In an ever-accelerating pace of scientific achievements, quick dissemination of new insights becomes increasingly important. For selected articles, early reports and research letters, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet now offers to publish a peer-reviewed manuscript in the print journal within 4 weeks of receipt, after a full clinical or scientific and statistical review. A fast-tracked manuscript may be published on The Lancet's web site earlier than it appears in the print journal.

When data must be published quickly, the journal will agree to a manuscript entering the fast-track system after negotiation with the authors, which are requested to make contact with an editor by e-mail or by telephoning one of the offices. The editor will then decide whether the topic is one that the journal should pursue rapidly. If so, the manuscript sent by courier or fax is circulated among the editors, who will get a decision about fast-tracking or not within a working day of the manuscript arriving.

Journalists will not learn about the progress of the manuscript until the day before it is published. The Lancet is published weekly (Friday), and journalists receive information on its content late on Wednesday or early on Thursday; they may contact the authors for an interview, but cannot release their story until the journal's media embargo is over.

For further details on this service visit the Fast Track page in the The Lancet's "Information for Authors".