Announcement of 44th Annual Meeting of Environmental Systems Research and Call for Submissions

The Committee on Environmental Systems, Japan Society of Civil Engineers is pleased to announce a call for submissions for its 44th Annual Meeting of Environmental Systems Research. (Details below.) Submissions for both full text review and abstract review will be conducted electronically, so please take careful heed of submission deadlines. Please note that both the dates for this year’s annual meeting and submission deadlines for papers are earlier than dates for past years. Furthermore, the requested format for submitted files has been changed from PDF to the special MS Word format to publish electronic journal.

DETAILS

1. Organizer: The Japan Society of Civil Engineers (Committee on Environmental Systems)

2. Dates: October 22nd ~ 23rd, 2016 (Sat. ~ Sun.)

3. Location:Tokyo Metropolitan University, Minami-Osawa Campus Bldg. No 12, 

                    1-1 Minami-Osawa, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, Japan

Access: http://www.tmu.ac.jp/english/university/access.html

4. Topic:

The focus of this meeting is the promoting the study of relationships between environment and society, i.e. people and their livelihoods, as complex systems. A priority will be placed on research and proposals that create foundations for society and the environment based on a systems approach. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: environmental theory, ethics, planning, construction methods, conservation, statistics and dynamics, assessment, decision making support methods, citizen awareness, and education, at local, regional, and global levels.

5. Categories of submission:

1) Submissions for Full Text Review: Papers that are accepted through peer review process by the Committee. These are expected to be work that sets the standards of the field of environmental systems research in quality of creativity, reasoning, and practical relevance. Submissions that are not selected in this category can be re-submitted for abstract review. This category can also accept “proposal research papers” that raise or evaluate new questions and proposals concerning environmental systems understanding and analysis, approaches, techniques, policy measures, etc., examining their effectiveness, significance, and future developments.

2) Submissions for Abstract Review: Papers and reports that are accepted through abstract review process by the Committee. These are any novel proposals and research concerning environmental systems, including case studies, reports on projects underway, and so on. Special interest is placed on reports on the results of practical implementation of technologies and social initiatives.

Please specify within application whether oral presentation or poster presentation is the preferred format for submitted works. Final decisions of the presentation format for each work will be made by the Committee. As a general rule, across all categories, any individual will be only allowed to make one presentation. An exception is if a participant appears in both a special session and a regular session. However, even in this case submission of multiple papers for full text review will not be recognized.

Additionally, those submitting full text reviewed papers entirely in English are encouraged to submit their work to the English-language Journal of the JSCE, which the Society has been publishing since 2012. [For details, see: http://committees.jsce.or.jp/jjsce/english/index-e]

6. Call for Special Session Proposals

We welcome session proposals that bring together a multiplicity of submissions. For example, in 2014 the 42nd Annual Meeting included three special sessions: “Practical Initiatives Targeting Environmental Problems”, “Development of Resilient City Policy Model and its implementation”, and “Rethinking Environmental Systems Research Following the Great East Japan Earthquake III - the Development of Safe and Secure, Sustainable Society and Environmental Systems Research“. Those with deep connections to specific geographic regions are particularly welcomed. To propose a special session, please submit a proposed session name, session purpose, topic, and/or relevant submitted works, relevant presenters and their organizations, number of pages required, and so on to the JCSE Secretariat by Friday, February 19th, 2016. Adoption of special session proposals and acceptance of papers for the special sessions will be decided by the Committee.

7. Outline of Submission Process

(1) Submissions for Full Text Review

-Application/Submission Process

Application and submission will be conducted simultaneously via the Committee on Environmental Systems website according to the following process. Note that this website is available only in Japanese.

1)    Visit the Committee home page at: http://committees.jsce.or.jp/envsys/

2)    Click the “Submit Paper” link to proceed to the submission page.

3)    Fill out the fields for category of submission, title, author, etc. In the case of co- authorship, please enter all names in the order listed on the paper. Changes to author names or order after submission are not permitted.

4)    Select the electronic file for your submitted work in PDF format (maximum file size: 3 MB) for attachment.

-Application/Submission Period

Submission Period: March 4th (Fri.) ~ 5pm March 22nd (Tue.), 2016

※ Following successful submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the registered email address.

※ Please take care to allow sufficient time for filling out forms and transmitting relevant files when submitting. Particularly when approaching submission deadline, simultaneous access can lead transmission and processing slowdown in the system. Submission will close at 5pm on the deadline date.

※ Please note that excepting in cases of our server trouble, delays resulting from difficulties with submission forms are considered the author’s responsibility, and attempts to submit after the final deadline will not be accepted.

- Paper Guidelines

(Following acceptance, presenters will be asked to submit a final version of their papers in the special MS Word format to publish electronic journal. Please have such a copy ready in advance.)

Please submit papers in the form of a PDF file, sized to A4, attaching summaries in English (100 words) and Japanese (200 characters). Please keep paper within 4-12 sized A4 pages and note that there are additional page fees for each page past 6 pages.

For papers to be submitted as a proposal research paper, please be sure to: (a) include an extra page at the beginning outlining objectives of the paper and the reason why the paper can be considered as the proposal research paper in about 200 Japanese characters (about half an A4 page) what the contribution is and why it is novel and interesting; and (b) make sure the title, summaries (English and Japanese), and main body of the proposal research paper reflect these claims. Missing items may result in the work not being accepted. Submissions will be subject to strict peer review by the Environmental Systems Committee. Depending on their judgment, works may not be accepted or revisions requested. Also note that with the exception of revisions requested by the reviewing committee, amendments and additions to the title or list of authors will not be accepted.

Please note that submissions that differ substantially from the Committee’s draft guidelines may be rejected before entering the peer review process. Please be sure to read thoroughly the guidelines on Committee website: http://committees.jsce.or.jp/envsys/

 (2) Submissions for Abstract Review:

-Application/Submission Process

Abstracts will also follow an electronic submission process. Please register using the Committee homepage during the designated period: http://committees.jsce.or.jp/envsys/

-Application/Submission Period

Submission Period: June 8th (Wed.) ~ 5pm June 22th (Wed.), 2016

※ Following successful submission, a confirmation email will be sent to the registered email address.

※ Please take care to allow sufficient time for filling out forms and transmitting relevant files when submitting. Particularly when approaching submission deadline, simultaneous access can lead transmission and processing slowdown in the system. Please note that submission will close at 5pm on the deadline date, and, with the exception of rare cases of delays due to our server trouble, attempts to submit after the final deadline will not be accepted.

- Guidelines for Abstracts

Abstracts should be under 800 letters (about 200-250 words) and succinctly and clearly outline the research or report in question (purpose, methods, and obtained results or conclusions). Submitted abstracts will undergo strict review by an impartial subcommittee based on the concreteness of the methods, results, and conclusions written. In the case of quantitative research, please include important numeric values within the submitted abstract. Even if those elements are not included, submissions may not be accepted.

Please note that in cases where the contents of the finally submitted work are found to differ considerably from those outlined in the abstract, it is possible for acceptance to be revoked.

In cases where an abstract was accepted, but for whatever reason the final version of a paper cannot be submitted, please be sure to notify the Secretariat before the deadline of final version submission. [See contact details in section 10 below.] In cases of insufficient reason or lack of forewarning in failures to submit a final version of paper, the Committee retains the right to decline submissions by the same authors (including co-authors) in future annual meetings.

(3) Submission of final version of paper for all categories of submission

※ Please note that final version of paper will be requested in the special MS Word format (not PDF) and have an appropriately formatted copy ready.

Following acceptance in either category (full text review or abstract review), authors will be asked to submit final version of paper in the special MS Word format (see http://committees.jsce.or.jp/jjsce/node/28) to the Secretariat postmarked by August 26th (Fri.), 2016, following the drafting guidelines found on the website (http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/envsys/). Please strictly observe the deadline - late submission may result in revocation of acceptance.

Final version of papers in either category submitted in the special MS Word format will be changed to XML format, between 4 - 12 pages, for printing and electric journal. Submissions in category of full review including proposal research papers and those in abstract review will be separately printed in two publications, respectively: “Journal of JSCE, Ser. G (Environmental Systems Research)” and “Proceedings of Annual Meeting on the Environmental Systems Research”.

8. Author Fees

Author fees will be collected from authors whose works have been accepted for presentation. Invoices for the fees will be issued following the conclusion of the annual meeting, together with appropriate excess page fees and printing fees.

              1) Author fees

                            Full text reviewed papers: 10,000 yen

                            Abstract reviewed papers: 7000 yen

              2) Excess page fees

                            Each page beyond 6 pages (both categories) will incur a charge of 3000 yen/page

              3) Color printing fees

                            Extra fees for participants desiring color printouts will be charged

9. Awards and Recognition

There will be four categories for awards; excellent paper award, incentive paper award, excellence oral presentation awards for students, and poster presentation awards. For details, please see the Committee homepage.

10. Applications and Contact Information

Environmental Systems Committee

Japan Society of Civil Engineers

  1 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 〒160-0004

  TEL +81(0)3-3355-3559／FAX +81(0)3-5379-0125

Secretariat contact person: Ozaki (fumiharu-ozaki@jsce.or.jp)

Environmental Systems Committee homepage: http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/envsys/