Engineering Innovation and Practice is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). The journal is dedicated to advancing research in energy and agricultural sciences and their interdisciplinary integration. It aims to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application by highlighting engineering innovations, applied practices, and sustainable development technologies. The journal welcomes original research articles and comprehensive review papers that address critical challenges in agriculture, energy, and global resource systems, as well as emerging technological advancements.

The journal adopts a continuous publication model to facilitate the rapid dissemination of high-quality research. All articles are published as open access and are freely available worldwide through the journal’s official website, ensuring broad global visibility and accessibility. To ensure long-term digital preservation, all published content is archived in Zenodo, which guarantees permanent accessibility and preservation. Additionally, published articles are deposited in the National Diet Library of Japan, further securing their enduring availability for the global scholarly community.

(1) Original Papers

Original Papers present methodologically rigorous and conceptually innovative research, including novel empirical findings, theoretical developments, or methodological advancements. Manuscripts must clearly define research objectives, employ robust and reproducible methodologies, and provide well-supported conclusions that make a significant contribution to the field.

(2) Review Papers

Review Papers provide comprehensive and critical syntheses of existing literature on focused topics or emerging research frontiers. They should systematically analyze previous studies, identify key challenges and knowledge gaps, and propose strategic directions for future research. While authoritative expert insights are encouraged, all discussions must be firmly grounded in a structured and balanced evaluation of the literature.

4.1. Ethical Guidelines for Authors

(1) Authorship Criteria and Changes

Criteria: Authorship must be limited to those who have made substantial intellectual contributions. Following ICMJE guidelines, an author must meet all four criteria: (a) substantial contributions to conception, design, or the acquisition/analysis/interpretation of data; (b) drafting or critically revising the work; (c) final approval of the version to be published; and (d) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Prohibitions: “Ghostwriting,” “guest authorship,” and “honorary authorship” are strictly prohibited.

Changes: Any change to authorship after submission requires a written justification and the signed consent of all authors.

(2) Responsibilities of the Corresponding Author

The corresponding author serves as the primary contact and is responsible for all communication during peer review and publication.

They must ensure all co-authors have approved the submission and agreed to the final authorship order.

(3) Data Integrity, Reproducibility, and Image Manipulation

Fragmented Publication: Data must not be inappropriately segmented (“salami slicing”). Serial studies must have distinct objectives and independent scholarly value.

Reproducibility: Authors must provide raw data, code, or supplementary materials upon request.

Image Integrity: Figures (including maps and remote sensing imagery) must accurately represent original data.

Generative AI in Images: The use of generative AI to create or alter primary scientific data (e.g., maps, experimental results, field photographs) is strictly prohibited. The use of AI-generated images for conceptual illustrations is discouraged; if used, the tool name and extent of use must be explicitly disclosed in the figure legend.

Adjustments: Only minimal, non-misleading digital adjustments (e.g., brightness/contrast applied to the entire image) are permitted and must be disclosed.

(4) Originality and Publication Ethics

Duplicate Submission: Manuscripts must be original and not under concurrent consideration elsewhere.

Plagiarism: The journal maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and inappropriate text recycling. Limited reuse of methodological descriptions is acceptable provided proper citation and transparency are ensured.

Permissions: Authors must obtain and credit permissions for any previously copyrighted materials.

(5) Academic Integrity and Conduct

Scholarly critique must be professional; personal attacks or discriminatory language are inadmissible.

Fabrication (making up data) and falsification (manipulating processes/data) are serious misconducts resulting in immediate rejection or retraction.

(6) Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose all financial or personal relationships that could influence the research.

All funding sources and grant numbers must be fully acknowledged.

(7) Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Text Preparation

For detailed operational guidance, please refer to Sections 8.5 and 8.6.

4.2. Ethical Guidelines for Reviewers

(1) Conflicts of Interest and Recusal

Reviewers must decline an invitation if they have a conflict of interest, if the study is outside their expertise, or if they cannot meet the deadline.

(2) Confidentiality

Manuscripts are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share them with third parties or use unpublished data/ideas for their own research.

(3) Objectivity and Professionalism

Reviews must be objective and evidence-based. Personal criticism is inappropriate. Recommendations for revision must be justified by scientific reasoning.

4.3. Ethical Guidelines for the Editorial Board

(1) Editorial Independence

The Editorial Board operates independently of the publisher. Decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, and scope, free from commercial or political influence.

(2) Oversight of Peer Review

The Editorial Board ensures a fair, rigorous, and unbiased review process. Editors select reviewers based on expertise and monitor the quality and professionalism of review reports.

(3) Confidentiality

Editors must protect the confidentiality of manuscript content and reviewer identities. Unpublished materials must not be used for personal research.

(4) Equity and Inclusion

Decisions are made without regard to race, gender, nationality, or political belief. The Editorial Board is committed to promoting diversity within the journal’s ecosystem.

All manuscripts submitted undergo a rigorous, transparent, and independent peer review process. This system is designed to safeguard the scientific quality, originality, and integrity of the academic record while providing authors with constructive, professional feedback.

5.1. Initial Editorial Assessment

Upon submission, each manuscript undergoes a preliminary screening by the Editorial Board to ensure it:

- Falls within the journal’s Aims and Scope;

- Complies with formatting and submission requirements;

- Adheres to ethical standards and publication policies;

- Demonstrates sufficient scholarly quality and significance to warrant external review.

Manuscripts that pass this screening proceed to external peer review. If a manuscript is deemed unsuitable at this stage, the authors will be notified promptly of the rejection.

5.2. Peer Review System

The journal employs a double-blind peer review model, where the identities of both authors and reviewers remain confidential. This ensures an impartial evaluation free from personal or institutional bias.

Each manuscript is typically evaluated by at least two independent external reviewers. An Editorial Lead Reviewer may be assigned to synthesize the evaluations and provide an integrated assessment to guide the final decision.

5.3. Peer Review Procedure and Timeline

(1) Appointment of Reviewers: Reviewers are selected based on their subject-matter expertise, academic standing, and absence of conflicts of interest.

(2) Review Timeline: The average time to first decision is approximately 8 to 10 weeks.

(3) Decision Categories:

  A. Accept: The manuscript meets all standards and is ready for publication.

 B. Minor Revision: The manuscript requires small adjustments in clarity or presentation.

 C. Major Revision (Revise and Resubmit): Substantial improvements in methodology, analysis, or structure are required. A revised version will undergo a new round of evaluation.

  D. Reject: The manuscript does not meet the journal’s standards or scope.

(4) Final Decision: The Editorial Board makes the final decision based on the collective recommendations of reviewers and editors. In cases of significant disagreement among reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief (or Executive Editor) may seek advice from additional experts to reach a consensus.

(5) Notification: Authors will be informed of the decision and receive detailed reviewer feedback within two weeks after the review cycle concludes.

5.4. Reviewer Qualifications

To maintain high academic credibility, the journal adheres to strict selection criteria:

- Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must recuse themselves if they have a personal, professional, or financial relationship with the authors or have been involved in the research.

Academic Standing: Reviewers are generally expected to hold a doctoral degree or possess equivalent research experience, demonstrate recognized expertise in the relevant field, and maintain a strong record of peer-reviewed publications.

5.5. Peer Review Criteria

Manuscripts are evaluated based on four core pillars:

(1) Significance: Novelty of findings or practice.

(2) Methodological Rigor: Robustness of research design, data collection, and analytical frameworks.

(3) Data Integrity: Accuracy of interpretation, transparency of sources, and ethical handling of data.

(4) Clarity and Ethics: Logical structure, clear objectives, proper referencing, and full compliance with research ethics.

5.6. Revisions and Re-review

Response to Reviewers: Authors must provide an itemized “Response to Reviewers” document alongside their revised manuscript, explicitly addressing each comment.

- Deadline: Authors are generally given 8 weeks to submit revised manuscripts. Extensions may be granted upon reasonable request to the Editorial Office.

- Re-review: Revised manuscripts are returned to the original reviewers (or new ones if necessary) to verify that all concerns have been addressed. The re-review typically takes two to four weeks.

5.7. Appeals

The corresponding author may formally appeal a rejection within two weeks of the decision. Appeals must provide a clear, evidence-based rebuttal. The Editorial Board will conduct an independent re-evaluation, which may include consulting a third-party expert. The Editorial Board’s final decision on an appeal is definitive.

6.1. Copyright and Licensing

Copyright Ownership: Authors retain the full copyright of their published articles.

License Granted to the Journal: Upon acceptance, authors grant the Journal a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, make available, and archive the article in all media formats now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to digital and print formats, and to sublicense these rights as necessary for inclusion in indexing databases and long-term preservation systems (e.g., J-STAGE, Portico, National Diet Library).

Self-Archiving: Authors are encouraged to deposit the published Version of Record in institutional repositories, personal websites, and academic social networking platforms (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu), provided that the original DOI link to the article on J-STAGE is included.

6.2. Open Access Policy

Immediate Access: This is a fully open-access journal. All articles are available to the public immediately upon publication without any subscription barriers.

Creative Commons License: All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License. This license allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the work, even commercially, as long as they credit the authors for the original creation.

Open Science Commitment: By adopting the CC BY 4.0 license, the journal promotes global knowledge exchange and adheres to the best practices of Open Science.

6.3. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

General Principles: To support high-quality publishing services—including peer review management, professional copyediting, typesetting, online hosting, and long-term digital archiving—The Journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) for each accepted article. APCs are non-refundable. For current fee rates and detailed payment instructions, please refer to the “APC and Funding” section on the journal’s official website.

Timing and Responsibility: The APC is only invoiced after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication. No fees are required at the time of submission or during the peer-review process. Payment is typically the responsibility of the authors’ affiliated institutions or research funding agencies.

Waiver Policy: The Journal is committed to fostering global inclusivity and offers full or partial APC waivers for authors from low-income economies (as defined by the World Bank) or those experiencing demonstrated financial hardship. Requests for waivers must be submitted at the time of initial manuscript submission and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Editorial Office.

Exemptions: Articles specifically invited by the Editorial Board are exempt from APCs.

Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit and the quality of the research. These decisions are strictly independent of an author’s ability to pay or their eligibility for a waiver.

7.1. Submission Method

All manuscripts must be submitted according to the journal’s designated submission procedures. Authors are required to strictly follow the instructions provided by the Editorial Office to ensure efficient processing and avoid unnecessary delays in editorial handling and peer review.

7.2. Submission Checklist

Authors should ensure that the following requirements are met prior to submission.

Title Page Information: The first page of the manuscript must include:

- Article Type: Authors should clearly specify the category of the manuscript (e.g., Original Paper).

- Manuscript Title: Concise and informative.

- Author Information: Full names and institutional affiliations (including city and country) for all authors.

- Corresponding Author: Clearly identified with a professional email address.

Manuscript Preparation and Format

- File Format: The manuscript must be submitted as a single Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file.

- Content Order: The file should include the abstract, keywords, main text, references, and all tables and figures.

- Integration: All figures and tables must be embedded at appropriate positions within the text and cited sequentially. High-resolution image files may be requested upon acceptance.

File Naming Requirements

- Character Standard: The file name should be concise (not exceeding 50 characters) and consist of alphanumeric characters (A–Z, 0–9).

- Compatibility: File names should be concise and compatible with common operating systems. Special symbols should be avoided.

Editorial Communication

- Notification: All editorial decisions (Accept, Revision, or Reject) will be communicated via email.

- Review Timeline: The average time to first decision is approximately 8 to 10 weeks. 

8.1. Manuscript Format (Title Page)

The first page of the manuscript must contain the following essential metadata:

- Manuscript Type: Clearly categorize the submission (e.g., Original Paper).

- Title: Concise, specific, and informative. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

- Author Names: Provide full names. Use superscript numerals (e.g., ¹, ², ³) to link authors to their respective affiliations.

- Affiliations: List full official names of institutions, including departments, city, and country.

- Corresponding Author: Designate one author as the primary contact and provide a valid professional email address as a footnote.

8.2. Abstract

The abstract should be a self-contained summary of the work, concisely presenting the research context, core objectives, methodology or approach, and key findings or synthesized insights. Authors are encouraged to conclude by emphasizing the main contributions and implications of their study. The abstract must be a single paragraph and must not include citations, figures, tables, or non-standard abbreviations.

8.3. Keywords

Immediately following the abstract, authors must provide 5 to 8 keywords that accurately reflect the manuscript’s content.

Selection Criteria: Keywords should represent core themes, methodologies, or specific geographical regions addressed in the study.

Format: Use singular forms except where plural forms are the standard technical convention.

Editorial Rights: The Editorial Board reserves the right to refine or adjust keywords to enhance database indexing and search engine visibility.

8.4. Main Text Structure

- Heading Hierarchy: Use a clear decimal numbering system. It is recommended to limit the structure to a maximum of three heading levels for optimal clarity and readability:

1. First-level heading (Main section)

1.1. Second-level heading (Subsection)

1.1.1. Third-level heading (Sub-subsection)

- Formatting: Start each new section or paragraph on a new line. Footnotes should be kept to a minimum and indicated by superscript numerals.

- Equations: Number equations consecutively in parentheses, e.g., (1).

- Figures and Tables: Must be cited sequentially (e.g., Figure 1, Table 1). Captions for figures must be placed below the image; titles for tables must be placed above the table.

- Units and Numerals: Use Arabic numerals and the International System of Units (SI).

8.5. Generative AI in Writing

Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may only be used to improve the readability and linguistic quality of the manuscript.

Assume Responsibility: Authors remain solely accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the final text. AI tools must not be used as primary sources of scientific reasoning, hypothesis formulation, data interpretation, or conclusion development.

8.6. Generative AI in Visual Materials

The use of AI-assisted tools to create, modify, or manipulate primary scientific images (e.g., maps, remote sensing data, field photos) is strictly prohibited.

Visuals must be original works produced by the authors.

For conceptual illustrations created using AI, authors must explicitly disclose the tool name and scope of use in the figure legend.

8.7. References

Citation Style: The journal follows a numbered reference system.

In-text Citations: Indicate references in the text using Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g., [1], [1, 2], [3-5]).

Reference List: List all references at the end of the manuscript in the order of their first appearance.

Author Names: For sources with more than three authors, list the first three authors followed by “et al.”

Language: References should be in English. For non-English sources, provide an English translation.

Examples:

Journal Article:

[1] Yanagi M. Analysis of the path and mode of tourism resources innovation in Japan. Geographical Research Bulletin, 2022, 1, 2-13.

Book:

[2] Guo X. The development history of world offshore oil. Petroleum Industry Press, 2012, 33-35.

Conference Proceedings:

[3] Wang X, Yuan G, Han J, et al. Effect of water injection speed on the huff and puff process. Proceedings of the Chinese Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Hangzhou, 2019, 628-634.

Degree Thesis:

[4] Sun S. Adaptability evaluation and design scheme for low salinity water flooding. China University of Petroleum (Beijing), 2019.

Preprint/DOI:

[5] Liu X. Economic evaluation of tight oil development under uncertainty. Jxiv, 2022. https://doi.org/10.51094/jxiv.7

Online Source:

[6] Shale Gas Reporter. Range Resources sets record lateral length in Pa. http://shalegasreporter.com/news/ (Accessed November 16, 2020).

8.8. Appendices

Supplementary materials (e.g., extended datasets, detailed derivations) should be placed in an Appendix after the main text and before the references. Label them as Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Figures and tables in appendices should be numbered independently (e.g., Figure A1, Table B1).

8.9. Preprints

The journal encourages authors to share their work on recognized preprint servers (e.g., Jxiv, arXiv, EarthArXiv) before or during submission. Authors should disclose the existence of a preprint. Upon publication, authors should update the preprint record with the DOI of the final published version.

9.1. Editorial and Production Workflow

Upon formal acceptance, the manuscript enters the production workflow, which involves professional copyediting, typesetting, and final quality assurance.

Communication: All production-related correspondence will be conducted exclusively with the corresponding author, who is responsible for coordinating with co-authors and ensuring timely responses to editorial inquiries.

9.2. Proofing and Corrections

Review of Proofs: Page proofs (PDF format) will be sent to the corresponding author via email. The corresponding author must carefully review the proofs for accuracy and return the proofs within 5 business days.

Scope of Corrections: Proofing is intended to correct typographical errors, formatting inconsistencies, or minor clerical inaccuracies. Substantive changes to the scientific content, including alterations to data, research findings, or conclusions, are strictly prohibited at this stage.

Final Approval: Typically, authors are provided with one opportunity for proof correction. Once the corrected proofs are approved and published online, further changes cannot be made unless through a formal Corrigendum or Erratum.