Advanced Composites Letters accepts short communications and full papers, which make an original contribution to the field of science and engineering of advanced composite materials or structures. Short communications should concentrate on results and conclusions. They should however include supporting information necessary for a thorough understanding of the article. Full papers should make an original contribution to the field of the journal and should include a detailed discussion of the results obtained.

Letters providing insight into macroscopic behaviour in terms of microscopic mechanism are encouraged, as are Letters discussing original ideas of an innovative nature. Contributions of a theoretical nature should indicate possible applications. Where there is a significant mathematical contribution, the author is required to explain in some detail the application of the mathematics.

Submission of papers

As of August 2006, contributors should submit their papers for refereeing only by using the automatic online submission tool (OMMS).

Manuscripts should not be simultaneously considered for publication elsewhere.

Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder permission to reproduce any figures for which copyright exists.

Categories of contributions

Full Articles which should not exceed 10 (ten) pages of double-spaced text and a maximum of 10 (ten) photographs and/ or line diagrams.

Letters which should not exceed 8 (eight) double-spaced pages of text including photographs and line diagrams.

Communications to the Editor which are very short letters to the Editor that contain novel- sometimes provocative- ideas and results.

Preparation of Manuscripts

In order for a short communication or a full paper to be published the following conditions must be met:

Each Letter should have a short, informative title and should include an abstract of 70 words or less.

Short replies to recently published Letters are encouraged and should not exceed 300 words and one figure.

Full papers are also welcomed under the following conditions

• two hard copies of the manuscript must be submitted
• all papers should also be submitted in an electronic form (e-mail attachment or 3½ diskette)
• text must be double line spaced and in single column format
• tables and figures must not be incorporated within the text, but should be appended on separate sheets.

The title of all contributions should reflect its contents. Names and addresses of the authors should follow the title. Footnotes should be avoided.

The SI system should be used for all scientific and laboratory data, although values in other systems may be quoted in parentheses after the SI units if authors consider it necessary. Temperatures should be given in Celsius (^oC) or Kelvin scales. The use of proprietary names should be avoided as far as possible, but may be acceptable where, in the Editor's opinion, the proprietary name is a universally known description of the material in question, eg Kevlar-49. Papers of advertising nature will not be accepted.

Figures

For the print document, figures and line diagrams should be prepared and sent in full-scale at a resolution of 300 dpi. Acceptable formats: TIFF, GIF or EPS.

Illustrations

For the print document, photographic illustrations should be prepared and sent in full-scale at a resolution of 300 dpi. Acceptable formats: TIFF, JPG.

Refereeing

All manuscripts will be read by two or more referees and may require revisions before the final acceptance. Final manuscripts may be amended by the Editor-in-Chief.

References

References to published work should be numbered sequentially in order of citation in the text, and cited in the text by square brackets. The recommended format is as follows:

Surname, Initial, Next surname, Initial etc., “Title “, Journal, Volume/Issue  (year of publication), page numbers . A typical example is given below:

Friedrich, K. and Selzer, R., “Effect of moisture on mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composites”, Adv. Comp. Letters, 2/1 (1993), 10-13.

Proofs

The authors of full papers will receive a set of page proofs for checking. No new material may be inserted in the text at the time of proof reading unless accepted by the Editor (eg to provide further details of references). All joint contributions should indicate the name and full postal address of the author to whom proofs and the published complimentary issue should be sent.

Page charges and offprints

There will be no page charges. The corresponding author of a published paper will receive the issue in which his/her contribution is presented free of charge. Offprints of a given article can be ordered at current printing prices.

Timescale for publication

The timescale for refereeing, acceptance and publication of all short communication and full papers is 3 to 4 months from the date of submission to the Editorial Office.