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AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
Where to Submit Your Manuscript
Types of Submissions
How to Prepare Your Manuscript
How to Prepare Your Figure Files
Free Color Online
Manuscript Preparation Checklist
Editorial Process Overview
Contact the Editorial Office
Citing Your Work
Submission Process
Quality Check of Submission
Revised Manuscript Submission Process
Checking a Manuscript's Status and Viewing
Manuscript Files
Navigation and Getting Help
Accepted Manuscripts
Copyright Transfer Agreement
Sending Manuscript Correspondence
Permission Request for Published Material

Where to Submit Your Manuscript

Submit manuscripts via Peer X-Press, the online manuscript submission system for the Journal of Testing
and Evaluation, located at http://jote.peerx-press.org. Before submitting a new manuscript, have available
the following information and items:

For each author:

The list of authors in order of appearance
First name, middle name, and last name; also title (e.g.,Dr., Prof.)
Email address
Postal address, including department and institution
Primary (work) telephone number
Primary (work) fax number
Full title
Abstract
Subject-matter key words
Suggested and/or excluded reviewers (include name, e-mail address, and institution)
Electronic files (properly prepared):
Cover letter (will be accessible to editors and reviewers; should include the manuscript title,
all authors, contact information, and any notes for the editor)
Manuscript (acceptable source files are Microsoft Word (2003 version or earlier) or
LaTeX/REVTeX; PDF files are not suitable for source files. Uploaded source files are
automatically converted by system software into a PDF file.)
Illustrations [one file for each cited figure number; acceptable formats are .tif (Tagged Image
File Format), .ps (PostScript), .eps (Encapsulated PostScript)
Supplemental material to aid the reviewers (including auxiliary document, figure, and table
files)
Multimedia files (including datasets, audio and video files)

After registering and submitting information and files, you may use Peer X-Press to check on the status of
your manuscript throughout the peer review process.

An electronically accepted Copyright Transfer Agreement is required for publication in this journal.

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Types of Submissions
Click here for information regarding Technical Manuscripts, Technical Notes, Discussions, Closures, Book
Reviews and Errata.

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How to Prepare Your Manuscript

For general format and style, consult recent issues of the Journal and the ASTM Style Manual. Papers will
be reviewed in accordance with the journal's standards and authors should review the Specific Ratings
used by reviewers prior to writing their papers.

Manuscript. Includes the abstract, references, and captions, and should be neatly typed in English, double
spaced on 21.6 cm x 28 cm (8 ½" x 11" or A4) pages, and have at least 1" margins. It should be carefully
proofread by the author. The manuscript must be in good scientific American English; this is the author's
responsibility. Number all pages in single sequence beginning with the title and abstract page. The title
page should contain the title of the article, the names and affiliations of the authors, a short abstract, and
keywords only. Pages of the manuscript should be arranged in the following order: title page, text,
acknowledgments, appendixes, references, tables, figure captions, and figures. Papers should not be
lengthened by unnecessary descriptions and repetitions, but neither should authors use a telegraphic style
detrimental to the clarity and understanding of the paper.

Length Requirements. The suggested number of word-equivalents is 10,000 for Technical Manuscripts,
3,500 for Technical Notes, and 2,000 for Discussions. Tables and figures of normal size should generally be
counted as 250 word equivalents each. The editor may waive these restrictions to encourage papers on
topics that cannot be treated within these limitations. Review papers concerned with a large topic area
may be longer in order to adequately cover the topic. Justification for longer manuscripts should be
provided and permission received from the Journal's Associate Editor covering the section involved.

Commercialism Policy. It is ASTM's policy to avoid commercialism in all publications. Therefore, use
generic terms whenever possible. Capitalize trademarks and trade names when used. Use the symbols ®
and ™ when appropriate. Include the company name, city, and state in a footnote the first time used and
capitalize the trademark name throughout the rest of the paper.

"Previously Published" Policy. In order to maintain the integrity of the publication process, the policy of
ASTM and its Committee on Publications (COP) forbids the publication of previously published material.
For the purpose of this policy, "previously published" means published in a peer-reviewed, archival
document or electronic format such that the material can be easily referenced and obtained. With limited
exceptions, this definition would encompass any material that is currently subject to copyright protection.
Informally published proceedings of workshops or seminars would not normally fall under the scope of this
definition.

In order to be subject to this policy, the material in question need not be identical to the previous
publication, only substantially the same. The editor of the publication and the assigned COP representative
are responsible for determining whether or not the material is "substantially the same" in each case.

Exceptions to this policy can be granted with approval of the Technical Editor of a journal and the COP
representative. Examples for exceptions may include a case in which the completeness of technical
accuracy of a manual is comprised without the materials contained in a previously published work.
Similarly, a journal's Technical Editor may feel that the readers would benefit from the information so
much that they agree to sacrifice journal pages to accommodate the previously published article.

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In cases where an exception is granted, all necessary waivers of copyright must be obtained by the author,
submitted to ASTM, and cited in the publication with the copyright holder's permission.

Title. Should be as concise as possible but informative enough to facilitate information retrieval. "Part I,"
or simply "I," will not be included as part of the title of an article unless Part II has already been submitted
for publication in the Journal. Parts III, IV, etc., are likewise unacceptable unless the prior parts have
already been accepted or have appeared in this journal and are properly identified in the references.

Authors' names. In general, authors should strive for a consistent format of their names in publications.
This will facilitate indexing, avoid duplication, and lessen ambiguities when other researchers are looking
for more of your work. (e.g., Robert Smith, Robert K. Smith, R.K. Smith, Bob Smith). It would be best to
select one format for your name and use it consistently.

Abstract. Should be self-contained (contain no footnotes). It should adequately describe all subjects,
major and minor, about which new information is given, and summarize the conclusions and all results of
general interest in the article. The abstract should be written as one paragraph and should not contain
displayed mathematical equations or tabular material. The abstract will be available in the ASTM Digital
Library to assist researchers when considering their interest in obtaining your manuscript.

Conflict of Interest: Authors are responsible for recognizing and disclosing any conflict of interest that
could be perceived to bias their work, acknowledging all financial support and any other personal
connections with the journal's editorial board members.

Keywords: Provide at least 3 words that researchers would likely use to locate your paper in our Digital
Library or any online search.

Equations. Should be neatly typed, punctuated, and aligned to bring out their structure, and numbered on
the right. Mathematical operation signs indicating continuity of the expression should be placed at the left
of the second and succeeding lines. Use a multiplication sign (×) rather than a centered dot, except for
scalar products of vectors. The solidus (/) should be used instead of built-up fractions in running text, and
in display wherever clarity would not be jeopardized. Use "exp" for complicated exponents.

Notation. Must be legible, clear, compact, and consistent with standard usage. All unusual symbols whose
identity may not be obvious must be identified the first time they appear, and at all subsequent times when
confusion might arise. Superscripts are normally set directly over subscripts.

Footnotes. For footnotes that appear in the text of the paper, use superior numbers. The number scheme
should pick up from where the author affiliation footnotes left off. For example, if on the first page there
are two author affiliation footnotes (1 and 2), then any footnotes on the following pages should pick up
with number 3. For footnotes in tables, use superior lowercase, roman letters, beginning with the letter "a,"
for each table. The footnotes should appear below the table.

References. All references must contain enough information to allow a reader to find the cited materials.
Use italics for titles of books or journals and do not abbreviate journal titles. See the ASTM Style Manual
for examples.

Website references must contain the title of the site, the URL, and the date you viewed the site. If possible,
also include the author, the date the information on the site was written or posted, and any other pertinent
information that will help the reader find the reference.

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Citing Standards: A standard mentioned in the text should have initial caps and be typed without quotes or
italics (this applies to standards of other standards organizations as well) and include a complete reference
to the Standard. Example: "...this was the case according to ASTM A252-98el." In the manuscript's
reference section, the Standard should be given as follows: ASTM Standard A252-98el: Specification for
Welded and Seamless Steel Pipe Piles, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, ASTM International, West
Conshohocken, PA, 1998. (See the References section of the ASTM Style Manual for more examples.)

Tables. Separate tables (numbered with Arabic numerals in the order of their appearance in the text)
should be used for all but the simplest tabular material; they should have captions that make the tables
intelligible without reference to the text. The structure should be clear, with simple column headings giving
all units. Unaltered computer output and notation are generally unacceptable. Authors should make every
effort to prepare tables in Portrait rather than Landscape layout to assist the online readers and save paper.

Figures. All figures, whether line drawings, graphs, or photographs, and including any associated text,
must be prepared in such a manner that they are clear and legible in color (online) and in black and white
(in print). It is suggested that you use shapes or patterns so the meaning is clear in color and black and
white. In general, figures and associated text should be prepared using a suitable software application
intended for producing a graphical image, graphing numerical data, or editing a photograph. Please see the
How to Prepare your Figure Files section for detailed requirements. Click here for more technical
information. Figures should be submitted in the final published size, not oversized. Figures, whether they
are line drawings, graphs, and/or photographs, must be labeled consecutively as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc. and
have a corresponding citation in the main text. Do not label tables as figures.

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How to Prepare Your Figure Files

Please adhere to the following guidelines when preparing your figure files for submission:

Reviewers and the Editor will be asked to recommend improvement or elimination of poor quality or
irrelevant figures.
Number figures in the order in which they appear in text.
Place only one figure per page. Place all parts of the same figure on one page if possible.
Label all figure parts with (a), (b), etc. Avoid any large disparity in size of lettering and labels used
within one figure.
Prepare figures in the final published size, not oversized. The maximum published width for a
one-column figure is 3-3/8 in. (8.5 cm). Each figure should be prepared for 100% reproduction in
order to avoid problems arising from large reductions in size.
In cases where reduction is required, avoid small open symbols that tend to fill in and avoid small
lettering. Ensure that, in the final published figure, there is a minimum of 8-point type size (2.8 mm
high; 1/8 in. high) for lettering and 0.5-point width for lines.
Ensure that lettering and lines are dark enough, and thick enough, to reproduce clearly, especially if
reduction is necessary. Remember that fine lines tend to disappear upon reduction.
All photographs must have an indication of scale to be acceptable for publication. Also, make sure
the photographs will be legible and reproduce well - not too light and not too dark.
Figures may remain embedded in the Word article file. However, they must also be uploaded
separately in one of the following acceptable formats.
When preparing illustrations that will appear in color in the online journal and in black and white in
any printed format, authors must ensure that (i) the figures will reproduce well when printed in black
and white and (ii) descriptions of figures in text and captions will be sufficiently clear for both print
and online versions.
Acceptable formats: PostScript (.ps), Encapsulated PostScript (.eps, using either Arial or Times

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Roman fonts), or Tagged Image File format (.tif, lzw compressed). Application files (e.g., .jpeg and
.doc) are not acceptable.
When submitting your manuscript, submit ALL figure files for your paper, including line art.
Make sure there is only ONE figure per file. Each figure file should contain all parts of the figure.
For example, if Figure 1 contains three parts (a,b,c), then all parts should be combined in a single file
for Figure 1.
Set the correct orientation for each graphics file.
Settings: Set the graphic for 600 dpi resolution for line art, 300 dpi for halftones, and 600 dpi for
combinations (line art + halftone)
Save line art as black/white bitmap, not grayscale.
Save halftones and combinations as grayscale, not black/white bitmap.
Submit color files at 300 dpi in one of these formats: .tif, .ps, or .eps. If selecting a file mode, use
RGB (red, green, blue) for color online or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) for color in print.
(See the following section, Free Color Online, for more information regarding color figures in print).
Excel charts and graphs are considered figures. Upload them as figure files in either .tif, .eps or .ps.
These formats are required to create the best possible image in the journal and online. NO other
format is acceptable.
(NOTE: Tables should be incorporated into the article text unless they contain a graphic or Excel
chart or graph.)
You may check the quality of your figures using the Figure Quality Check feature. This is an
optional feature, but will help to identify potential problems with reproduction.

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Free Color Online

If authors supply usable color figure files in time for the production process, color will appear in the
online journal free of charge. A usable color figure file must be in one of the following formats:
Encapsulated PostScript (.eps), PostScript (.ps), and Tagged Image Format (.tif). No other type of
color illustration is acceptable, and only one version of each graphics file will be accepted.
In order to maintain online color as a free service to authors, the journal cannot accept multiple
versions of the same graphics file. Authors may not submit two versions of the same illustration
(e.g., one for color and one for black & white). When preparing illustrations that will appear in color
in the online journal and in black & white in the printed journal, authors must ensure that (i) colors
chosen will reproduce well when printed in black and white, and (ii) descriptions of figures in text
and captions will be sufficiently clear for both print and online versions. This is the author's
responsibility.
If usable color figure files are received in time for the productions process, authors will see color
versions of those illustrations when viewing their author proofs. (The Corresponding Author will
receive e-mail notification from AIP when the proof, as a PDF file, is available for downloading.) At
this time the authors should print out the figures in black and white to ensure that they will translate
their information effectively in print.
At the proof stage, authors must insert the phrase "(Color online)" into the captions of figures that
will appear in color in the online journal and in black & white in the printed journal. This is the
author's responsibility.
An example of an amended figure caption appears below:

Fig. 10. (Color online) Experimental (dotted curve) and simulated (solid curve) x-ray diffraction spectra.

Authors or their institutions must bear the cost of any color they wish to use in print. For information

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about color printing charges please contact the Editorial Office.

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Manuscript Preparation Checklist

Use this checklist to avoid the most common mechanical errors in submitted manuscripts:

The manuscript must be double spaced; single column throughout.

Number all pages in sequence, starting with the title page.
Type the title, abstract, and keywords on a separate first page.
Type the list (double spaced) of references (including footnotes) and a list of figure captions, and
tables on pages separate from each other and the main text.
Type references in the style used by this journal.
Submit cover letter, manuscript file, figure files, and any supplemental files via Peer X-Press, the
journal's online submission system, located at http://jote.peerx-press.org.
The original figures must be in the final published size, not oversized. They must also be clear and
translate well from color to black and white.
An ASTM Author/Copyright Owner Agreement must be electronically accepted.
Provide keywords on the dataform where indicated and in your manuscript file.
Provide permissions for all materials for which you are not the copyright holder (unless the material
is in the public domain.) Click here for a sample letter to copyright holders.

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Editorial Process Overview

The manuscript submission and peer review process is broken down into the following eight basic steps:

The author submits a manuscript for publication in the journal. It is important that the manuscript be
in single-column format (i.e., not two columns), that it be double spaced, and that it include page
numbers.
One of the Associate Editors assigns an Editorial Board Member (EBM) or self to handle the
peer-review process for the manuscript.
The EBM assigns the Reviewers to the manuscript.
The assigned reviewers review the manuscript, and submit their comments to the EBM.
If revisions to the manuscript are invited, the Author is sent the reviewers' comments and may
resubmit a revised manuscript.
When the revision is received, the EBM makes a recommendation to the Editor.
The Associate Editor makes a final journal decision regarding publication of the manuscript.
The Author is contacted with the decision.
After final acceptance, your manuscript will be edited for grammar, style, and formatted. The
Corresponding Author will get the edited version and formatted proof for approval prior to
publication.

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Submission Process

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1. You can choose the files to upload one at a time or all at once if the files are in a .zip file. When you
have finished, click on "Upload Files" to transfer the selected files to the Journal website. If you find
that you have made a mistake after uploading the files, you may click on "Remove Files" or
"Replace Files" to make changes; you may also remove files at various stages along the way.
2. Choose a "File Type" for each file that you are uploading. The categories are self-explanatory (for
instance, "article file" will be the text of the manuscript; "figure" a figure, "Supplemental file for
Publication" a Supplemental file).
3. Figures and Supplemental files will also require an additional step where you identify them
(e.g.,"Figure 1").
4. Place the files in order. The files will appear in a box roughly ordered according to their file type and
identification. If there are multiple files to be combined into one file, as will happen when you have
uploaded separate manuscript and figure files, each file that requires ordering will appear with a
number. You can adjust the ordering by changing the number in the box or dragging the files to the
appropriate place.
5. Click on the box beside each of the files to be included in the merged PDF. Note that only the
merged PDF file will be seen by editors and reviewers -- be sure that it includes all figures and text.
When you are sure everything is right, click on the box to verify the ordering process and then click
on "next".

Providing information about the manuscript

6. Select the appropriate manuscript type.

7. In the boxes provided, type in the manuscript title, a suggested running title if required, and the
abstract of the article. Please use ASCII text.The abstract may be sent to potential reviewers so it is
important that it be legible. By the side of each box is a table of symbols that you may use to insert
non-ASCII symbols.
8. Provide any missing information for the corresponding author. Each field marked with an asterisk
(*) is required. All required fields must be completed. If there is really no such information, please
indicate so (e.g., "Telephone: no phone").
9. Use the 'Find Person' feature to include the names of your contributing authors. If your contributing
authors are not listed, please enter their information.
10. Provide at least one keyword and indicate the section where you believe your paper belongs if
appropriate.
11. Fill in the fields of the "Detailed information" screen.
12. Fill in the information on color figures. Note that if you want color in print, you must request it here.
13. Recommend reviewers, if you wish, on the "Author Review Suggestions" screen. You may also
suggest reviewers whom you think should not see your paper. Although editors will not promise to
abide by such considerations, they will take your suggestions into account when choosing reviewers
for your paper.

Confirming files and information and submitting the manuscript

13. Confirm the manuscript and manuscript data. Errors will be indicated with red lettering and a link to
the place where the error can be fixed. At that place, the error will be indicated with a large red
arrow.
14. When everything is in order, you may submit your manuscript.
15. Once you have approved your submission, you may not alter or access it directly. You will have to
write to the editorial office if you find something has gone wrong.

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