About the Journal

Focus and Scope

We intend to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical research on the aspects of sustainability (including climate change and clean energy, sustainable consumption & production, sustainable transport, conservation and management of natural resources, public health, social inclusion, cultural diversity and identity etc.) in the fields of civil engineering (building structures, building materials, construction technology and management, buildings physics and building services, and geotechnical engineering) and architecture (architectural design and theory, architectural science and technology, planning, landscape architecture, building renovation, and architectural heritage preservation) and will pay special attention to the joint research in these areas.

Publication Frequency

2 issues per year

Peer Review Process and Plagiarism Policy

Peer Review Process

The research journal Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering peer review all the material submitted using OJS. Some of the submissions are rejected without being sent out for external peer review on the grounds of priority, insufficient originality and scientific flaws. A decision on such papers is taken quickly, usually within 3-6 weeks. The remaining manuscripts go through at least two double-blind reviews. Authors are welcome to suggest suitable independent reviewers. It might take up to 3 months to prepare a review.

Once the paper was reviewed and the comments from reviewers were received final decision concerning the publishing is made by the Editorial board usually within 3-6 weeks.

Authors must revise the article according to remarks or give a reasonable explanation for ignoring some remarks. An article must be revised from 2 weeks up to 2 months (in exclusive situations) counting from the day the article has been returned to the author. After the review, revised articles should be submitted to the Editorial Board through OJS along with detailed responses written for the reviewers concerning the performed corrections. Corrections must be provided in another text colour.

The Editorial Board is the competent authority in taking decision(s) on selection or rejection of the manuscripts of all the research/review/similar articles submitted to the Journal. The decision taken by the Editorial Board is final in all respects and no further comments/communications from authors in this regard is expected.

It may be noted that the aforesaid policy may change with or without notice to the authors/ contributors of this journal. The decision of Journal in respect of the management of a manuscript in every step is taken as final.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a significant violation of truthfulness and involves stealing intellectual property or taking credit for other individuals' work. The responsibility for plagiarism lies ultimately with the writer.

Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering protects the rights of authors and investigate claims of plagiarism or misunderstandings of published articles. Submitted articles are checked with duplication-checking software CrossRef. If the fact of plagiarism is estimated Editorial Team of Journal has the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; inform the dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies. 

Most editors and reviewers would argue that self-plagiarism is unethical. Thus, an author cannot copy one’s own material for a new manuscript without the permission of the copyright holder. Alternatives include using quotes around short phrases of own work and citing appropriate references.

Articles submitted to Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. must not contain any results that have been reported in any journals or books in any form. You should inform editors of any potential duplicate publications.

We practice the principle of single submission: one submission of one manuscript to one journal at a time and no resubmission to another journal until a written rejection has been received. Editors must have exclusive rights to the manuscript. This principle does not eliminate consideration for the publication of any paper previously rejected by another journal.

 

Publication ethics and malpractice statement

As part of our work is to improve the quality of the journal, so we would like to emphasize the importance of maintaining high ethical standards when publishing articles in the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering.

We work on adhering to international publication ethics and publication malpractice statement (composed using the Publishing ethics resource kit and in compliance with Elsevier recommendations can be found here: http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines)

Professional and ethical considerations

The papers having political profiles, or papers including biased or incorrect evaluations of other scientific works and other specialists, are not accepted for publication.

Our priority is articles on the basis of their scientific novelty and applied importance for the science of architecture and civil engineering and other areas. We value research and evidence-based practice, too.

Misleading Publication

The articles must be authentic and should not contain manipulated data or fraudulent information. This also applies to direct translation between different languages.

Articles should describe results as accurately as possible, and avoid using statements of opinions as facts. The manuscript should present the results in a direct way and avoid misleading the reader or causing misunderstandings. It is important to discuss the significance of the results; at the same time, it is crucial not to over-interpret the results. Excessive or biased interpretation will not contribute to scientific progress and will mislead readers.

Malpractice statement

Academic misconduct in any form will not be tolerated by the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. In cases of suspected misconduct (plagiarism, fraud, breached intellectual property rights, etc.) a panel will be formed to evaluate the substance of the claim. If the claim is supported by evidence, the paper in question will be rejected for consideration in the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. and all authors and their affiliations will be informed. In cases where the paper has already been published before the misconduct was discovered, a retraction by authors or by the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. the board will have to take place and the case will be made public. Evident cases of misconduct may result in a three-year or longer ban from future submission to the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. All appeals regarding the panel’s decisions have to go through the Editor-in-Chief and should be submitted within 30 days of the decision date.

Ethical guidelines for journal publication

The publication of an article in a peer-reviewed Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. is a direct reflection of the quality of the work of the authors and the institutions that support them.

Peer-reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon standards of expected ethical behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the society.

Kaunas University of technology as the publisher of the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. takes its duties of guardianship over all stages of publishing extremely seriously and we recognize our ethical and other responsibilities.

We are committed to ensuring that advertising, reprint or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions. In addition, the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. and Editorial Board will assist in communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful and necessary.

Duties of Authors, Editorial Board and Reviewers

Duties of Authors

Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work.

Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Authors should follow the information presented in Peer Review Process and Plagiarism Policy and Publication Ethics and Malpractice Information sections.

Acknowledgement of sources

Proper acknowledgement of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services.

Authorship of the paper

Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. requires that submitted manuscripts are solely the author’s own work and not the work of others unless explicit permission has been granted. This includes text, figures and tables.

All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for it.

People who provide financial assistance and technical support or were committee members could be acknowledged but not recognized as authors. Examples of specific contributions that might warrant acknowledgement include sources of funding, provision of expert technical assistance, review and critique of a manuscript, assistance with statistical analysis and interpretation, or participation in the formulation of ideas or planning of a project.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflicts of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest stage possible.

Fundamental errors in published works

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the paper. If the editor or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper.

Reporting standards

Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work.

Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, and editorial Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. works should be clearly identified as such.

Originality and plagiarism

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism takes many forms, from 'passing off' another's paper as the author's own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another's paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

Duties of the Editorial Board

These guidelines are based on existing Elsevier policies and COPEís Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Publication decisions

The editor of a peer-reviewed Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering. is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always drive such decisions. The editor may be guided by the policies of the journal's editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Fair play

An editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

Confidentiality

The editor and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Editors should recuse themselves (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor or another member of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers. Editors should require all contributors to disclose relevant competing interests and publish corrections if competing interests are revealed after publication. If needed, other appropriate action should be taken, such as the publication of a retraction or expression of concern.

Involvement and cooperation in investigations

An editor should take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, in conjunction with the publisher (or society). Such measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or paper and giving due consideration of the respective complaint or claims made, but may also include further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies, and if the complaint is upheld, the publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note, as may be relevant. Every reported act of unethical publishing behaviour must be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication.

No Plagiarism

An editor should use crosscheck (http://www.crossref.org/crosscheck/index.html) to ensure that no plagiarism appears in papers published in the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering.

Duties of reviewers (These guidelines are based on existing Elsevier policies and COPEís Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors).

Contribution to editorial decisions

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of the scientific method.

Promptness

Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse himself from the review process.

Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

Standards of objectivity

Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

Disclosure and conflict of interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewerís own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Data Bases

Scientific materials published in Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering are abstracted and indexed in:

Scopus  

EBSCO  

IndexCopernicus Inernational    

Ulrich's Periodicals Directory/ulrichsweb databases  

DOAJ 

Sponsors

• Kaunas University of Technology

Journal History

The publication of the Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Civil Engineering was started in 2012. The publishing of the journal was encouraged by the array of the topics addressed by two international scientific conferences organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Department of Architecture and Land Management of Kaunas University of Technology - the Advanced Construction and the Ecological Architecture – and the publications in the proceedings of these conferences.

Publisher

Kaunas University of Technology

Print ISSN: 2029-9990

Online ISSN: 2335-2000