articles will be published online first with a DOI before they appear in the special issue.

Acceptance for publication will depend on the outcome of the normal peer review process and authors meeting critical time schedules. See Instructions for Authors on the journal homepage before making a formal submission to the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand if your EOI is selected.