Guide for Authors

About the Journal

Aim:
A J Journal of Engineering and Management (AJJEM) is an international, peer-reviewed journal that serves as a platform for researchers, academicians, and industry professionals to publish high-quality research in the interdisciplinary fields of engineering and management. The journal aims to bridge the gap between theoretical advancements and practical applications, fostering innovation, sustainability, and efficiency in these domains.

AJJEM is committed to publishing original research articles, review papers, and case studies that contribute to the knowledge and advancement of engineering and management principles. The journal encourages research that integrates emerging technologies, data-driven decision-making, and strategic management practices to address contemporary challenges in industrial and business environments.

Scope:
AJJEM covers a broad spectrum of topics in engineering and management, emphasizing the convergence of technology and business strategies to optimize processes, improve decision-making, and drive sustainable growth. The journal welcomes research contributions in, but not limited to, the following areas:

Engineering Disciplines:

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Big Data Analytics & Internet of Things (IoT)
Cloud & Edge Computing
Cybersecurity & Blockchain Technologies
Digital Twins & Industry 4.0
Embedded & Control Systems
Energy & Power Systems
Engineering Design & Optimization
Manufacturing & Industrial Automation
Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technologies
Robotics & Autonomous Systems
Signal & Image Processing
Smart Cities & Infrastructure Development
Structural & Civil Engineering Innovations
Telecommunications & Wireless Technologies

Management Disciplines:

Business Analytics & Decision Support Systems
Digital Marketing & E-commerce
Entrepreneurship & Startups
Financial Technology (FinTech) & Risk Management
Human Resource Management & Organizational Behavior
Innovation & Technology Management
Logistics, Supply Chain, & Operations Management
Project & Quality Management
Strategic Management & Leadership
Sustainable Business Practices & Corporate Social Responsibility

The journal also encourages interdisciplinary research that integrates engineering methodologies with management strategies to provide innovative solutions for industrial and societal challenges.

Publication Model:

AJJEM follows a rapid and continuous publication model, ensuring that accepted articles are promptly available online. The journal welcomes theoretical advancements, applied research, case studies, and industrial innovations that contribute to academic and professional knowledge.

Authors are invited to submit original research that aligns with the journal’s scope, offering novel insights, empirical findings, and innovative methodologies in engineering and management.

Article Categories

Authors are encouraged to submit various types of manuscripts, including technical papers (ranging from 20 to 30 pages, with a maximum of 50 pages), state-of-the-art survey papers (refer to the section on Review Articles), commentaries, and letters (refer to the section on Letter Articles). This online publication allows authors to enhance their submissions by incorporating animations, software demonstrations, video clips, and other interactive content. Accepted papers will be promptly published on Elsevier's website, enabling authors to disseminate their work quickly and providing readers with the latest advancements in Soft Computing directly at their fingertips.

Software Impacts

We also invite authors to transform their open-source software with an R Badge into an additional publication in Software Impacts, a multi-disciplinary open-access journal. Software Impacts serves as a scholarly platform for documenting software applications used in addressing research challenges. The journal promotes the sharing of impactful and reusable scientific software through Original Software Publications (OSP), which detail the software’s role in research and its related findings.

Peer Review Process

This journal employs a single-anonymized peer review system. Upon submission, the editorial team will first assess the manuscript’s suitability for publication. If deemed appropriate, the manuscript will be forwarded to at least two independent reviewers for an expert evaluation of its scientific quality. The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection rests with the editors. If an author wishes to contest an editorial decision, they may submit a formal appeal request following Elsevier’s Appeal Policy. Please note that only one appeal per submission is allowed, and the decision made on appeal will be final.

For more details, read about the peer review process.

Editorial Independence

Editors do not participate in decisions regarding manuscripts:

They have authored themselves.
Written by their family members or colleagues.
Related to products or services in which they have a vested interest.

Such submissions undergo the journal’s standard peer review process, with independent oversight to ensure impartial evaluation. To learn more, refer to the guidelines on editor responsibilities.

Special Issues and Article Collections

The peer review process for special issues and article collections follows the same procedure as regular submissions. However, a guest editor is responsible for forwarding the submissions to reviewers and may suggest a decision to the journal editor. The journal editor oversees the entire review process to maintain high standards of publishing ethics and responsiveness and makes the final decision regarding article acceptance or rejection.

Ethics and Policies

Ethics in Publishing

Authors are required to adhere to the ethical guidelines outlined in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.

Submission Declaration

By submitting an article to an Elsevier journal, authors confirm that:

The content has not been published previously, except as a preprint, abstract, published lecture, academic thesis, or registered report. Refer to our policy on multiple, redundant, or simultaneous publication.
The article is not currently under review elsewhere.
All authors and relevant authorities have approved the submission.
If accepted, the article will not be republished in the same form, in English or any other language, including electronic formats, without the copyright holder’s written permission.

To ensure compliance with our publishing policies, manuscripts may undergo screening using our verification tools.

Authorship

Author Contributions

All listed authors must have significantly contributed to:

Designing the study, gathering data, or analyzing and interpreting results.
Writing the manuscript or making critical revisions for substantial intellectual input.
Approving the final version for submission.

A corresponding author should be designated to communicate with the journal throughout the editorial process. All authors are accountable for ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the work.

Changes to Authorship

Once a manuscript is submitted, authorship changes are generally not permitted. Authors must carefully finalize the author list and order before submission.

Journal policy on authorship changes:

The manuscript must include all authors, whose details should be entered into the submission system.
Any addition, removal, or rearrangement of authorship should be requested before acceptance and must be approved by the journal editor.
The corresponding author must submit a formal request explaining the change, with written confirmation from all authors, including those being added or removed.
Authorship change requests must follow the designated form. Non-compliant requests will not be considered.
In rare cases, post-acceptance authorship changes may be considered, but only under exceptional circumstances.
If an authorship change request is under review, the publication process may be delayed.
If the article is already published, approved changes will be noted in a corrigendum.
Unauthorized authorship changes may lead to article rejection or retraction if already published.

Declaration of Interests

Authors are required to disclose any financial or personal relationships that could potentially influence their work. Possible conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, expert testimony, patents, or funding. The Declaration of Interests form must be completed, and if no conflicts exist, authors should select "I have nothing to declare." The completed declaration should be uploaded in .doc/.docx format during the submission process. Author signatures are not required. Authors should also review policies regarding conflicts of interest, funding disclosures, and author agreements.

Funding Sources

Authors must acknowledge all sources of financial support related to the research or manuscript preparation. The involvement of sponsors in the study’s design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing should be specified. If funding bodies had no influence, this must be stated.

Example:

Funding: This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health [Grant xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [Grant zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of Peace [Grant aaaa].

Detailed descriptions of grants, scholarships, or awards are unnecessary. If funding was provided through institutional block grants, the name of the institution should be included. If no funding was received, authors should state:

This research did not receive any specific grant from public, commercial, or non-profit funding agencies.

Use of Generative AI in Scientific Writing

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in the manuscript writing process. AI technologies may be used only to enhance readability and language clarity, with human oversight ensuring accuracy. AI should not be credited as an author since authorship implies human responsibility. A statement acknowledging AI use should be added before the references section.

Example:

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies in Writing
The author(s) used [AI Tool/Service] to [Purpose: e.g., improve language clarity] and reviewed and edited the content for accuracy. The author(s) take full responsibility for the final manuscript.

Basic tools for grammar and spelling checks do not require disclosure. Refer to Elsevier’s GenAI Policies for more details. AI-generated content is not permitted for peer review or manuscript evaluation.

Preprint Sharing

Authors may share preprints following Elsevier’s article sharing policy. Posting a preprint on a recognized server does not count as prior publication. Additionally, authors can opt for free preprint posting on SSRN to enhance early visibility and citations. This will not affect the editorial process. A DOI will be assigned to the preprint, and authors must secure co-author approval before public release.

Inclusive Language and Reporting of Sex & Gender-Based Analyses

Authors should use inclusive language, avoiding any bias based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health conditions. Gender-neutral terms should be preferred (e.g., “clinicians, patients” rather than "he/she"). Stereotypes, assumptions, or dominant cultural references should be avoided.

For research involving humans, animals, or eukaryotic cells, Sex and Gender-Based Analyses (SGBA) should be integrated where applicable. Authors should clearly define sex (biological attributes) and gender (social roles and identities) to improve research precision. If such dimensions are not addressed, they should be noted as a limitation.

Authors are encouraged to follow the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines to ensure accurate representation.

Jurisdictional Claims

Elsevier maintains a neutral stance on territorial disputes. Authors should use standardized institutional affiliations and ensure that maps only display study areas. Any map should include a disclaimer stating:

"Map lines delineate study areas and do not necessarily depict accepted national boundaries."

Writing and Formatting Guidelines

File Format: Manuscripts should be submitted in .doc/.docx (Word) or .tex (LaTeX). PDFs are not accepted.
Title Page: Include article title, author names, affiliations, corresponding author details, and a permanent address (if applicable).
Abstract: Should not exceed 250 words and avoid non-standard abbreviations.
Keywords: Provide 1-7 keywords to aid indexing.
Highlights: Submit a short summary (3-5 bullet points) emphasizing key findings.
Graphical Abstract: Include a visual summary with a minimum resolution of 531 x 1328 pixels.

Figures, Tables, and Mathematical Equations

Figures & Artwork: Should be in TIFF, PNG, JPG, PDF, or EPS format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
Tables: Must be in editable text format (not images) and cited within the manuscript.
Mathematical Equations: Should be provided as editable text, not images.

AI-generated figures and images are not permitted unless explicitly part of research methodology. Any AI use must be documented in the Methods section.

Supplementary Materials, Video, and Research Data

Authors may submit supplementary files such as datasets, images, sound clips, or videos. These must be referenced in the manuscript and submitted during the submission process.

Videos: Maximum file size 150MB per file, 1GB total.
Research Data: Must be deposited in a recognized repository and cited appropriately.
Data Statement: Authors should declare whether their data is publicly accessible or restricted due to confidentiality.

References and Citation Style

Citations should be in square brackets: Example: "as demonstrated [3,6]. Barnaby and Jones [8] found..."
Journal Titles: Abbreviate according to the List of Title Word Abbreviations (LTWA).
Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs): Strongly recommended for all references.

Examples:

Journal Article:

[1] J. Smith, The impact of AI on research, J. Sci. Commun. 163 (2023) 51-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sc.2023.00372.
Book:

[2] W. Strunk, E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed., Longman, New York, 2000.

Preprints should be labeled accordingly, and software citations must include author(s), title, repository, version, and DOI.

Submission, Review, and Publishing Process

Submission Checklist: Ensure all files, keywords, figures, and references are included.
Online Submission: The system converts files into a single PDF for peer review. Editable files (.doc/.tex) must be provided for final publication.
Editorial Decision: Authors may be invited to transfer their article to another Elsevier journal if deemed more suitable.
Publishing Agreement: Authors will be required to sign a publishing agreement post-acceptance.
Open Access: Authors can choose between subscription-based or Gold Open Access.

Proof Correction and Article Promotion

Proof Corrections: Authors must review and return proofs within two days.
Share Link: A 50-day free-access link will be provided for non-open access articles.
Promotion: Authors are encouraged to share and promote their article responsibly.

Additional Support

Elsevier Researcher Academy offers free training on manuscript preparation, peer review, and publishing.
Language Editing Services are available for grammar and clarity improvements.
Journal Support: Contact contact@ajinstitutepublication.com for inquiries related to submission or appeals.