Focus and Scope

Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics is an international, quarterly published and open access journal that publishes original research articles as well as review articles, case studies, discussions and letters to the editor in all areas of structural mechanics and materials.

Primary aim of CJSMEC is to encourage academic challenges in structural mechanics and materials disciplines to seek for the global truth. Therefore, the Journal intends to publish at least a review or discussion at each issue. A double blind peer-review policy is followed in order to increase the scientific quality of the published papers. CJSMEC publishes review articles, case studies, short communications and discussions, book reviews, challenge to previous published papers, and a diary on international events related to any aspect of structural engineering.

Contributions may range from new methods to novel applications of existing methods to gain understanding of the material and/or structural based mechanical behavior of new and advanced engineering systems. The scope of CJSMEC encompasses, but is not restricted to the following areas. Papers making a fundamental contribution focused at the following topics are welcome.

• Design of civil, building and mechanical structures
• Analytical and computational modelling methods
• Structural optimization and computation
• Structural reliability and stability
• Earthquake engineering
• Seismic hazard studies
• Earthquake scenarios
• Computational mechanics
• Rigid-body mechanics
• Dynamic impact mechanics
• Fracture mechanics
• Effects of wind and wave loadings on structures
• Effects of fire and blast on structures
• Bridges and special structures
• Concrete, masonry, steel and composite structures
• Damage and failure mechanisms in materials and structures
• Structure-fluid-soil interaction
• Structural repairing and strengthening methods

ISSN 2149-8024

Section Policies

Research Articles

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Reviews

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Case Studies

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Short Communications

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Letters to the Editor

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Discussions

Open Submissions

Indexed

Peer Reviewed

Peer Review Process

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously or is not under review by another journal. Within 5 days of submission, each manuscript undergoes a preliminary review by the Editor-in-Chief. Editor-in-Chief might directly invite reviewers or forwards to the Section Editors for the purpose of additional evaluation. According to the double blind peer-review policy of the Journal, author information is removed from the manuscript before sending to potential reviewers.

In case review reports (at least two) point the manuscript to be published in the Journal, manuscript is accepted and forwarded to copyediting stage.

Rejection of a manuscript requires two negative reviews. If the Editor receives one positive and one negative review, a third reviewer is assigned to the submission. At this point, deadline for the third reviewer is shortened to speed up the review process.

A manuscript might be declined for review, if Editor decides that the submission is out of the Journal's scope. English language of each manuscript is evluated by editorial staff before forwarding the manuscript to the Editor. If the grammar and spelling of the manuscript need correction, a language revision might be requested or the manuscript might be rejected for further review.

The Editor might request the author to revise the manuscript regarding the review reports. There is no guarantee that the revised manuscript will be accepted for publication. If the authors wish to proceed, revised manuscript is submitted to the online journal system, along with a letter that explains how the reviewers’ comments have been addressed.

 

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Being in line with Budapest Open Access Initiative definition, Tulpar Academic Publishing agrees that removing access barriers to scientific literature will accelerate research, enrich education, share the learning of the rich with the poor and the poor with the rich, make this literature as useful as it can be, and lay the foundation for uniting humanity in a common intellectual conversation and quest for knowledge.

"Open access" is the free availability of scientific literature on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.

Editorial Commitments

The Editorial Board is comprised of Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor(s), editorial board members, web editors, guest editor, editor assistants.

Editor-in-Chief
The chair of the editorial board is the Editor-in-Chief. The last decision for articles are taken by Editor-in-Chief.

Associate Editor(s)
An associate editor, who commissions articles, coordinates peer review process.

Editorial Board Members
Having place in editorial board of CJSMEC provides an academic prestige to the board members. Additionally, the role of the editorial board members are to advise and support the Editor-in-Chief.

Objectives of the editorial board are as described below:
1. Provide input on editorial needs and review manuscripts, as requested.
2. Help to identify peer reviewers and provide second opinions on papers (i.e. where there is a conflict between reviewers).
3. Complete assigned reviews in a timely fashion. Offer mutually respectful and constructive review of manuscripts to assist in providing the highest quality papers.
4. Identify key topics to include in the journal and invites key authors on these topics to submit an article.
5. Each Editorial Board member of CJSMEC should review at least one article in three years.
6. Approaching potential contributors.
7. Identify appropriate conferences for editors to attend.
8. Endorse the journal to authors, readers and subscribers and encourage colleagues to submit their best work.

Manuscript Editor
Manuscipt editor is responsible for format/language requirement before publishing articles. Formatting staffs directly reports to only manuscript editor.

Web Editor
Web editor is particularly responsible for the Journal's online content to inform all interested scholars about recent published issues.

Guest Editor
Guest editor migth be invited by Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor and Journal Manager to handle special issues and books.

Technical Staff
Article submission problems, user account problems or general queries are handled by technical staffs.

Journal Managers
Journal managers of each journal are selected from the same field of research interest. Web editors, manuscript editors and all administrative staff works under the journal managers. The most important duty of journal managers is to follow the innovations for their journals' improvements. Journal manager names are preferred to be hidden in most cases.

Contact staff evaluate received e-mails for Journal Manager. If it is believed that some issues can not be solved by journal staff, then e-mails are forwarded to Journal Managers.

 

Disclosure Policy

If there is no conflict of interest, authors should state in their cover letter that “The author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.”

 

Submission & Publication Charges

Challenge Journal of Structural Mechanics does not require any kind of submission or publication charges.

 

The Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

Tulpar Academic Publishing is committed to meeting high standards of ethical behavior at all stages of the publication process across all our journals. In our ethical standards and procedures, we set out general expectations for authors, editors, reviewers and publishers. Ethical standards for publication exist to ensure high-quality scientific publications, public trust in scientific findings, and that authors receive credit for their research.

Allegations of misconduct will be investigated fully, as outlined on the relevant pages below. Complaints against a journal, its staff, editorial board or publisher should be directed to the editorial office (contact details are provided on each journal homepage) or alternatively info@tulparpublishing.com.

 

Authors' Commitments

Content of the Submission

Authors of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed and the results, followed by an objective discussion of the significance of the work. The manuscript should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Review articles should be accurate, objective and comprehensive, while editorial 'opinion' or perspective pieces should be clearly identified as such. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

Authors should ensure that they have written and submit only entirely original works, and if they have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the work reported in the manuscript should also be cited. Plagiarism takes many forms, from "passing off" another's paper as the author's own, 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.

Papers describing essentially the same research should not be published in more than one journal or primary publication. Hence, authors should not submit for consideration a manuscript that has already been published in another journal. Submission of a manuscript concurrently to more than one journal is unethical publishing behaviour and unacceptable.

The publication of some kinds of articles (such as clinical guidelines, translations) in more than one journal is sometimes justifiable, provided that certain conditions are met. The authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation of the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication.

Authorship of the Submission

All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the manuscript and approved all its claims. It is important to list everyone who made a significant scientific contribution, including students and laboratory technicians.

Only persons who meet these authorship criteria should be listed as authors in the manuscript as they must be able to take public responsibility for the content: (i) made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, data acquisition, or analysis/interpretation of the study; and (ii) drafted the manuscript or revised it critically for important intellectual content; and (iii) have seen and approved the final version of the paper and agreed to its submission for publication. All persons who made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript (such as technical help, writing and editing assistance, general support) but who do not meet the criteria for authorship must not be listed as an author, but should be acknowledged in the "Acknowledgements" section after their written permission to be named as been obtained. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate coauthors (according to the above definition) and no inappropriate coauthors are included in the author list and verify that all coauthors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

Conflicts of interest on the Research

Authors must declare all potential interests in a ‘Conflicts of interest’ section, which should explain why the interest may be a conflict. If there are none, the authors should state “The author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.” Submitting authors are responsible for co-authors declaring their interests. Declared conflicts of interest will be considered by the editor and reviewers and included in the published article.

Funding Sources on the Research

Authors must declare current or recent funding (including for article processing charges) and other payments, goods or services that might influence the work. All funding, whether a conflict or not, must be declared in the ‘Acknowledgments’.

Review Requirements for the Submission

Authors are obliged to participate in the peer review process and cooperate fully by responding promptly to editors’ requests for raw data, clarifications, and proof of ethics approval, patient consents and copyright permissions. In the case of a first decision of "revisions necessary", authors should respond to the reviewers’ comments systematically, point by point, and in a timely manner, revising and re-submitting their manuscript to the journal by the deadline given.

Erratum on the Publication

When authors discover significant errors or inaccuracies in their own published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal’s editors or publisher and cooperate with them to either correct the paper in the form of an erratum or to retract the paper. If the editors or publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error or inaccuracy, then it is the authors’ obligation to promptly correct or retract the paper or provide evidence to the journal editors of the correctness of the paper.

 

Reviewers' Commitments

Contribution to the Decision-making Process

Reviewers are expected to contribute to the decision-making process, and to assist in improving the quality of the published paper by reviewing the manuscript objectively, in a timely manner. Peer review assists editors in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communications with authors, may assist authors in improving their manuscripts. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication and lies at the heart of scientific endeavor.

Confidentiality of the Review

Reviewers must maintain the confidentiality of any information supplied by the editor or author, and not retain or copy the manuscript. Any manuscripts received for review are confidential documents and must be treated as such; they must not be shown to or discussed with others except if authorized by the Editor-in-Chief (who would only do so under exceptional and specific circumstances). This applies also to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.

Conflicts of interest on the Review

Reviews should be conducted objectively and observations formulated clearly with supporting arguments so that authors can use them for improving the manuscript. Personal criticism of the authors is inappropriate.

Reviewers should be aware of any potential conflicts of interest (financial, institutional, collaborative or other relationships between the reviewer and author) and should immediately alert the editor to these, if necessary withdrawing their services for that manuscript so that alternative reviewers can be contacted.

Unpublished material disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the authors. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for the reviewer’s personal advantage. This applies also to invited reviewers who decline the review invitation.

 

Editors' Commitments

Independence of the Editorial Process

Editors will act in a balanced, objective and fair way while carrying out their expected duties, without discrimination on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographical origin of the authors.

Editors evaluate submitted manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit (importance, originality, study’s validity, clarity) and its relevance to the journal’s scope, without regard to the authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, citizenship, religious belief, political philosophy or institutional affiliation. Decisions to edit and publish are not determined by the policies of governments or any other agencies outside of the journal itself. The Editor-in-Chief has full authority over the entire editorial content of the journal and the timing of publication of that content.

Confidentiality of the Submission

Editors and editorial staff will 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.

Conflicts of interest on the Submission

Editors handle submissions for sponsored supplements or special issues in the same way as other submissions, so that articles are considered and accepted solely on their academic merit and without commercial influence.

Editors and editorial board members will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purposes without the authors’ explicit written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained by editors as a result of handling the manuscript will be kept confidential and not used for their personal advantage. Editors will recuse themselves from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships/connections with any of the authors, companies or institutions connected to the papers; instead, they will ask another member of the editorial board to handle the manuscript.

Decision on the Submission

Editors ensure that all submitted manuscripts being considered for publication undergo double-blind peer-review by at least two reviewers who are expert in the field. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for deciding which of the manuscripts submitted to the journal will be published, based on the validation of the work in question, its importance to researchers and readers, the reviewers’ comments, and such legal requirements as are currently in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The Editor-in-Chief may confer with other editors or reviewers in making this decision.

Editors will adopt and follow reasonable procedures in the event of complaints of an ethical or conflict nature, in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Society where appropriate. To give authors a reasonable opportunity to respond to any complaints. All complaints should be investigated no matter when the original publication was approved. Documentation associated with any such complaints should be retained.

Editors (in conjunction with the publisher and/or society) will take responsive measures when ethical concerns are raised with regard to a submitted manuscript or published paper. Every reported act of unethical publishing behaviour will be looked into, even if it is discovered years after publication.

 

Publisher's Commitments

Tulpar Academic Publishing shall ensure that good practice is maintained to the standards outlined above. For recent and future journals, more detailed ethical procedures will be set out and brought to the attention of journal editors and editorial boards in the process of time.

In cases of alleged or proven scientific misconduct, fraudulent publication or plagiarism, the publisher, in close collaboration with the editors, will take all appropriate measures to clarify the situation and to amend the article in question. This includes the prompt publication of an erratum, clarification or, in the most severe case, the retraction of the affected work.  The publisher, together with the editors, shall take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, and under no circumstances encourage such misconduct or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place.

In the event that there are documented violations of any of the above mentioned policies in any journal, regardless of whether or not the violations occurred in a journal published by Tulpar Academic Publishing, the following sanctions will be applied:

-        Immediate rejection of the infringing manuscript

-        Immediate rejection of every other manuscript submitted to any journal published by Tulpar Academic Publishing by any of the authors of the infringing manuscript

-        Prohibition against all of the authors for any new submissions to any journal published by Tulpar Academic Publishing, either individually or in combination with other authors of the infringing manuscript, as well as in combination with any other authors. This prohibition will be imposed for a minimum of 36 months

-        Prohibition against all of the authors from serving on the Editorial Board of any journal published by Tulpar Academic Publishing

In cases where the violations of the above policies are found to be particularly egregious, the publisher reserves the right to impose additional sanctions beyond those described above.

 

Policy of Screening for Plagiarism

Papers submitted to the Journal will be screened for plagiarism using Similarity Check / iThenticate plagiarism detection tools. Editorial management of the Journal will immediately reject papers leading to plagiarism or self-plagiarism.

 

Copyright & Licensing Information

Tulpar Academic Publishing allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and will retain publishing rights without restrictions.

Tulpar Academic Publishing allows the users to copy, distribute and transmit an article, adapt the article,even commercially, as long as the original work is attributed.

 

Abstracted & Indexed by

	Crossref
	TR DİZİN
	Index Copernicus
	Bielefeld Academic Search Engine
	JournalTOCs
	Google Scholar

* More information regarding the last status could be requested from cjsmec@challengejournal.com.