Author Guidelines

JSEC is an international, peer-reviewed, biannual journal publishing rigorous research at the convergence of science, engineering, computation, and emerging technologies. Authors should demonstrate a clear scholarly advance, appropriate validation, and a meaningful connection between scientific understanding and engineering application.

1. Before You Submit

• Confirm that the manuscript fits the journal's convergence-focused scope rather than merely applying an established technique to a new case.
• Ensure the work is original, has not been published previously in substantially the same form, and is not under consideration by another journal.
• Obtain approval from all authors and confirm the final author order.
• Prepare an anonymized manuscript for double-blind peer review and a separate title page containing author information.
• Prepare all ethics, funding, conflict-of-interest, data-availability, authorship-contribution, and AI-use declarations that apply to the work.
• Verify that all references are accurate, retrievable, and actually support the claims for which they are cited.

2. Scope Fit and Convergence Statement

JSEC gives priority to work that connects scientific discovery with engineering methods, computational approaches, or technological systems. The cover letter must include a brief Convergence Statement (approximately 60-100 words) explaining:

• which scientific and/or engineering domains are being connected;
• what is technically or scientifically new;
• why the work requires or benefits from convergence across fields; and
• what validated capability, insight, material, method, device, process, model, or system results from the work.

Routine applications of standard algorithms, simulations, experimental procedures, or optimization methods without a substantive scientific or engineering advance may be declined at editorial screening.

3. Article Types

Article type	Typical length	Purpose
Original Research Article	4,000-8,000 words	Full reports of original experimental, computational, theoretical, or engineering research.
Review Article	5,000-10,000 words	Critical and structured synthesis of an important or emerging field, identifying unresolved questions and future directions.
Short Communication	2,000-3,500 words	Concise report of a significant new finding, method, dataset, device, or technical result.
Methods / Reproducibility Article	3,000-6,000 words	Validated methods, protocols, benchmarks, software workflows, or reproducibility studies with clear scientific or engineering value.
Perspective / Technical Viewpoint	2,000-4,000 words	Evidence-based analysis of an emerging scientific or engineering direction; normally invited or subject to editorial approval.

4. Files Required at Initial Submission

• Cover Letter, including the Convergence Statement and confirmation that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.
• Title Page containing the manuscript title, all author names, affiliations, corresponding-author contact details, ORCID iDs where available, and author-contribution information.
• Anonymous Main Manuscript in a single-column editable Word file. Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments that reveal identity, and identifying document metadata.
• Figures and Tables embedded in the manuscript for review. High-resolution source files may be requested after acceptance.
• Declarations file, if not included in the anonymized manuscript, containing Funding, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Conflicts of Interest, Ethics/Consent, Data Availability, and AI Use statements.
• Supplementary files, data, code, protocols, or supporting information where applicable.

5. Manuscript Formatting

• Language: English.
• File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) is preferred for the editable manuscript.
• Layout: Single column, continuous line numbering recommended for review.
• Section numbering: Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, ...).
• Units: Use SI units and define non-standard abbreviations at first use.
• Equations: Prepare as editable equations where possible and number sequentially when referenced in the text.
• Figures and tables: Number sequentially in order of first citation.
• Scientific names, symbols, nomenclature, and units should follow accepted disciplinary conventions.

6. Title Page

• Concise, informative manuscript title; avoid unnecessary acronyms and promotional wording.
• Full names of all authors in the intended publication order.
• Complete institutional affiliations: department, institution, city, state/region if applicable, and country.
• Corresponding author's email address and complete correspondence details.
• ORCID iDs for authors where available.
• A short running title if requested by the editorial office.

ORCID: https://orcid.org/

7. Manuscript Structure

7.1 Abstract

Provide a self-contained abstract of approximately 200-350 words stating the problem, approach, principal results, and main conclusion. Avoid citations and unexplained abbreviations.

7.2 Keywords

Provide 4-6 specific keywords that support discoverability and are not simply repetitions of words in the title.

7.3 Introduction

Define the problem, establish the scientific and engineering context, identify the specific knowledge or technology gap, and state the objectives or hypotheses. The Introduction should explain why a convergence approach is necessary or valuable.

7.4 Materials and Methods / Methodology

Report sufficient detail for expert evaluation and, where feasible, replication. Include experimental design, materials, equipment, datasets, software and versions, model architecture, parameter values, training/validation procedures, simulation boundary conditions, statistical methods, uncertainty analysis, and ethics approvals as applicable.

7.5 Results

Present findings clearly and logically without duplicating the same information across text, tables, and figures. Report uncertainty, statistical evidence, validation results, and benchmark comparisons where appropriate.

7.6 Discussion

Interpret the findings in relation to current literature and engineering practice. Explain the scientific meaning, practical implications, limitations, generalizability, failure modes, and how the work advances beyond existing approaches.

7.7 Conclusion

Provide a focused conclusion of approximately 200-350 words summarizing the principal contribution, validated findings, limitations where relevant, and realistic future directions. Do not introduce new results.

7.8 Declarations

Include the following headings after the main text, even when the applicable statement is 'None' or 'Not applicable':

• Acknowledgments
• Funding
• Author Contributions (CRediT)
• Conflict of Interest
• Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate (where applicable)
• Consent for Publication (where applicable)
• Data Availability
• Declaration of AI-Assisted Technology Use

8. Authorship and Contributor Roles

All authors must meet recognized authorship criteria and be accountable for the work. JSEC requires a CRediT contribution statement for research articles. CRediT describes 14 contribution roles and complements, rather than replaces, authorship criteria.

ICMJE authorship criteria: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html

CRediT taxonomy: https://credit.niso.org/

9. Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies

Authors must comply with the JSEC AI Usage Policy. AI systems cannot be authors. Substantive use of generative AI or AI-assisted technology in manuscript preparation must be disclosed, including the tool/system, purpose, and extent of use. When AI is part of the research method, it must be described in sufficient detail for evaluation and reproducibility.

• Authors remain responsible for all text, citations, code, calculations, images, analyses, and conclusions.
• AI-generated references must never be accepted without verification against the original source.
• AI must not fabricate or manipulate data, results, or images.
• AI-generated or AI-altered scientific images are not acceptable as evidence unless the AI transformation is itself part of the disclosed research method.
• Confidential, identifiable, proprietary, or restricted data must not be entered into external AI systems without appropriate authorization and safeguards.

ICMJE guidance on AI in publishing: https://icmje.org/recommendations/browse/artificial-intelligence/

10. Data, Code, and Reproducibility

A Data Availability Statement is mandatory for research articles. Authors should make the data, code, protocols, models, or other materials required to verify the findings available in a trusted repository whenever legally and ethically possible.

• Provide a DOI or persistent identifier for deposited materials when available.
• State clearly when data cannot be shared and explain the reason.
• For machine-learning and computational studies, report datasets, preprocessing, data splits, randomization or seeds where relevant, hyperparameters, software versions, hardware context when performance claims depend on it, and validation procedures.
• For simulation studies, report governing assumptions, boundary/initial conditions, mesh or convergence checks where relevant, solver settings, and validation against experiments, theory, or accepted benchmarks.
• For experimental engineering, report calibration, replication, uncertainty, controls, and measurement conditions.

FAIR Principles: https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/

11. Ethics and Reporting Standards

Authors are responsible for complying with applicable ethical and reporting requirements. Ethics approval and informed consent must be reported where human participants, identifiable human data, or clinical materials are involved. Animal studies must report the relevant approval and welfare framework.

Declaration of Helsinki: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/

ARRIVE Guidelines: https://arriveguidelines.org/

CONSORT: https://www.consort-statement.org/

PRISMA: https://www.prisma-statement.org/

12. Figures

• Cite every figure in numerical order in the main text.
• Provide a concise, self-explanatory caption and define symbols, abbreviations, and error bars.
• After acceptance, provide publication-quality source files; 300 dpi or higher is recommended for photographic/raster images, with higher resolution for line art where needed.
• Do not manipulate images in a way that changes scientific meaning. Any legitimate enhancement must apply consistently and preserve the original information.
• Indicate the source and permission status of third-party material.
• AI-generated or AI-altered figures must comply with the journal's AI policy.

13. Tables

• Create tables as editable Word tables rather than embedded images.
• Number tables sequentially and cite each table in the text.
• Use informative titles and explanatory footnotes where needed.
• Avoid duplicating values already presented in figures or extensively in the text.

14. References

JSEC uses a numbered citation style based on IEEE conventions. References should be numbered in the order of first citation and cited in the text using square brackets. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of every reference.

• Include article title, journal or source title, year, volume/issue where applicable, page range or article number, and DOI whenever available.
• Prefer primary, peer-reviewed, and directly relevant sources. Review articles may be cited for context but should not substitute for original evidence when a primary source is available.
• Do not cite sources that the authors have not checked.
• Retracted articles should not be cited as valid evidence; if discussed for scholarly reasons, their retracted status must be stated.
• References suggested by reviewers should be added only when they are genuinely relevant.

IEEE Reference Guide: https://ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/wp-content/uploads/IEEE-Reference-Guide.pdf

15. Supplementary Material

Supplementary files may include extended methods, additional figures or tables, datasets, videos, code documentation, or other material that supports the article but is not essential to the main narrative. Supplementary material is part of the scholarly record and must comply with the same ethics, permissions, and integrity requirements as the main article.

16. Preprints and Prior Dissemination

Posting a manuscript as a legitimate preprint does not by itself constitute prior journal publication. Authors must disclose any preprint or closely related public version at submission and provide its DOI or URL. Published conference papers, book chapters, reports, theses, or prior articles that substantially overlap with the manuscript must also be disclosed so the editor can assess originality and copyright.

17. Revised Manuscripts

• Submit a clean revised manuscript and a version with changes clearly identified, when requested.
• Provide a point-by-point response to every editorial and reviewer comment.
• Quote or summarize each comment, state the response, and identify where the manuscript was changed.
• When an author does not implement a requested change, provide a scholarly justification rather than leaving the comment unanswered.
• Do not add or remove authors during revision without following the journal's authorship-change policy.

18. Proofs

The corresponding author will receive proofs after acceptance. Proofs are intended to correct production errors, not to introduce new analyses, major text changes, new authors, or substantial new references. Authors should return corrections within the period specified by the production office.

19. Copyright and Open Access

Authors retain copyright. Unless otherwise stated, JSEC articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, permitting sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution.

CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

20. Publication Fees

There is no charge for publication.

21. Submission Checklist

• Cover Letter with Convergence Statement.
• Separate Title Page with complete author and affiliation information.
• Anonymous manuscript prepared for double-blind review.
• Abstract of approximately 200-350 words and 4-6 keywords.
• All figures and tables cited in numerical order.
• References checked against the original sources and formatted consistently.
• Funding, CRediT Author Contributions, Conflict of Interest, Ethics/Consent, Data Availability, and AI Use declarations included.
• Permissions obtained for copyrighted or identifiable third-party material.
• Data/code repository links and persistent identifiers supplied where applicable.
• All authors have approved the submission and agree to be accountable for their contributions.

22. Editorial and Ethics Standards

Authors should review the journal's full Editorial and Publication Policies before submission. JSEC follows recognized good-practice principles in publication ethics, peer review, authorship, corrections, conflicts of interest, responsible AI use, and research transparency.

COPE Core Practices: https://publicationethics.org/core-practices

ICMJE Recommendations: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

CRediT: https://credit.niso.org/