Submission Process

Author Guidelines

Initial Manuscript Guidelines

Submittals must be in English and must include references as appropriate to the most recent AISC standards and publications available at the time of submittal. Submit your article in a Microsoft Word file that includes the following information: 

• page numbers and consecutive line numbering 
• an abstract and keywords
• clear figures and tables embedded within the flow of the text; color graphics are acceptable
• US customary units are the journal standard. If SI units are used, US customary units must be provided in parentheses. Rolled shape sizes in SI units must include an approximate US equivalent in parentheses. 
• equations formatted using Mathtype, a compatible addon for Microsoft Word. 
• references formatted similarly to the examples shown below
• biographical information for each author: name, title, employer, business address, and work email address. 
• designation of a primary author to receive correspondence regarding the submittal

Submittals without these elements or deviating excessively from the editorial guidelines outlined below may be rejected by the editor without a technical review. The most common problems with initial submittals include:

• references without citations or citations without corresponding reference 
• mislabeled, unreferenced, or missing tables, figures and equations
• poor grammar and style  
• improperly formatted references. Examples of correct format can be found in the "How to Cite" sidebar of every paper on this site (APA style). 

Final Manuscript Guidelines

Materials accepted for publication may be edited for style and grammar. The editor may decline final submittals that require excessive copyediting for style and grammar.

• File Format: Compatible with Microsoft Word.
• Fonts: Use Times New Roman font, 10- or 12-point type. Use tabbed indents to indicate paragraphs.
• Headings: Differentiate between heading levels as illustrated in the examples below:

MAJOR HEADING (bold, all caps)
Minor Heading (bold, title case)
Second-level Minor Heading (bold italic, title case)

• Graphics: Figures must be legible. Use large, clear fonts in your figures. Use line weights that will remain visible at reduced size. Embed all graphics in the Microsoft Word file in the flow of the text. In addition, provide each graphic as an individual file (PDF, JPG, TIF). Raw AutoCAD DWG files are not acceptable. Use the following format to reference graphics in text: "As shown in Figure 3, ..."
• Equations: Embed equations in the flow of the text using Mathtype. Do not use newer Word equation tools due to compatibility issues. Number equations sequentially. Use parentheses to set off the equation number from the equation itself. Use the following format to reference equations in text: "As shown in Equation 6, ..."
• Tables: Provide individual Word or Excel files for very large tables. Images of tables are not acceptable. Report numerical results to three significant figures. Use the following format to reference tables in text: "...results are shown in Table 12."
• Footnotes: Avoid footnotes if possible. Any footnotes should be noted clearly in the text with a superscript asterisk, dagger, or double dagger.
• Fractions: Use the forward slash: 7/8, 3/4, 1/8. For compound fractions, insert a hyphen for clarity between the whole number and the fraction: 1-1/8.
• Temperature: use the ° symbol: 20°C, 100°F. Do not use a superscript lower case letter “o”.
• Steel Shapes: Use the true × symbol (multiplication symbol) in your font or find it in the Symbol font. Do not use a lower case letter "x".