Author Guidelines

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Journal of Composites and Compounds (JCC)

1. Aim and Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to JCC, it is imperative to review the Aims & Scope.

2. Open access

This journal offers authors for publishing their research in Open Access form. Also all the content of the journal are available immediately upon publication.

This implies that all material is accessible to users and their respective institutions free of cost. Users can read, download, reproduce, distribute, print, explore, or connect to the full-texts of the articles, or apply them for any other legitimate intention, without seeking approval from the publisher or author ahead of time. In other words, there is no requirement for any charges including article processing charges (APCs), submission charges, page charges, color charges, or publication process for the authors.

Authors MUST consider the following link for open access policy. JCC operates under the Creative Commons License CC-BY.

3. Requirements                                                            

To submit your work, please ensure that you have included the requisite documents and utilize our online system.

3.1. Cover letter

• A succinct summary of the significance of your paper as a new contribution to the scientific literature
• A brief mention of your study's connection to previously published research
• Any opposed or recommended reviewers
• A statement from all authors affirming their consent to consider the manuscript for publication in JCC in an Open Access Format.
• Confirmation that the manuscript has not been published, nor is it under consideration for publication elsewhere. Additionally, confirm that permission has been obtained to reproduce any previously published materials within your manuscript.

3.2. Full text, including Figures and Tables

Manuscripts must be submitted only in English and must adhere to proper grammar and sound terminology.

a. Original Research: These manuscripts should provide a comprehensive account of unique experiments or research carried out by the authors. Any research on any topic will be considered as long as it falls within the scope of the journal. Original research must add new information to the scientific knowledge of the subject and should be conducted in accordance with ethical principles. Research that involves humans or animals must have the appropriate ethical approvals. Maximum number of Abstract part should be less than 200 words. Acknowledgment is mandatory for this type.

b. Review paper: A review article is a comprehensive analysis that examines the advantages and disadvantages of a specific subject in the field of composites, compounds, or any other topic relevant to the journal. They are largely based on a report of previous research. JCC welcomes unsolicited review manuscripts for peer review. For Review paper, authors should confirm that they have got permission for all illustrations and figures from other publishers. It should be noted that one of the author’s names should be presented in the permission form. Maximum number of Abstract part should be less than 250 words.

c. Other Formats

The following formats will first undergo an internal review by the Editorial Office, and those approved for external review will undergo peer review. Publication of these formats will be subject to the approval of peer reviewers, and the final decisions will be made by the editor.

To submit the following formats, authors should use the regular submissions system and select 'other formats' as the Manuscript Category.

I. News and Views: submission for our "News and Views" section is designed for concise commentary and analysis of recent developments in various fields. Authors are encouraged to provide brief insights and perspectives on significant findings, emerging trends, or noteworthy research within the scope of the journal. Submissions will undergo editorial review for clarity, relevance, and adherence to the word limit. The aim is to present readers with succinct and insightful perspectives on recent developments. News & Views are also peer reviewed. Submissions should not exceed 1000 words (including references). Clearly structure your submission with sections such as Introduction, Main Content, and Conclusion if applicable. Bullet points or subheadings may be used to enhance clarity. References should be limited to the most essential, ideally fewer than 15. Include any necessary figures or tables with concise captions. Ensure they directly support the content of the article. Grant numbers and acknowledgements are not allowed. The article must have no more than two authors.

II. Mini-reviews: Mini-reviews should exhibit a clear structure, comprising an introduction, main content, and conclusion. Emphasis should be placed on the current state of research in each area, encompassing recent findings, technological advancements, and their implications for advancing the field of composites and compounds. Mini-reviews should be concise, with a maximum length of 3,000 words and no more than two figures or tables. It is recommended to include approximately 60 references. The abstract of a mini-review should be limited to 200 words or less. Mini-reviews should not incorporate unpublished material, such as original data, manuscripts under review, or personal communications, as the inclusion of such content may result in rejection or delay in the review process.

III. Brief reports: Brief reports offer a concise format for sharing technically significant research, concentrating on practical and action-oriented investigations that hold relevance for individuals engaged in comparable endeavors. The standard length for a brief report generally ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 words and encompasses key sections: Introduction, Method (incorporating an Analysis segment), Results or Findings, Discussion and Conclusion. The background literature section should not exceed 15 entries, as the primary focus is on methods, analysis, and results. A separate abstract of 200 words is required. Supplementary files can accompany the report during submission.

3.3. Declaration of interest

Authors must declare any financial, relationships, commercial, or otherwise, that could be perceived by the academic community as representing a potential conflict of interest. If no such relationships exist, authors may state “All authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper” in this section.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is uploaded during the submission process. Authors MUST fill the Conflict of interests form provided in the following URL: Conflict.doc.

4. Manuscript organization                              

4.1. File format                                             

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word (Microsoft Office Word) with format of “.doc” and “.docx”. Word files must not be protected LaTeX. Use “Times New Roman” font with size of 12 pt. and double spaced lines.

Mathematical Equations in submission: When submitting manuscripts that contain equations, please use editable text instead of images. Simple formulae should be included in line with the rest of the text, and small fractional terms should be represented with the solidus symbol (/). It is recommended that variables be presented in italics, and powers of e should be denoted using "exp." Equations that are referred to explicitly in the text should be numbered consecutively if they need to be displayed separately from the text. To create equations, authors can use MathType or go to "Insert > Object > Microsoft Equation 3.0". It is also recommended that authors enable "Compatibility Mode" before composing their articles.

4.2. Manuscript length                                     

There is no specific limit on the length of manuscripts submitted to JCC. Authors are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible regarding their research results.

4.3. Title                                           

The title of the manuscript should be concise, specific, descriptive, informative, and comprehensible to readers outside of the subject field. Titles should avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible, and be written in 16 point bold Times New Roman font, and placed at the top of first page. Only the first letter of the title should be capitalized.

4.4. Authors and affiliations

The names of all authors should be listed, with given names and family names spelled accurately and separated by commas (the middle name can be abbreviated). You can add your name between parentheses in your own script behind the English transliteration. Affiliation addresses should be listed below the names, indicating where the research was conducted. Affiliations should be linked to the author's name with a lowercase superscript letter immediately following the name, and listed as follows: Laboratory, Department, Organization, City, State (if from USA, Canada, or Australia, use abbreviations), Country name, and e-mail address (if available).

The corresponding author should be marked with an asterisk, and their exact email address, contact address, and phone number should be provided in a separate paragraph. This information will be published with the article if accepted.

Change to authorship:

Any changes to authorship (addition, deletion or rearrangement) must be made before the manuscript is accepted, and only with the approval of the journal Editor. To request a change, the corresponding author must provide a reason for the change and written confirmation (via email) from all authors agreeing to the addition, removal, or rearrangement of authors. Publication of the manuscript will be suspended while the Editor considers the request. Requests to change affiliations will not be allowed after publication, but a note about the author's new address can be added to the article's webpage if needed. Authors MUST fill the Changes to authorship form in the following URL: change of authorship form.doc if applicable.

4.5. Headings and subheadings                                                

To format your article clearly, divide it into numbered sections and subsections 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, …), 1.2, etc., with headings on separate lines. Use a maximum of five levels of headings, with 14-point Times New Roman bold font for main headings and 12-point font for subheadings. Only capitalize the first word of each heading.

4.6. Abstract and keywords

The abstract, which should be concise and factual, must not be included in the section numbering. It should briefly state the context and purpose of the research, explain the study methodology, summarize the principal results and major conclusions, and could be able to stand alone from the article. Avoid using references in the abstract, but if necessary, cite the author(s) and year(s). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

Graphical abstract

A Graphical abstract, which should be provided as a separate file, is mandatory and encouraged as it attracts more readers to the online article. It should be a concise, pictorial summary of the article's contents. Graphical abstracts should be submitted as a separate file in the online submission system. The graphical abstract image should be readable and have a minimum size of 531 × 1328 pixels (h × w) using a regular screen resolution of 96 dpi. Preferred file types are TIFF, EPS, PDF, or MS Office files.

4.7. Keywords

After the abstract, provide up to six keywords in American spelling, avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, ‘and’, ‘of’). Abbreviations should be used sparingly and only those firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.

4.8. Main text

In the main text, abbreviations should be defined at their first mention or listed before the introduction section. Standard International Units should be used in the entire the manuscript. The manuscript should follow the order of: Title page, Abstract, Keywords, Text, References, Figure captions, Figures, and Tables. Figures and tables can also be provided within the text.

4.9. Reference style

The references, including URLs, should be numbered consecutively and enclosed in square brackets, in the same order in which they appear in the text, tables or legends. Each reference must be assigned a unique number. While it is acceptable to mention the authors in the text, it is important to provide the reference number(s) always. Please avoid excessive use of references. If using an automatic numbering system, make sure to finalize the reference numbers and format the bibliography before submission. It is recommended to use Endnote for reference preparation, using the JOURCC EndNote style file. All citations in the text, tables or figures must correspond to the numerical order of the reference list.

In the reference list at the end of the text, list the first six authors followed by "et al." for the remaining authors. Only include published or accepted articles in the reference list. For works that are accepted but not yet published, use "in press" instead of page numbers. For material intended for publication but not yet accepted, use "unpublished work" or "submitted for publication." Unpublished data or personal communications should be cited only in the text and not listed in the reference list.

Example: ‘….. as demonstrated [3,6]. Fariborz and Amir [8] obtained a different result ….’
List: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear in the text.

References should be formatted as follows:

Reference to a journal publication:
[1] M.S. Abd-Elwahed, A. Wagih, I.M.R. Najjar, Correlation between micro/nano-structure, mechanical and tribological properties of copper-zirconia nanocomposites, Ceramics International 46(1) (2020) 56-65 https://doi.org/10.17632/xxxxx1.

Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
[2] K.C.R. Kolan, J.A. Semon, A.T. Bindbeutel, D.E. Day, M.C. Leu, Bioprinting with bioactive glass loaded polylactic acid composite and human adipose stem cells, Bioprinting 18 (2020) e00075.

Reference to a book:
[3] W. Strunk Jr., E.B. White, The Elements of Style, fourth ed., Longman, New York, 2000.

Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
[4] G.R. Mettam, L.B. Adams, How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in: B.S. Jones, R.Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age, E-Publishing Inc., New York, 2009, pp. 281–304.

Reference to a website:
[5] Cancer Research UK, Cancer statistics reports for the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutcancer/statistics/cancerstatsreport/, 2003 (accessed 13 March 2003).

Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] [6] M. Oguro, S. Imahiro, S. Saito, T. Nakashizuka, Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions, Mendeley Data, v1, 2015. https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.

Reference to an accepted, unpublished papers: Same as above, but “In press” appears instead of the page numbers.

Reference to a Book style : J. Serrin, Gradient estimates for solutions of nonlinear elliptic and parabolic equations, In: Zarantonello, E.Z. Author, Contributions to Nonlinear Functional Analysis, 2 Eds., New York: Academic Press, 1971. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-775850-3.50017-0

Reference to a Online content: SARS Expert Committee, SARS in Hong Kong : From Experience to Action. Hong Kong SARS Expert Committee, 2003. Available from: http://www.sars-expertcom.gov.hk/english/reports/reports.html.

Cited journals should be abbreviated according to ISO 4 rules. For examples, see http://www.cas.org/expertise/cascontent/caplus/corejournals.html.

5. Ethics approval of research                                        

The JCC is dedicated to maintaining the credibility of scholarly research. We urge authors to refer to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE). Also details Publication Ethics are written in the following linked-page.

For papers reporting research involving human subjects, the methods section must include statements regarding ethics that address the following:

• The name of the institutional review board or equivalent committee responsible for approving the study. If approval was not obtained, authors must provide a detailed explanation for why it was unnecessary.
• Whether informed consent was obtained through written or oral means. If oral consent was used, the manuscript should include:
• An explanation for why written consent was not possible
• Confirmation that the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the use of oral consent
• The way of documentation of the oral consent

For studies that classify human populations by race/ethnicity, age, religion, disease/disabilities, sexual orientation, sex/gender, or other socially constructed groupings, authors must:

• Clearly describe their methods of categorization
• Provide detailed definitions of the categories used, as permitted by the study protocol
• Provide a justification for the chosen definitions and categories, including whether any rules were required by the funding agency.

For manuscripts reporting results of animal research, the methods section must include ethics statements that specify:

• The name of the ethics committee that approved the work and any associated permit number(s). If ethical approval was not required, the manuscript should provide a clear explanation and justification for why.

6. Clinical trial registration                                                    

6.1. Cell line research

For submissions reporting on research using cell lines, the methods section should state the origin of the cell lines used. If using established cell lines, their provenance should be stated and references provided to either a published paper or commercial source. For previously unpublished de novo cell lines, including those gifted from another laboratory, details of institutional review board or ethics committee approval must be given, and written informed consent confirmation provided if the line is of human origin.

7. Acceptance and Publication

7.1. CC Production

Your CC Production Editor will keep you informed about the progress of your article throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent via email to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly. Authors should carefully check their proofs to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence, and contact details, are correct, and that funding and conflict of interest statements, if any, are accurate. Any changes to the author list at this stage will require all authors to complete and sign a form authorizing the change.

7.2. Role of the funding source

Authors are required to disclose the source(s) of financial support for their research and/or article preparation. Additionally, authors should provide a brief description of the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, report writing, and the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) did not play a role in any of these aspects, it should be explicitly stated.

7.3. Online First publication

Online First allows completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication.

7.4. Access to your published article

JCC provides authors with online access to their final article.

Long-term preservation service(s) where the journal is currently archived:

1. PKP-PN (SOON)
2. Scientific Information Database (SID) Index

8. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the JCC editorial office as follows:

Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Dr. Hassan Karimi-Maleh
admin@jourcc.com

Administration manager: A. H. Esmaeilkhanian
info@jourcc.com