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Instruction for Submission

Prepared on 1 December, 2011
The Editorial Committee on Journal of JSCE

1. Authors

Authors must follow the Ethical Standards for Publication in JSCE Journals and the Guidelines for Authors when submitting papers. Only individual persons but not company or organization can be author(s).
After the paper is submitted, the name of authors and the corresponding author cannot be changed, added or reordered.

2. Deadline

No deadline for paper submission is specified.

3. Manuscripts

3.1 Paper categories
The paper categories consist of i) Academic papers, ii) Technical reports, iii) Technical notes, and iv) Discussions.
3.2 Manuscript Requirements
The manuscripts should meet requirements, which are:
  1. To be accurate
  2. To be described in objective way
  3. To have been fully reviewed contents and wording
  4. Not to have been published elsewhere, except selected papers from the domestic Journal in Japanese

A special note on the requirement #4 above – manuscripts containing articles that have been published before can be submitted if one of the following is applied:

  1. Research paper that is made by restructuring published papers with new findings
  2. Paper that is made by restructuring the articles published on journals/proceedings with limited readers

The Sub-Committee is responsible for deciding if each paper meets these requirements. To ensure accuracy and efficiency of their decision-making process, if any part of your paper has already been published or is related to any published articles, please specify clearly in your paper which part of the paper was published before and to what extent the submitted paper owes to the published one.

Note that a paper should be submitted as a completed one. Simply dividing a large research into small pieces of paper and submitting them in serial are not acceptable.

3.3 How to Prepare a Manuscript
Please follow the instructions mentioned below when preparing your manuscript.
  1. Clearly state the objective, making sure your wording allows readers to easily find the most important arguments.
  2. Clarify the relation of the submitted paper and the past researches/technologies referenced, that is, show what part of the past researches/technologies have been further explored and what is unique and new contribution in your paper.
  3. Describe the scope of the paper clearly and accurately.
  1. The title should be simple and clearly representing the content of the paper. Series of papers of common title with serial numbers (e.g., Part I, Part II, etc.) are not acceptable.
3.4 Publication Charge: Free

4. Paper Reviewing Process

4.1 Purpose of Reviewing

The submitted paper is peer-reviewed to judge its qualification for Journal of JSCE. The Sub-Committee may ask authors to make revisions of the paper to satisfy the requirement.

It should be noted, however, that the author is inherently responsible for the quality of the published paper.

4.2 Paper Reviewing Division
The Journal of JSCE consists of seven divisions. Every paper is reviewed in a division the author has chosen. For further information on the divisions and their definitions, see the Guidelines for Authors. The committee may ask the author to change the chosen division if the committee judges it irrelevant.
4.3 Reviewer
The Sub-committee assigns three reviewers for each paper; Academic papers, Technical reports and Technical notes.
4.4 Reviewing Methods
 4.4.1 Evaluation
Each reviewer evaluates the paper based on the criteria shown below in objective manner.

(1) Novelty: Not to be easily derived from well-known or already published findings.  

(2) Usefulness: Beneficial in terms of scientific, engineering or practical viewpoint.

(3) Level of Completeness: Clear and neat paper structure to allow readers to understand the content easily. Elegant style of writing is unnecessary.

(4) Credibility: Free from any significant mistake in the content, serving readers as a reliable literature.

 4.4.2 Judgment by reviewer

Based on the results of the evaluation described in Section 4.4.1 and comparison with past published papers in Journal of JSCE, the reviewer judges if the paper is to be accepted or rejected.

Please note that a paper is not necessarily rejected if it fails to meet just one of the criteria described in Section 4.4.1. The reviewer should try to accept a paper that can contribute to the future academic/technological development, even if it has some drawbacks. When the reviewer recommends rejection, reasons should be given in the Paper Review Report. The results of review are to be described in detail regardless of its acceptance or rejection.

 4.4.3 Decision by the Sub-Committee
The Sub-Committee judges if paper is to be accepted based on the reports by three reviewers. If any reviewer requires a revision on the paper, the Sub-Committee may request author to revise the paper. The Sub-Committee will review the revised paper to judge whether the author has given satisfactory revision and response to the comments by reviewers. The reviewers may be requested to re-review the paper for this purpose. The Sub-Committee has responsibility in its final judgment, and notifies the decision promptly.
4.5 Discussion Papers
The submitted discussion paper is reviewed by the person who had reviewed the paper on which the discussion is made. If the discussion paper is deemed relevant, the Sub-Committee sends the discussion paper to the author of addressed paper and requests to reply to it. When the author submits a reply paper, discussion and reply are reviewed together. These two papers will then be published together if both are deemed appropriate.

5. How to Prepare a Manuscript

5.1 How to Submit a Manuscript
A manuscript file must be submitted by the corresponding author through the web site of JSCE (http://committees.jsce.or.jp/jjsce/english/index-e). A manuscript file should be converted into a PDF file.
5.2 Number of Pages
Papers to be published in Journal of JSCE should meet the limit for the number of pages depending on the paper category as shown in the table below. No extra pages exceeding these limits are allowed.
Paper categories Maximum number of pages Extra number of pages accepted
Academic papers Up to 10 10
Technical reports Up to 10 10
Technical notes Up to 4 2
Discussions Up to 4 0
5.3 Author identifications and Contact Information
  1. Make sure to write down the affiliation and contact information at the time of submission. Should there be any change in affiliation, address or other contact information, it can be made at the time of final manuscript submission.
  2. English translations for job positions used in your organization are accepted.
5.4 Abstract, Keywords and E-mail addresses
  1. Include an abstract containing a maximum of 300 words.
  2. List three to five keywords that well represent the content in the location specified.
  3. E-mail addresses of the authors may be included where necessary. The E-mail address of the corresponding author is mandatory. Avoid listing e-mail address that is expected to change in the near future.
5.5 Wording and Section/Sub-section
Keep simple and clear wording and avoid redundancy throughout the paper. Avoid including any highly personal remarks and expressions of an advertisement or a publicity nature.
Use the numbering specified below in bold letters. Make sure not to use any other form of numbering.
1., 2., 3., ... Sections
(1), (2), (3), ... Sub-sections
a), b), c), ... Subsub-sections

Headings should all be in bold and left justified.

5.6 Equations and Symbols
Use common fonts, symbols and unit expressions in equations and figures where possible. Provide a list of symbols in an attachment where necessary. Try to make equations as simple as possible. Try not to show the detailed development or induction of equations, but to explain them by words. Give the definitions of symbols used in equations by words where they first appear. Also avoid using a same symbol for signifying two or more different definitions.
5.7 Unit Systems
Use the SI units in principle. When using other unit systems, show that unit in parenthesis as well.
Examples:

Unit weight 9.8 kN/m3 (1 tf/m3)

0.49 MPa (5 kgf/cm2)
 

5.8 Figures/Tables/Photographs
  1. Keep the characters in figures, tables and photographs consistent with the main text.
  2. In principle, figures, tables or photographs should be grouped and inserted at the top or bottom of the page containing the part of the main text that first refers to them. Do not insert figures, tables or photographs between the texts.
  3. Color figures and color photos are acceptable. The resolutions recommended are 1200 dpi for black and white images and 300 dpi for color images. Note that too large files resulting from high resolution of the manuscript are not preferable.
  4. When referring to figures, tables and photographs appeared in existing literature, make sure to state the source and obtain authorization from the author or copyright holder of the originals beforehand. Inscribe when the referred figures, tables and photographs are modified.
  5. When drawing figures, character size should usually be 1.5 to 2 mm, and symbols should be drawn just a little larger than you would think appropriate so as to avoid them from becoming too small.
5.9 Notations of Date
Basically follow the notation with western calendar. When the paper deals with Japanese history, for example, Japanese calendar may be put down with in the parenthesis.
5.10 References
References should be from papers, books, or articles from the available literature. Please don’t refer to unpublished material.
An accepted paper is published in an electronic journal and each reference in the paper has a cross-reference function. To prevent the mistakes of links to the references, we ask for your cooperation in carefully observing the following regulations and guidelines.
  1. References should be numbered in the order of appearance and listed after the main text. In the main text, identify the references by right-hand-side superscript numbers that correspond to those in the reference list at the end.
  2. References should be from papers, books, articles or websites that are available for a long time since their acceptance for publication. Otherwise they can’t be used as references.
  3. In the reference list, state the name(s) of author(s), name of the article, name of the journal/book, volume/number, pages and year/month/date of publication in this order. The date and month of publication can be omitted. For the name(s) of author(s), spell out the family name with the initial of the first name. List all the names of contributing authors in the reference list regardless of the number of authors involved. However, when referring to 3 or more contributing authors in the main text, the authors can state only the first author and use et al. In the case of a book in an independent volume, state the name(s) of the author(s), book title, pages, publisher and year of publication. The name of a book in an independent volume should be written with all first letters in capitals. The name of a journal or article should be in Italics. Follow the examples below that show formats.

[Reference List Example]

  1. Bear, J.: Hydraulics of Groundwater, 567 p., McGraw-Hill International Book Co., 1979.
  2. Miles, J. W.: On the generation of surface waves by shear flows, J. Fluid Mech., Vol. 3, Pt. 2, pp. 185-204, Aug. 1957.
  3. Koening, H. W.: Energiumwand-lungsanlagen der Biggetalsperre, Wasserwirtschaft, Heft 1, S. 25-28, Jan., 1967.
  4. Miche, M.: Amortissement des houles dans le domaine de l’eau peu profonde, La Houile Blanche, No. 5, pp. 726-745, Now., 1956.
  5. Gresho, P. M., Chan, S. T., Lee, R. L. and Upson, C. D.: A modified finite element method for solving the time-dependent incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, part 1, Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids, Vol. 4, pp. 557-598, 1984.
  6. Kokubu, M. and Okamura, H.: A basic research on fatigue of reinforced concrete beams with high-strength deformed bars, Transaction of JSCE, No.122, pp. 29-42, 1965 (in Japanese).
  7. Shepard, F. P. and Inman, D. L.: Nearshore water circulation related to bottom topography and wave refraction, Trans. AGU., Vol. 31, No. 2, 1950.
  8. Okamura, H. and Makawa,K.: Non-linear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete, journal of Materials, Concrete Structures and Pavements, JSCE, No.360/V-3, pp.1-10, 1985. (in Japanese)
  9. Smith, W. : Cellular phone positioning and travel times estimates, Proc. of 8th ITS World Congress, CD-ROM, 2000.
5.11 Footnotes
Avoid using footnotes to the main text but include the explanation in the main text instead. Should a digressive explanation be needed, give it as an appendix at the end of the main text.
5.12 Formats of Manuscripts
Follow the formats shown in the separate page (See sample file for details). http://committees.jsce.or.jp/jjsce/english/formats

6. Correction of Misprints in Published Papers

For minor misprints incurred as results of the author's own fault and found after printing, no correction information is published in principle. Pay every attention when preparing a manuscript. For Serious ones, an article for correction should be published after the discussion of the editorial committee of journal JSCE.

7. Copyright Attribution (Transfer of Copyright):

Upon decision of acceptance of the paper, the copyright is attributed (transferred) to JSCE. Thus, the copyright (including the rights under Articles 27 and 28 of the Japanese Copyright Law) of all literary works in the Journal JSCE is attributed (transferred) to the JSCE.
Note that signatures in a copyright transfer are required for all the authors. Authors are asked to submit the form as soon as the manuscript is accepted for publication.
In principle, the JSCE will not prevent authors from using the whole or part of their articles in the form of photocopy, translation or adaptation. However, authors should inform the JSCE if they publish their articles in full on their own web sites or other similar media on the Internet. When a third person applies for the photocopying of the whole or part of an article (including for translation purposes), the JSCE can give him/her permission on its own discretion unless deemed inappropriate. In such a case, the JSCE later notifies the author of how his/her literary work will be used.

8. Other Instructions

  1. The date of receipt of manuscript submitted through the web site of JSCE is defined as the date when JSCE acknowledges it.
  2. A received manuscript is checked if it satisfies minimum format requirements. Those failing to meet them are off the procedure for a while to be returned to the sender or to spare time for making an inquiry to the author.
  3. Information on the details of reviewing process of individual papers is not disclosed.
  4. All inquiries on receipt of materials should be addressed to the contact below.

Secretariat, Journal of JSCE
Japan Society of Civil Engineers
1-chome, Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0004, Japan
TEL. 03-3355-3559
FAX. 03-5379-0125
E-mail