Instructions for Authors
1. General information
Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management (KJCEM) is the official journal of Korean Institute of Construction Engineering and Management (KICEM). Anyone who would like to submit a manuscript is advised to carefully read the aims and scope section of this journal. Manuscripts should be prepared for submission to KJCEM according to the following instructions. It also adheres completely to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA; http://doaj.org/bestpractice) if otherwise not described below.
2. Copyright and Creative Commons Attribution license
All published papers become the permanent property of KJCEM. Copyrights of all published materials are owned by KJCEM and must not be published elsewhere without written permission from the Society. Permission must be obtained from the KJCEM for any commercial use of materials. Every author should sign the copyright transfer agreement forms that are identical to the Creative Commons (Attribution-Noncommercial) at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
3. Research and publication ethics
They are presented at http://www.kjcem.org/kjcem/Ethics
4. Author qualifications, language requirement, and reporting guideline
4.1. Author qualifications
Any researcher throughout the world can submit a manuscript if the scope of the manuscript is appropriate.
4.2. Language
Manuscripts should be submitted in good scientific Korean OR English.
4.3. Reporting guidelines for specific study designs
Research reports frequently omit important information. As such, reporting guidelines have been developed for a number of study designs that some journals may ask authors to follow. Authors are encouraged to also consult the reporting guidelines relevant to their specific research design. A good source of reporting guidelines is the EQUATOR Network (http://www.equator-network.org/home/) and the United States National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/research_report_guide.html).
5. Submission and peer review process
5.1. Submission
All manuscripts should be submitted via e-submission system available from: https://www.kicem.or.kr/submission/login.jsp?ViewFlag=author. If any authors have difficulty in submitting via e-submission system, please send a manuscript to nonmoon@kicem.or.kr by the corresponding author.
5.2. Peer review process
As soon as the paper is submitted, it undergoes a preliminary review by editors. Each editor decides among three options for routing the paper:
- Send out for review
- Return without review (outside of scope)
- Return without review (grammar/syntax)
Having passed the preliminary review, when the paper is reviewed, the reviewers decide among three options:
- Accept in present form
- Revision required
- Declined final
Preliminary Decisions by Editors
- Send out for review
If the paper meets the basic requirements of KJCEM’s submission guidelines, it will be sent to the chief and associate editors for distribution. Associate editors will locate at least two reviewers. Reviewers will make a decision by selecting one of the recommendation options and will comment on given papers. The associate editors will gather all of the results from the reviewers and forward them to the chief editors. The chief editors will announce the final decision from the review process to the author.
- Return without review (outside of scope)
If the paper is not suitable for the journal, it will be sent to the chief editors for a brief review, and they will contact the author.
- Return without review (grammar/syntax)
If the paper has sufficient problems with English grammar and syntax, making it unsuitable for review, it will be sent to the chief editors for a brief review, and they will contact the author.
Review Decisions by Reviewers and Editors
- Accept in present form
The reviewer will decide that the manuscript is ready for publication in its present form when at least two reviewers are in agreement. The associate editor will sum up the results of the review and report them to the chief editors. The secretary will then send an acceptance letter to the author on behalf of the chief editors. The paper will be moved to final editing for online publication.
- Revision Required
The reviewer will decide that the paper is not ready for publication and needs revision when at least two reviewers are in agreement. The associate editor will send the decision to the chief editors, and will request that the author consider revision. If the author agrees to revision, a letter with reviewers’ comments will be sent to him/her, and the revised paper will be re-reviewed upon resubmission of the paper.
- Declined final
The reviewers will decide that the paper is inappropriate for publication when at least two reviewers are in agreement. No revisions will be requested for further consideration. The paper may not be resubmitted without substantial revision.
5.3. Peer review process for handling submissions from editors, employees, or members of the editorial board
All manuscripts from editors, employees, or members of the editorial board are processed same to other unsolicited manuscripts. During the review process, submitters will not engage in the selection of reviewers and decision process. Editors will not handle their own manuscripts although they are commissioned ones.
6. Manuscript preparation
6.1. General requirements
- For paper submission, manuscript must be written in Korean (or English) and prepared in Microsoft Word or HWP on ISO A4 paper with 2.5cm margins.
- All manuscript pages are to be numbered at the bottom consecutively, beginning with the abstracts as page 1.
- Spelling should be in agreement with the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary. Authors are responsible for spelling consistency.
- Abbreviations, nomenclature, and symbols for units of measurement should conform to international recommendations. SI units (Système International d'Unités) should be used or SI equivalents given. Some exceptions to SI units are allowed due to practical reasons.
- Acronyms should be defined when first mentioned in the text.
- All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. Examples of potential conflicts of interest that should be disclosed are as follows: employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. The letter of transmission should include an explanation of any real or perceived conflicts of interest that may arise during the peer review process. Failure to disclose such conflicts may lead to the rejection of a submitted manuscript.
Manuscript preparation is different according to the publication type, including original articles, review articles, and case reports.
6.2. Original articles
Original articles are reports of basic investigations. Each manuscript should include the following: title, author byline and affiliations, abstract, main text, and references. Tables, figures, mathematics, and supplemental data are optional. Length of the manuscript is limited to 10,000 words or word equivalents, including tables and figures.
- Abstract and keywords: A concise and factual abstract of 150 to 175 words is required. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of the research, principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts in clear English. References should not be cited in the abstract. Up to ten keywords can be included and should be placed directly below the abstract.
- Main text: Main text shall, in principle, consist of three parts: introduction, main discussion, and conclusion. The main discussion shall be subdivided into chapters, sections, and subsections. The introduction shall present the background and purpose of the research, subject-related research history and trends, research scope and hypothesis, and an outline of the research methodology used. The main discussion shall feature basic theories, hypothesis, and methodologies used. The conclusion shall highlight the most noteworthy research results and contributions to related research areas and similar areas.
- References: References and their verification against the original article is the author’s responsibility. Every reference must be cited in the text using number(s) in square brackets. The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given. References should be written in English.
- The reference list: It must be placed at the end of the text. Names of periodicals should be written out in full. References to unpublished reports and to private communications should be stated in parentheses in the text or as footnotes. For private communication, the author’s initials and year of communication should be given. References should follow the form used in current issues of the Journal, as in the following examples.
Journal article:
Park, M., Ham, Y., Lee, H., and Kim, W. (2010) Development of Design Process Management Model using Dependency Structure Matrix for Constructability, Korean journal of Construction Enginnering and Management, KICEM, 11(5), pp. 65-74.
Book:
S. Burton, P. Steane (2004). “Surviving Your Thesis”, 1st ed., London: Routledge, pp. 21-44.
Chapter in an edited book:
M. Beck, C. Hunter (2003). “Private finance initiative uptake in UK local authorities”, in Public Private Partnerships: Managing risks and opportunities, Eds. A. Akintoye, M. Beck, C. Hardcastle, Blackwell Publishing, pp. 369-383.
Paper in conference proceedings:
D. Mckinney (1999). “Impact of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software on the interface between Systems and Software Engineering”, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Software Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, USA, pp. 627-628.
- Footnotes: Footnotes should be used sparingly. Their use in tables, however, is encouraged. Number them consecutively throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. Each footnote should be typed on the page of its reference. Footnotes should not be included in the list of references.
- Equations: All equations should be clearly typed; triple-spacing should be used whenever superscripts and/or subscripts are involved. Superscripts and subscripts should be legible and carefully placed. There should be a clear distinction between the lowercase letter L (l) and the numeral one (1), and between the capital letter o (O) and the numeral zero (0). A letter or symbol should represent only one entity and be used consistently throughout the paper. Every variable must be defined in the text, or in a List of Symbols to appear after the reference list. Variables representing vectors, matrices, vector matrices, and tensors must be clearly identified. Numbers identifying equations must be in square brackets and flushed left. In numbering, there is no distinction between mathematical and chemical equations.
- Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments should be written in the third person and concisely recognize relevant contributions. Acknowledgments should be written in a separate section at the end of the article, before the references. Individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., language help, writing assistance or proofꠓreading) should be listed here.
- Figures and Tables: They should be put in the place where they are mentioned; and they are centered. Larger tables and figures may be put at the top of a sheet or at the bottom across the whole breadth. Figures are drawn by computer and additionally presented by one of these fails: *.jpg, *.tif, *.wmf, *.pcx. The resolution of colored figures should be not smaller than 360 dpi, and that of the black-and-white type – 600 dpi. Pictures taken from Internet do not fit in printing. Photos (colored and black-and-white type) should be of good quality, clear and suitable for reproduction. If output problems happen during the printing process, authors may be asked to send their original image files. Figures and tables are separated from the text by one-line interval.
- Appendix: If any materials are not enough to be included in the main text such as questionnaires, they can be listed in the Appendix. Figures and tables used in the appendix should be numbered sequentially but separately from those used in the main body of the paper, for example: Fig. A1, Table A1, etc.
- Computer programs: It is not the policy of the Journal to publish detailed printouts of computer program statements. If the availability of these details enhances the paper’s usefulness, the author should submit two copies of the program (see Supplementary material).
- Supplementary material: The Journal maintains a depository for supplementary materials, either at the request of the author or upon the Editor’s suggestion. Such material may include extensive tables of data, detailed calculations, and maps not essential in understanding and evaluating the paper. Such material must be clearly marked upon the manuscript’s submission. Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively and separately from those published with the paper (e.g., FIGURE SI, TABLE SI). The supplementary material should be referred to by footnotes.
6.3. Review articles
Review articles should be comprehensive analyses of specific topics. They are to be organized as follows: title page, abstract and keywords, main text (introduction, main discussion, and conclusion), acknowledgments, and references.
6.4. Case reports
Case reports are intended to report practical cases that can be encountered during editing and publishing. Examples include interesting cases of construction project planning and execution; experience of a new and creative engineering or management method; and the history of a specific engineering or management method.
7. Final preparation for publication
7.1. Final version
After the paper has been accepted for publication, the author(s) should submit the final version of the manuscript. The names and affiliations of the authors should be double-checked, and if the originally submitted image files were of poor resolution, higher resolution image files should be submitted at this time. The EPS, TIFF, Adobe Photoshop (PSD), JPEG, and PPT formats are preferred for submission of digital files of photographic images. Symbols (e.g., circles, triangles, squares), letters (e.g., words, abbreviations), and numbers should be large enough to be legible on reduction to the journal’s column widths. All of the symbols must be defined in the figure caption. If the symbols are too complex to appear in the caption, they should appear on the illustration itself, within the area of the graph or diagram, not to the side. If references, tables, or figures are moved, added, or deleted during the revision process, they should be renumbered to reflect such changes so that all tables, references, and figures are cited in numeric order.
7.2. Galley Proof
Upon receipt of the galley proof, illustration proofs, copy-edited manuscript, and reprint order form, the author is responsible for checking all materials for accuracy. These proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt. Any cost attributed to changes introduced at this stage that are deemed excessive will be charged to the author's account.
8. Page charges or article processing charges
KJCEM is committed to the open-access publishing model. This ensures free web access to the results of research and maximum visibility for published papers. However, it requires the author or a supporting institution to pay the costs of the review process, typesetting, web publication, and long-term archiving. These article processing charges are categorized according to the submitted material and levied for the publication of the final revised paper in the journal (the publication in the discussion forum is free of charge).
The APC is 150,000 won for each submitted manuscript (8 pages). Authors are responsible for paying the overlength page charge for any manuscript that exceeds 8 journal pages. There are overlength charges of 50,000 won (1-2 extra pages) and 100,000 won (3-4 extra pages) within a maximum page limit of 12 pages.
APC are levied for any pages included in the produced article's *.pdf file, including appendices, the reference list, acknowledgments, disclaimers, review statements, code and data availability statements, and other such information sections. The supplement, however, is free of charge since it is not part of the main article's *.pdf file.
Editorial Office:
Research Center 1102, Secretariat 1101, Korea Science and Technology Center 1st Building, 22, Teheran-ro 7-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (06130)
TEL: +82-2-556-5186~6 / Fax: +82-2-556-2408
E-mail: kicem@kicem.or.kr