Instructions for Authors

Manuscript preparation

1. General guidelines
   • Manuscripts are accepted preferably in British English.
      
   • A typical manuscript should be between 4,000 and 8,000 words in length.  Word counts include text, abstract, references, figures and tables. Each figure or table should be considered to be equivalent to 300 words. Multi-part figures/tables with no more than two parts will be considered one single figure/table. Research papers should not exceed 8,000 words with no more than 16 display items (figures and tables). Technical notes, discussions and replies should not exceed 4,000 words with no more than eight display items (figures and tables).
     
     Figures and tables that exceed the allowed displayed limit can still be published if an approval is obtained from the HKIE Transactions Committee. However, the word count equivalent to the figures/tables will still be included in the total word count and should not exceed the prescribed limits mentioned above for different types of manuscripts.
     
     Manuscripts exceeding these limits with the approval obtained from the HKIE Transactions Committee are required to pay an extra publication fee at a rate of HK$500 per 600 words. However, the total number of word count must not exceed 50% of the above length limits i.e. research papers should not exceed 12,000 words in length while technical notes, discussions and replies should not exceed 6,000 words in length.
     
     (Applicable to papers submitted before 2 November 2022 ONLY:
     A typical manuscript will not exceed 24 pages of text (A4 size, double spacing with 12pt font size on one side of the paper only, with 2.5cm margins) or the equivalent in 12 typeset PDF pages, inclusive of cover sheet/tables/references/figure captions/footnotes/endnotes. There should be no more than 2 images, figures and/or tables per page. For reference, one double spaced A4 page roughly contains approximately 300 words while one manuscript page without images or figures contains roughly 600 words. An accepted manuscript that exceeds 12 typeset PDF pages will be charged at a rate of HK$500 per each additional page.)
      
   • Authors should include a word count with their manuscript.
      
   • Manuscripts should be compiled in the following order: title page; abstract (of less than 200 words); keywords (5 to 8); main text; acknowledgements; financial interest disclosure statement; appendices (as appropriate); references; table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figure caption(s) (as a list).
      
   • To facilitate the refereeing process authors should indicate on the cover sheet to the manuscript the key subject area (e.g. mechanical, civil, electrical, electronic, geotechnical, etc.).
      
   • Numbering should be avoided where possible.
      
   • All the authors of a manuscript should include their full names, affiliations, postal addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses on the cover page of the manuscript. One author should be identified as the corresponding author. The affiliations of all named co-authors should be the affiliations where the research was conducted. If any of the named co-authors changes affiliation during the peer review process, the new affiliation can be given as a footnote. Please note that no changes to affiliation can be made after the manuscript is accepted. Please note that the email address of the corresponding author will normally be displayed in the article PDF and the online article.
      
   • All persons who have a reasonable claim to authorship must be named in the manuscript as co-authors; the corresponding author must be authorised by all co-authors to act as an agent on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript, and the order of names should be agreed by all authors.
     .
   • Please provide a short biographical note for each author along with a recent passport-sized photo.
      
   • For all manuscripts non-discriminatory language is mandatory. Sexist or racist terms should not be used.
      
   • Authors must adhere to SI units. Units are not italicised. All symbols and Greek letters should be italicised.
      
   • All abbreviations should be spelled in full when they first appear in the text excluding the Abstract.
      
   • Please use the Harvard referencing style for the submitted article.
      
   • When using a word which is or is asserted to be a proprietary term or trademark, authors must use the symbol ® or TM.
      
   • Publishing ethics
     Please note that HKIE Transactions uses CrossCheckTM/ Turnitin software to screen manuscripts for unoriginal material. By submitting your manuscript to HKIE Transactions, you are agreeing to any necessary originality checks your manuscript may have to undergo during the peer review and production processes.
     
     Each manuscript will normally be reviewed by no less than two referees assigned by the Panel because of their knowledge of the field concerned, experience in producing a balanced review, and ability to make a firm and fair recommendation in the light of the Institution’s policy.
      
   • Conflict of interest
     Authors must also incorporate a disclosure statement which will acknowledge any financial interest or benefit they have arising from the direct applications of their research.
      
   • Funding
     Please acknowledge your funding support received by supplying all details of the relevant funding and grand-awarding bodies in a separate paragraph under the Acknowledgement section as follows:
     
     For single agency grants
     This work was supported by the  under Grant .
     
     For multiple agency grants
     This work was supported by the  under Grant ; under Grant ; and  under Grant .
      
2. Details on types of manuscripts accepted
   
   Case history: Manuscripts must not simply describe events and activities. The following information must be provided:
   • For manuscripts reporting new techniques, the reasons for introducing them must be given along with any literature review or development work carried out and the scientific principles on which the technique is based. An evaluation of the benefits and limitations based on experience gained in the particular application must be supported by actual observations (preferably with performance measures).
      
   • For manuscripts documenting experience in the use of existing techniques, the options considered as well as the basis for adopting a particular method for the particular situation must be given. The basis should be supported by a cost comparison or a comparison of technical suitability. An evaluation of the benefits and limitations based on experience gained in the particular application must be provided and supporting performance data must be given.
      
   • For both types of manuscripts, the selection of parameters used in any analysis carried out should be discussed, and preferably be supported by appropriate test data.
   
   Literature review
   • Manuscripts must not be a summary of literature. Along with a technical appraisal of all previous work on the subject, it must result in an improved understanding of the subject. For example, the literature review could comment on the limitations of previous work or disseminate the work within a consistent scientific framework. Literature reviews must contain conclusions and recommendations for potential use in engineering practice.
   
   Theoretical work
   • Manuscripts must not simply describe a theory with its derivation. The following information must be provided. For manuscripts introducing a new theory, a background literature review and the need for developing the new theory must be given, and practical engineering applications must be provided. Comparison with experimental or monitoring data and its conclusions must be given. The assumptions and limitations of application of the theory in engineering practice must be stated. Selected parameters used in any analysis carried out should be discussed, and preferably supported by appropriate test data.
   
   Experimental work
   • Manuscripts must not simply describe experiments. A background literature review must be given. The experimental techniques adopted must be clearly described (to the extent that the experiments can be repeated by others), together with any technique verification, equipment verification and equipment calibration carried out. A statement of accuracy and repeatability must also be provided. Comparison with other experimental work or theories should be given where possible. The conclusions and recommendations must draw reference to engineering applications, with limits of applicability carefully defined.


3. Figures and tables
   • It is in the author's interest to provide the highest quality figure format possible. Please be sure that all imported scanned material is scanned at the appropriate resolution: 1,200 dpi for line art and 600 dpi for grayscale.
      
   • Figures can be embedded in appropriate places in the text of the manuscript for reviewing. However, authors are also required to upload separate figures for final publication.
      
   • Files should be saved as one of the following formats: TIFF (tagged image file format) or PostScript or EPS (encapsulated PostScript), and should contain all the necessary font information and the source file of the application (e.g. CorelDraw/Mac, CorelDraw/PC).
      
   • All figures must be numbered in Arabic numerals in the order in which they appear in the paper (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2). In multi-part figures, each part should be labelled in the format of (a), (b), (c) (e.g. Figure 1(a), Figure 1(b), Figure 1(c)).
      
   • Figure captions must be saved separately, as part of the file containing the complete text of the manuscript, and numbered correspondingly.
      
   • The filename for a graphic should be descriptive of the graphic, e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2(a).
      
   • Tables should be numbered consecutively and titled. Tables should not repeat data which are available elsewhere in the manuscript.
      
   • All symbols and Greek letters in figures should be italicised. 
      
4. Reproduction of copyrighted material
   If you wish to include any material in your manuscript for which you do not hold copyright, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission. Such material may be in the form of text, data, table, illustration, photograph, line drawing, film/video still, and screenshot, and any supplemental material you propose to include. This applies to direct (verbatim or facsimile) reproduction as well as “derivative reproduction” (where you have created a new figure or table which derives substantially from a copyrighted source). You must ensure appropriate acknowledgement is given to the permission granted to you for reuse by the copyright holder in each figure or table caption. You are solely responsible for any fees which the copyright holder may charge for reuse. The reproduction of short extracts of text, excluding poetry and song lyrics, for the purposes of criticism may be possible without formal permission on the basis that the quotation is reproduced accurately and full attribution is given.
    
5. Copyright, authors' rights, and permission to self-archive
   To assure the integrity, dissemination, and protection against copyright infringement of published articles, you will be asked to assign to The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, via a Publishing Agreement, the copyright of your article. Your Article is defined as the final, definitive, and citable Version of Record, and includes: (a) the accepted manuscript in its final form, including the abstract, text, bibiography, references and all accompanying tables, illustrations, data and any other materials contained in your manuscript. Our Publishing Agreement with you will constitute the entire agreement and the sole understanding between The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and you; no amendment, addendum, or other communication will be taken into account when interpreting your and The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ rights and obligations under this Agreement.
   
   Click to access the Publishing Agreement, the terms and conditions of the assignment of copyright and permission to self-archive.
    
6.  Similarity check
    A similarity check will be performed on all submissions. The Panel reserves the right to accept or decline any submitted manuscript.
    
7. Return of manuscripts
   No manuscripts or illustrations will be returned to the authors.
    
8. Submission
   To facilitate the reviewing process, all submissions should be made online at the HKIE Transactions Scholar One Manuscripts website.
   
   New users should first create an account. Once logged on to the site, submissions should be made via the Author Centre. Online user guides and access to a helpdesk are available on this website.
   
   Manuscripts should be submitted in any standard editable format, preferably in MS Word. These files will be automatically converted into a PDF file for the review process.
   
   Manuscripts that are sent for review are subject to the scrutiny of normally no less than two referees chosen because of their knowledge of the field concerned, experience in producing a balanced review, and ability to make a firm and fair recommendation in the light of the Institution’s policy.