On November 5, 2025, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) welcomed a distinguished delegation from Cell Press and Elsevier for a highly engaging academic exchange meeting. The event brought together leading experts from both institutions to discuss trends in scholarly publishing and future collaboration.

The meeting was hosted by Prof. Jun Ma, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Executive Vice-President of SYSUCC, who delivered a warm welcome address. In his speech, Prof. Ma reiterated the premier status and influence of Cell Press in the global scientific community. He highlighted SYSUCC's commitment to integrating clinical care, research, and education, and acknowledged the long-standing collaboration between the center and Cell Press, including the successful co-organization of the "Cell Symposium: Hallmarks of Cancer" in the previous year.

The delegation from Cell Press was led by Mr. Richard (Rich) Remington, Senior Vice President of Cell Press, and included Dr. Steve Mao, Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Cell and Director of Editorial & Strategic Initiatives at Cell Press. They were accompanied by Dr. Sha Yu (Cell Reports Medicine), Dr. Yongmei Sun (Cell Metabolism), Ms. Yu Zhu, Ms. Bi Chen, and Ms. Haili He from Elsevier.

The SYSUCC delegation comprised the following experts:
Prof. Jun Ma (Academician of CAS, Executive Vice-President, Radiation Therapy Department)
Prof. Zhuowei Liu (Vice-President, Urology Department)
Prof. Xiaofeng Zhu (Director, Experimental Research Department)
Prof. Jihong Liu (Gynecology Department)
Prof. Qingqing Cai (Deputy Director, Medical Oncology Department)
Prof. Tiebang Kang (Deputy Director, Experimental Research Department)
Prof. Song Gao (Deputy Director, Experimental Research Department)
Prof. Wenfeng Fang (Medical Oncology Department)
Prof. Xiaojing Du (Radiation Therapy Department)
Prof. Cheng Xu (Associate Professor, Radiation Therapy Department)
Prof. Sailan Liu (Associate Professor, Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Department)
Prof. Jing Li (Associate Professor, Experimental Research Department)
Dr. Xingliang Tan (Physician, Urology Department)
Dr. Shuang Liao (Director, Office of International Collaboration)

Mr. Richard Remington expressed that the primary purpose of the visit was to listen to the views and experiences of SYSUCC experts regarding academic publishing, aiming to better serve the global scholarly community through enhanced support and services.

The roundtable discussion centered on several key topics, including how researchers select journals for submission and their perspectives on Open Access publishing. SYSUCC professors shared a range of factors that influence their choice of publication venue, such as relevance of the journal's scope to their research field, speed and transparency of the peer-review process, quality of pre-submission communication with editors, journal impact factor and academic reputation and recommendations from peers and colleagues based on prior experience.

The exchange was conducted in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. Mr. Remington and Dr. Steve Mao commended SYSUCC on its remarkable academic achievements and growing international influence. They also expressed sincere appreciation for the candid and valuable suggestions provided by the center's researchers.

The meeting concluded with both sides expressing strong interest in deepening their collaboration in the years ahead, reinforcing a shared commitment to advancing cancer research and supporting the global scientific community.

Written by: Liao Shuang, Zhai Huiwen, International Office