Cancer Cell Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

Cancer Cell publishes several article formats. The word limits are more generous than most competing journals, which reflects Cell Press's preference for thorough, self-contained papers.

The ~7,000-word limit for Articles excludes the Summary, STAR Methods, references, and figure legends. This is substantially more space than Nature Medicine (3,000 words) or JAMA (3,000 words), giving you room to present complex multi-part studies without cutting essential details.

Cancer Cell uses the term "Summary" rather than "Abstract." It's limited to 150 words and is unstructured (no headings).

The Summary should cover:

• The question or gap being addressed (1-2 sentences)
• What experiments were performed (1 sentence)
• Key findings with specific data (2-3 sentences)
• The significance of the findings (1 sentence)

Cell Press editors are particularly strict about Summaries that are too vague. Avoid phrases like "we investigated" or "we explored." Instead, state what you found. "We show that CDK4/6 inhibition remodels the tumor immune microenvironment through STING-dependent type I interferon signaling" is stronger than "We investigated the effects of CDK4/6 inhibition on the tumor immune microenvironment."

The Summary must not contain references, abbreviations that aren't universally recognized, or statistical values. Keep it accessible to the broad Cancer Cell readership.

This is one of Cancer Cell's most distinctive requirements. Every Article must include a graphical abstract, and it's displayed prominently alongside the paper.

Graphical abstract specifications:

• Dimensions: 1,500 x 1,500 pixels minimum (square format)
• File format: TIFF, EPS, or high-resolution PDF
• Resolution: 300 DPI minimum
• Must be a single panel (no multi-panel compositions)
• Should be understandable without reading the paper
• Minimal text; let the visuals carry the message
• No title or author names in the graphical abstract

Cell Press provides a graphical abstract guide and PowerPoint template on their website. Use it. Editors reject graphical abstracts that don't follow the square format or include too much text.

The best graphical abstracts tell a visual story: starting condition on the left, intervention or mechanism in the middle, outcome on the right. Don't try to summarize every experiment. Pick the single most important finding and illustrate it clearly.

Cancer Cell requires a cover page (title page) that includes:

• Full manuscript title
• All author names (no degrees listed, unlike medical journals)
• Affiliations with superscript numbering
• Corresponding author(s) with email address(es)
• Lead contact designation (one corresponding author marked as lead contact)
• Up to 10 keywords
• An eTOC blurb (a 40-word summary written in third person for the electronic table of contents)

The eTOC blurb is unique to Cell Press journals. It's written in third person ("Smith et al. demonstrate that...") and is limited to 40 words. This brief summary appears in email alerts and table-of-contents listings, so make it count. Editors will revise it if it's unclear or too long.

Cancer Cell allows up to 7 main figures. Most published Articles use all 7.

Figure formatting requirements:

• Minimum resolution: 300 DPI for photographs, 600 DPI for line art and graphs
• Accepted formats: TIFF, EPS, PDF, or JPEG (TIFF preferred)
• Maximum width: 85 mm (single column), 114 mm (1.5 column), or 174 mm (full width)
• Font in figures: Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman, 6-8 point minimum
• Panel labels: uppercase letters (A, B, C), bold, placed in the upper-left corner
• Color figures are free for online and print
• Scale bars required on all microscopy images

Table formatting:

• Tables should be created in Word using the table function
• Every column must have a header
• Statistical information (P values, confidence intervals) should be in table footnotes
• Avoid shading or complex formatting

Supplemental Information:

Beyond the 7 main figures, Cancer Cell accepts Supplemental Figures (numbered S1, S2, etc.), Supplemental Tables, and other supplemental material. There's no strict limit, but keep it reasonable. Supplemental items must be cited in the main text.

Cancer Cell uses Cell Press's numbered reference style. It's similar to but not identical to Nature style.

Key formatting rules:

• References are numbered in order of first appearance
• Citations in text use superscript numbers
• All authors are listed (no truncation with "et al" in the reference list)
• Journal names are abbreviated using standard abbreviations
• Volume numbers are in bold, followed by comma and page range

Example journal article:

1. Zhang, Y., Liu, T., Chen, W., and Patel, S.R. (2026). Immune checkpoint blockade resistance mediated by tumor-intrinsic ARID1A loss. Cancer Cell 44, 312-328.e7.

Example book chapter:

1. Hanahan, D. (2025). Hallmarks of Cancer: Beyond the Original Framework. In The Molecular Basis of Cancer, Fourth Edition, R.A. Weinberg, ed. (Academic Press), pp. 45-72.

Note the Cell Press style details: the year follows the author list in parentheses, "and" precedes the last author (not "&"), and ".e7" indicates supplemental electronic pages. These details matter at the production stage.

STAR Methods (Structured, Transparent, Accessible Reporting) is Cell Press's proprietary methods format. It replaces the traditional Methods section and is structured into specific subsections that appear after the main text and figure legends.

Required STAR Methods sections:

1. Resource Availability

• Lead contact information
• Materials availability statement
• Data and code availability (with accession numbers and DOIs)

2. Experimental Model and Study Participant Details

• Cell lines (source, authentication, mycoplasma testing status)
• Animal models (strain, age, sex, housing conditions)
• Human subjects (IRB approval, consent, demographics)

3. Method Details

• Detailed experimental protocols
• Organized by technique or experiment type
• Sufficient detail for reproduction

4. Quantification and Statistical Analysis

• Statistical tests used with justification
• Software and versions
• Definition of significance thresholds
• Sample sizes and replicates
• Multiple comparison corrections

5. Key Resources Table

This is the most distinctive element of STAR Methods. It's a structured table listing every reagent, antibody, cell line, software tool, dataset, and organism used in the study. Each entry includes the source, catalog number (or identifier), and validation information.

The Key Resources Table is non-negotiable. Incomplete tables are a top reason for administrative returns at Cancer Cell. Take the time to look up RRIDs (Research Resource Identifiers) for all antibodies, cell lines, and software tools.

1. Highlights are required. Cancer Cell Articles must include 3-4 bullet points (85 characters each, including spaces) called "Highlights." These appear in the published paper and in search results. Each highlight should state one specific finding.

2. In Brief section. You must provide a 2-sentence "In Brief" description for use in the journal's table of contents. This is separate from the eTOC blurb and the Summary.

3. Significance statement. Articles require a "Significance" paragraph of up to 200 words explaining the broader impact of the work. This is aimed at a general scientific audience, not specialists.

4. Context and Significance box. Published Articles include a "Context and Significance" summary visible to readers. This is drafted by editors but based on your Significance statement, so write it carefully.

5. Preview and Minireview formats. Cancer Cell publishes Previews (short commentaries on recent papers, ~1,500 words) and Minireviews (~5,000 words). Both are typically invited, but you can submit a pre-submission inquiry.

6. Dual corresponding authors. Cancer Cell allows two corresponding authors but requires one to be designated as the Lead Contact. The Lead Contact handles all editorial communications and is responsible for data sharing.

A Cancer Cell Article follows this structure:

1. Title page (title, authors, affiliations, keywords, eTOC blurb)
2. Summary (150 words)
3. Highlights (3-4 bullets, 85 characters each)
4. In Brief (2 sentences)
5. Graphical Abstract
6. Introduction
7. Results (with descriptive subheadings)
8. Discussion
9. Significance (up to 200 words)
10. Acknowledgements
11. Author Contributions
12. Declaration of Interests
13. Figure Legends
14. STAR Methods
15. References
16. Figures and Tables
17. Supplemental Information

The Introduction should be concise (3-4 paragraphs) and end with a clear statement of what the study addresses. The Results section uses descriptive subheadings that state findings ("CDK4/6 inhibition activates STING signaling in tumor cells") rather than generic labels ("Effect of CDK4/6 inhibition").

These errors cause the most administrative delays at Cancer Cell:

• Missing the graphical abstract entirely or submitting one that isn't square format
• Incomplete Key Resources Table (missing RRIDs, catalog numbers, or entries)
• Writing the Summary in first person ("We show that...") when it should use "Here, we"
• Exceeding the 85-character limit for Highlights
• Forgetting the eTOC blurb or In Brief section
• Using lowercase panel labels (should be uppercase A, B, C at Cancer Cell)
• Submitting without the Cell Press template structure
• Missing the Significance paragraph

If you're also considering submitting to a journal with a different formatting system, see our JAMA formatting requirements guide for comparison. For submission strategy, check our guide on Cancer Cell submission process.

For the official and complete formatting specifications, visit the Cancer Cell author guidelines page.