Aims and Scope

Scope — Disciplines & Domains

APCR covers the full continuum of anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and translational diagnostics. Representative (not exhaustive) domains include:

• Histopathology, cytopathology, organ-system subspecialties (breast, GI/hepato-pancreato-biliary, thoracic, GU, gynecologic, neuropathology, bone & soft tissue).
• Hematopathology, flow cytometry, leukemia/lymphoma diagnostics, MRD monitoring.
• Dermatopathology and inflammatory dermatoses with clinico-pathologic correlation.
• Molecular pathology & genomics: NGS, digital PCR, copy-number and fusion detection, variant interpretation frameworks.
• Clinical chemistry, proteomics, biomarkers, reference intervals, QC/QA.
• Microbiology/Virology/Mycology/Parasitology, MALDI-TOF, resistance mechanisms, outbreak investigations.
• Immunology & serology, autoimmunity assays, transplant immunopathology.
• Transfusion medicine, blood banking, hemovigilance, compatibility testing.
• Cytogenetics and FISH for constitutional and somatic alterations.
• Informatics & digital pathology, WSI validation, LIS/LIMS, regulatory readiness; AI/ML decision support with robust validation. 
• Point-of-care testing, analytical verification, quality indicators.
• Quality improvement, accreditation, risk management, and patient-safety initiatives.

These domains reflect the journal’s positioning as an open access pathology title with clinical relevance, supported by its ISSN registry listing and current website content. 

Article Types We Consider

APCR welcomes a diverse set of formats to serve both academic and clinical communities:

• Original Research — hypothesis-driven or discovery science with clear methods, appropriate controls, and reproducible analytics.
• Clinical Studies & Trials — diagnostic accuracy, prognostic markers, or lab-enabled therapeutic monitoring.
• Method Validation/Technical Notes — assay development, analytical verification (precision, accuracy, linearity, LoD/LoQ), and interoperability.
• Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses — following PRISMA with transparent search strategies and bias assessment. 
• Case Reports/Series — rare entities, perplexing differentials, or educational image essays with explicit learning points.
• Brief Reports — concise, high-impact findings or workflow innovations.
• Guidelines/Perspectives/Commentaries — policy, education, workforce development, or technology adoption in pathology practice.
• Special Issues — topical collections curated by Guest Editors that align with the journal’s aims and scope. 

For Special Issues, proposals should define objectives, editorial leadership, timelines, and author pipeline, and demonstrate alignment with APCR’s scope.

Methodological & Reporting Expectations

To support rigorous, clinically meaningful results, APCR emphasizes the following expectations across submissions:

• Transparency — detailed methods enabling replication; availability of raw/processed data where ethically/legally possible.
• Validation — clear analytical performance characteristics for assays/algorithms (e.g., sensitivity, specificity, AUC, precision).
• Clinical linkage — rationale for patient impact (diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, stewardship).
• Ethics & confidentiality — approvals and informed consent for identifiable materials; alignment with standard peer-review ethics. Double-blind peer review is the default at APCR. 
• Reporting standards — where relevant, authors should follow field-standard checklists (e.g., STARD for diagnostics, REMARK for tumor markers, PRISMA for reviews). 

Out-of-Scope Submissions

The following are typically unsuitable for APCR:

• Manuscripts lacking hypothesis, clinical relevance, or sufficient methodological detail to enable evaluation or replication.
• Unvalidated AI/ML models without external validation or transparent metrics.
• Case reports without clear diagnostic or educational value (no differential reasoning, no images/figures).
• Papers outside pathology/lab medicine (e.g., pure surgical techniques without diagnostic focus) unless directly tied to diagnostic practice.

Open Access, Archiving & Charges — How Scope Aligns

APCR is an open-access journal: content is freely available to read and reuse under a Creative Commons license, maximizing reach and impact. 

The journal states that no submission charges apply; APCs are charged only upon acceptance to cover editorial and production services. 

For author budgeting context, APCs among pathology journals vary widely across publishers; sector surveys and competitor pages show fees often in the low- to mid-thousands of USD, depending on the model and article type. Authors should consult APCR’s charges page for up-to-date details and any waivers.