Instructions to Authors

OUTLINES


Introduction

Soft Computing Journal (SCJ) is an archival journal providing a publication vehicle for complete coverage of all topics of interest to those involved in the soft computing area. The audience includes researchers, managers and operators of soft computing applications as well as designers and implementors. The Editorial Board will consider for publication any material that is of interest to those groups.

The topics covered by the journal but not limited to these are:

Soft computing methods include:
      - Neural network
      - Fuzzy Logic
      - Artificial intelligence
      - Knowledge representation
      - Machine learning
      - Chaos theory and systems
      - Evolutionary calculations
      - Inference calculations
      - Smart multifunction systems
Applications of soft computing in:
      - Software engineering
      - Multimedia environments
      - Computer networks
      - Security

The primary purpose of SCJ is to publish original and complete research papers covering a specific topic or project in the above-mentioned areas in sufficient detail and depth to be of practical use to interested readers. The readers should benefit from the novel solutions and analyses presented in the papers. Enhanced, extended versions of quality papers presented at conferences or workshops can be submitted to our journal for review.

Note that papers that were already published with the same content or simultaneous submission of the same paper to other journals or conferences will not be considered for publication in our journal and will be immediately rejected.


Preparation of Manuscripts

Please provide an abstract of 100 to 250 words. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references. Moreover provide 5 to 8 keywords which can be used for indexing purposes. Manuscripts submitted for consideration for publication have to be prepared concisely and must not exceed 20 typewritten pages, (font 12 for persian and 10 for English articles, including tables & graphs).

For first (initial) submissions, we require a single file containing your manuscript as a minimum (Word or PDF). For revised submissions we strongly recommend to upload the editable source files (either Word or LaTeX) together with a PDF of the revised manuscript for reference. We can process a PDF-only submission, but upon acceptance source files are mandatory and providing source files after acceptance may delay production. Authors should submit the paper via our online system at scj.kashanu.ac.ir.

The Word template file of SCJ can be downloaded here.

All correspondence has to be sent to the address scj[at]kashanu.ac.ir.


Submission

Manuscript submission to SCJ is possible only electronically via our website. To submit a manuscript, you should first create a new account (if you do not have an account). After registration is complete, you will have to login to your account, go to the Author tab and click on ‘Submit a New Manuscript’.


Changes to authorship

Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.
Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.


Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' and a 'Authorship Contribution Form'.


Language

Submissions can be written in both Persian and English. Authors who are less familiar with Persian or English languages are advised to seek assistance from proficient scholars to prepare manuscripts that are grammatically and linguistically free from errors.


Submission structure

Title

Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

Author names and affiliations

Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.

Corresponding author

Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about Methodology and Materials. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.

Abstract

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, References should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

Keywords

Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 8 keywords, using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.

Introduction

In the introduction section, the innovation and also the reason for using the methods or algorithms stated in the article should be clearly mentioned.

Materials and Methods

This should be complete enough to provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be repeated by others. However, only truly new procedures should be described in detail; previously published procedures should be cited, and important modifications of published procedures should be mentioned briefly. Capitalize trade names and include the manufacturer's name and address. Subheadings should be used. Methods in general use need not be described in detail.

Results

Results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, tables and figures; repetitive presentation of the same data in different forms should be avoided. The results should not contain material appropriate to the Discussion. It should be written in the past tense when describing findings in the authors' experiments. Results should be explained, but largely without referring to the literature.

Discussion

The discussion should consider the results in relation to any hypotheses advanced in the Introduction and place the study in the context of other work. Results and Discussion sections can be combined.

Conclusions

Content of the conclusion section should not substantially duplicate the abstract.

Figures and Tables

Photographs must be printed on contrasted glossy paper and have sharp outlines. Diagrams and figures should be submitted as original drawings. Figures and tables are to be numbered in the sequence in which they are cited in the manuscript. Every table and figure must have a caption that explains its content. 

Math formulae
Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in line with normal text where possible and use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms, e.g., X/Y. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separately from the text.

Acknowledgment

Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).

References

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list. Use of the DOI is highly encouraged. A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it as a permanent link to any electronic article.

References must be numbered in square brackets within the article and listed in usage order at the end of the manuscript. There are strict requirements on reference formatting at submission.

Citation and referencing in SCJ are based on the IEEE style. For more details, see Guide to Citing and Referencing.