B1. Instructions for Preparation of Manuscript
- B1.1. Manuscript Template
- The manuscript template can be downloaded here (Word(*.docx), TeX(*.zip)) or from "Downloading Journal Template" in the left of the Web page. The authors are encouraged to prepare their manuscript using the template. Please contact us (journal@jsme.or.jp) if you wish us to make an electronic manuscript with the template. In this case additional fee is required.
- B1.2. Preparation of Manuscript
- The quality of the English must be sufficient at the time of submission. Manuscripts should be easy to read and their contents presented clearly. As a rule, manuscripts should be written in American English. However, manuscripts written in British English may be accepted if consistent throughout the paper.
- B1.3. Manuscript Format
- B1.3.1 Constitution of Manuscript
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(1) The following order is the recommended structure of a manuscript:
- Introduction (purpose of research, significance of research supported by a literature survey, outline of contents, explanation and others)The above order is presented as an example, and authors may select the most suitable and effective style for the contents of their manuscript.
- Nomenclature (Subscripts)
- Main body of the text (theoretical analysis, method and results of experiment, interpretation of results and discussion)
- Conclusion (conclusions obtained through research)
- Acknowledgement
- Appendix
- References
- B1.3.2 Title
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(1) General titles and titles such as those used for books should be avoided.
(2) A subtitle may be used as needed. However, expressions such as "the first report" and "the second report" are not acceptable.
(3) Abbreviations and acronyms are not acceptable in the title. (Abbreviations appearing in idioms may be used.)
(4) Only the first word of title should be capitalized.
(5) The names of authors should be placed immediately below the title. The given names and family names should be spelled out with the family names all capitalized.
(6) The affiliations of authors should be written in the official denomination. In the address (all addresses should be listed except when the same address is applicable for multiple authors), give the postal code, prefecture, ward and town. Give "the country name" at the end of the address, and provide the e-mail address of the contact person.- (Example)
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shinjuku University,
1-2-3 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0016, Japan
E-mail: shinjuku@jsme.or.jp
- B1.3.3 Headings
- The main body of the text should be suitably divided, i.e., sections and subsections, each with a heading.
- B1.3.4 Abstract
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"Title and abstract are the key to your work."
(1) The length of the abstract should be 200-300 words.
(2) The abstract should appear immediately following the title and the names of authors, and should not repeat information already present in the title.
(3) In the abstract, the authors should specifically state the contents of the manuscript so that readers can understand the contents of the paper without reading the main body.
(4) In the abstract, the author should briefly state the subject, methods, equipment, results and discussion of research.
(5) A summary leading to conclusions is not required.
(6) Figures, tables and references in the text should not be cited. If the citation of an equation is unavoidable, the full equation should be given rather than citing only the equation number.
(7) Do not insert line feeds in the abstract, i.e., the abstract should be written as only one paragraph. - B1.3.5 Keywords
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Keywords are important terms that represent and indicate the contents of the manuscript. They are also useful in the classification and search of papers.
(1) Five to ten keywords should be chosen so that they best describe the contents of the paper.
(2) The use of hyphens, prepositions and articles should be avoided. Capitalize the initial letter of each word. - B1.3.6 Figures, Tables, Photographs and On-Line Supplement
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To describe the contents of the paper clearly and accurately, figures, photographs and tables can be used. In general, figures are useful for presenting general tendencies, and tables are suitable for presenting specific numeric values and data. In the case of on-line journals, in particular, note that figures, photographs and tables can be presented in color.
(1) Figures and tables should be presented with their captions.
(2) Similar figures, tables and others should not be used. They should be limited to representative ones to understand the text. Captions that briefly describe the contents of figures and tables are required.
(3) When figures from other papers are reprinted, the permission of the original authors is required. - B1.3.7 Citation of Equations, References, Tables, Figures and Others in the Text
- At the beginning of a sentence, "Equation" and "Figure" should not be abbreviated. Within a sentence, an equation is cited with the number and "Eq." for example, "Eq. (1)," and at the beginning of a sentence, it should be written out as "Equation (1)." Within a sentence, a figure should be cited with "Fig.," for example, "Fig. 1," and at the beginning of a sentence, it should be written out as "Figure 1."
- B1.3.8 References
- Citations in the text are indicated by author's last name and year with the list of references arranged in alphabetic order: for example, (Ahrendt and Taplin, 1951) or the book by Ahrendt and Taplin (1951). For a reference from three or more authors, the citation in the text is indicated by the first author's name followed by "et al." and the year: for example, (Takeuchi, et al., 2006). More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year are identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", placed after the year: for example, (Karin and Hanamura, 2010a, 2010b). Unpublished works (including papers not yet submitted or not yet published) should be avoided. The complete name of the journal referred to should be given. Cite references published as recently as possible. It is recommended for contributors to cite articles published in journals of the JBSE, if possible. If a reference is not written in English, authors are required to translate the title into English and indicate the original language as "(in Japanese)," for example. See an example.
- B1.4. Statements about Publication Ethics
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Related to items A1.1-1.9 in A. Rules on Submission of Papers, authors need to include specific statements as follows.
- B1.4.1 At Online Submission (in preparation)
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Related to items A1.1, A1.2, and A1.3, authors are asked to confirm that
- all authors listed have agreed to be named as authors on this manuscript; that
- any work (data, text, or theories) of others besides the authors has been properly acknowledged; that
- the work is original and not previously published, except possibly as an abstract or conference proceeding and not in full-length form; and that,
- all data are true and accurate to the knowledge of the authors. - B1.4.2 In the Body of Manuscript
- Related to item A1.4, all authors need to include Conflict-of-Interest statements at the end of the text. Related to items A1.5, A1.6, A1.7, A1.8, and A1.9, the authors need to include statements regarding approval and accordance about Human Rights & Informed Consent, Animal Experiments, Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Human Genome and Genetic Research, and Cells and Tissue in the methods sections. For example, if the work is on human beings (item A1.4), it should be stated that the work has been approved by the appropriate ethical committees related to the institution(s) in which it was performed and that subjects gave informed consent to the work.
- B1.5. Online Submission
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The manuscript should be submitted via online system:
https://www.editorialmanager.com/journal-jsme/
In new submission, the author(s) need to choose either of “Original Paper (JSME Journals)” or Review Paper (JSME Journals) at Select Article Type, and “Journal of Biomechanical Science and Engineering” at Select Selection/Category. The author(s) not familiar with the online system may refer to the tutorial of the online submission system . After the submission, all correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail.
B2. Process after Submission
- B2.1. Date of Receipt of Manuscript and Deadline of Responses to Inquiry
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- B2.1.1 Notice of Receipt of Manuscript
- JSME informs the authors of the contributions of the receipt number, receipt date, and other information via a notice of receipt of manuscript. Editors will select competent reviewers to review the manuscript received.
- B2.1.2 Receipt Date
- The receipt date is the date of arrival of manuscripts at JSME. However, for manuscripts that require addition or revision of contents, the initial receipt date will be invalid unless the manuscript is returned to (arrives at) JSME with the responses from authors within two months of the date of inquiry issued by JSME.
- B2.1.3 Handling of Manuscript Not Satisfying Conditions of Submission
- Manuscripts not satisfying the conditions of submission will be returned outright, or authors will be required to satisfy the conditions. In this case, the receipt date will be the date on which the conditions of submission are satisfied.
- B2.1.4 Arrival Date of Responses
- For manuscripts arriving after two months from the date of issue of inquiry, the arrival date of responses will be the receipt date of the revised manuscript. The manuscript will be treated as a newly submitted manuscript (the review of manuscript will be continued). If responses do not arrive six months after the date of inquiry, the manuscript will be deemed invalid for submission and will be returned.
- B2.1.5 Submission of Final Version of Manuscript
- When manuscripts are accepted, JSME requires authors to immediately return the final version of the manuscripts.
- B2.1.6 Contact from Authors
- The receipt number notified to authors will be used as the reception number of a paper (processing number for proofreading). This number should also be quoted in replies to inquiries or when authors wish to contact JSME regarding their paper.
- B2.2. Application for Extension of Deadline of Response
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- B2.2.1 Submission of Application for Extension of Deadline
- If the responses cannot be submitted by the deadline for unavoidable reasons (illness or unexpected overseas business trips, for example), authors are required to submit an application for an extension of the deadline of the submission of responses to JSME (journal@jsme.or.jp) before the receipt date becomes invalid. (Refer to B2.1.2)
- B2.2.2 Treatment of Application for an Extension of Deadline
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(1) The Editorial Committee will consider the applications for an extension of deadline. The deadline will be extended only if the reasons are deemed unavoidable.
(2) When the extension of deadline is approved, the initial receipt date will be valid regardless of B2.1.4.
(3) If the responses and the revised manuscript are not submitted by the extended deadline, submission is deemed to have been abandoned and the rejection of the manuscript will be notified to the authors.
- B2.3. Copyright of Submitted Manuscript
- Receipt of a manuscript does not mean that the manuscript is accepted for publication in the journal. All submitted manuscripts must undergo the necessary procedure of review and revision for publication before JSME decides on the acceptance of papers. Copyrights to all articles accepted for publication are held by JSME. The copyrights of rejected manuscript will be held by the authors.
- B2.4. Priority
- The effective date of priority for publication of an accepted manuscript is based on the date of receipt of the manuscript.
- B2.5. Citation of Copyrighted Works
- To cite or reprint copyrighted works of other authors, the permission of the original authors for reprint or use is required. Such permission must be obtained by the authors themselves.
- B2.5.1 Limitation on Citation of Copyrighted Works of Other Authors (when permission is not required)
- The law stipulates the right to cite copyrighted works within legitimate limits. Authors should judge the legitimacy of specific citations according to socially accepted limits. Citation is defined as the citation of copyrighted works of other authors in a paper. Furthermore, the text should mainly consist of the works of the authors, not of citations of copyrighted works of other authors.
- B2.5.2 Cautions Concerning Citation
- When figures, tables, data or others are cited, authors should apply in writing, to the original authors for permission to cite their work. Authors should also pay adequate attention to the moral rights of authorship (disrespectful citation must be avoided), and the source of information must be given.
- B2.6. Acceptance or Rejection for Publication
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- B2.6.1 Notification of Acceptance or Rejection for Publication
- The Editorial Committee decides the acceptance or rejection of a paper for publication and the result of the decision will be notified to the authors. Authors will be immediately notified with the reason for rejection when their papers are rejected.
- B2.6.2 Objection
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When a paper is rejected, authors can submit an objection if they have valid reasons. However, revision in accordance with the reason for rejection will not be considered as an objection to the rejection.
As a rule, an objection can be submitted only once for one paper.
To: journal@jsme.or.jp
- B2.7. Proofreading
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(1) Proofreading is carried out once, and is limited to the correction of printing errors or simple errors (careless mistakes) in a manuscript. When figures are corrected, revised figures should be enclosed and be indicated in red ink on the proof.
(2) In proofreading, the following matters should be heeded.
a) The numbering of equations and the style of dividing equations
b) Positions of figures and tables, and figure and table captions (in particular, the placement of similar figures)
c) Style of references listed at the end of the text
d) Distinction between italic and roman characters regarding letter symbols and sub-/superscripts
e) Correct syllabic division of words at the end of a line
f) Sequential numbering of figures, tables, equations and references - B2.8. Publication Charge
- An invoice will be sent after the decision of the acceptance for publication. Authors are required to pay the publication charge immediately.
- B2.9. Necessary Information from Authors and Note after Submission
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After manuscripts are submitted and arrive at JSME, the following must be notified to JSME (journal@jsme.or.jp) with the receipt number of the manuscript, because proofreading will be carried out after addition to or revision of the manuscript according to the result of review.
(1) Notification of new correspondence
If the corresponding or contact author indicated in the manuscript and attached documents changes, JSME should be notified of the new correspondence address immediately.
(2) Notification of schedule of absence
If authors are absent because of business trips or for other reasons during the term in which addition to or revision of the paper may be required, JSME should be notified of the authors' schedule in advance. - B2.10. Cancellation of Manuscript
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If authors wish to retract their paper and cancel the submission, a statement on the cancellation of the submitted paper must be submitted immediately with the signatures and seals of all authors; be sure to quote the receipt number.
When papers are cancelled after galley proof has been prepared, authors must pay the publication charge. When a cancelled manuscript is submitted again, the manuscript will be treated as a new submission. - B2.11. Correction of Manuscripts after Submission
- As a rule, the correction of manuscripts after submission is not acceptable. However, simple mistakes (careless mistakes) can be corrected during the proofreading stage.
