Manuscript format

This page sets out the structural and formatting requirements every OAJEA manuscript must meet, independent of which section it is submitted to.

Title and abstract#

The title should describe the work specifically enough that a reader scanning a table of contents can judge its relevance without opening the article — avoid vague titles built only around a method name. The abstract is a single paragraph, no more than 300 words, that states the problem, the approach, the key result, and its significance. It must stand alone: a reader who never sees the figures should still understand what was done and what was found.

Keywords#

Provide five to eight keywords, in order of relevance, that a researcher searching the field would plausibly use. Avoid repeating words already in the title — keywords exist to add discoverability, not to restate it.

Structure#

Research Articles, Case Studies, and Short Communications follow the IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, with a Conclusion at the end. Review Articles use a structure suited to their synthesis instead, but should still open with a stated scope and close with a summary of open questions.

• Introduction — the problem, prior work, and what this study adds.
• Methods — enough detail for another engineer to reproduce the study, including equipment, materials, and analysis procedure.
• Results — findings reported without interpretation.
• Discussion — interpretation, limitations, and comparison with prior work.
• Conclusion — a short statement of what was established and what remains open.

Word limits per section type#

Figures and tables#

Number figures and tables sequentially in the order they are first cited in the text, and cite every one at least once. Each needs a self-contained caption: a reader should be able to understand a figure from its caption alone, without hunting through the body text. Submit figures at a resolution that stays legible when the page is printed at journal column width — vector formats (PDF, EPS, SVG) are preferred for line art and plots; photographs and micrographs may be high-resolution raster images. Axis labels, units, and legend text must be readable without zooming.

Equations#

Number displayed equations sequentially in parentheses at the right margin, e.g. (3), and refer to them by that number in the text. Define every symbol the first time it appears, including its unit. Equations set inline with the text should use the same notation as displayed equations for the same quantity.

Units#

Report all quantities in SI units, or give the SI equivalent in parentheses immediately after a conventional or industry unit where the field's practice makes that necessary (e.g. 1500 psi (10.3 MPa)). Use SI unit symbols and prefixes consistently throughout — do not switch between kN and kilonewtons in the same manuscript.

Data and code availability#

Where the conclusions of the paper depend on a dataset, simulation code, or design files, these must be deposited in a public repository (or an institutional repository with a persistent identifier) before submission, and the repository link included in a Data Availability statement at the end of the manuscript. If data cannot be shared — for example, for legal, ethical, or third-party proprietary reasons — the statement must say so and explain why, rather than being omitted.

Reference style#

References follow APA 7th edition throughout: an alphabetical reference list at the end of the manuscript, with in-text citations in author–date form, e.g. (Rahman & Islam, 2024). Every in-text citation must resolve to exactly one entry in the reference list, and every reference list entry must be cited at least once in the text. Include a DOI for every reference that has one.

Anonymisation for double-blind review#

OAJEA uses double-blind review: reviewers do not see author identities, and authors do not see reviewer identities. The manuscript file you upload as the main submission must contain no author names, affiliations, acknowledgements naming individuals or grants tied to your identity, or self-citations phrased in a way that reveals authorship (e.g. "as we showed in our earlier work [12]" — rewrite as "as shown in prior work [12]"). All identifying information belongs only on the separate title page, uploaded as a cover letter, not in the manuscript itself.

Getting help#

If you are unsure whether your manuscript meets one of these requirements, ask the editorial office at [email protected] before submitting rather than after; formatting issues found at screening delay your manuscript's entry into review.