Instruction for Authors
It is essential that authors prepare their manuscripts according to the established specifications of the JCivilAvia. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in delays. The effectiveness of the search capabilities offered will depend upon the care used by authors in preparing their manuscripts. Therefore, authors are strongly encouraged to read these instructions carefully before preparing a manuscript for submission and to check the manuscript for compliance with these instructions before submitting it for editorial and peer review.
EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION POLICIES
Authorship
Each author must have participated sufficiently in the work to take responsibility for the content and be willing to provide any relevant data upon request. All authors must certify that they have contributed substantially to:
* the conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data,
* the drafting or revision of the manuscript, and
*the approval of the final version.
Authors must further certify that the manuscript represents valid work and that neither the submitted manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under their authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere (exceptions are made for abstracts and reports from scientific meetings). Manuscripts that have been previously posted on the Internet in their entirety or that are readily accessible via an Internet search are considered published and cannot be accepted for publication in the JCivilAvia.
The JCivilAvia limits the number of authors to 5 in most cases. While justification for more than 5 authors is requested, in practice the editors accept reasonable explanations for the legitimacy of the claim. Group authorship is permitted for large collaborations and multisite trials.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest (competing interests) include facts known to a participant in the publication process that if revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived (or an author, reviewer, or editor feel defensive). Conflicts of interest may influence the judgment of authors, reviewers, and editors; these conflicts often are not immediately apparent to others or to the reviewer. They may be personal, commercial, political, academic, or financial. Financial interests may include employment, research funding (received or pending), stock or share ownership, patents, payment for lectures or travel, consultancies, nonfinancial support, or any fiduciary interest in the company. The perception or appearance of a conflict of interest, without regard to substance, alone creates conflict, because trust is eroded among all participants. All such interests (or their absence) must be declared in writing by authors upon submission of the manuscript. If any are declared, they should be published with the article. If there is doubt about whether a circumstance represents a conflict, it should be disclosed. Sources of full or partial funding or other support for the research must be declared and should be described in an acknowledgement if the manuscript is published; if anyone besides the authors is involved in analysis, interpretation, or control of the data, this must also be declared. The funding organization’s or sponsor’s role in the design and conduct of the study; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript should be specified.
Nondiscriminatory Language
Nondiscriminatory language is mandatory for all submissions. Statements made by authors that are defamatory or otherwise unreasonably critical toward persons or institutions may jeopardize the objectivity of the JCivilAvia and create grounds to or rejection of the manuscript.
Embargo Policy
When a paper is accepted for publication in the JCivilAvia it is under embargo and not for public release until publication. Authors are permitted to present their research before peers at scientific meetings, but should refrain from distributing copies of their paper, including data tables and figures, prior to official publication. Authors are permitted to talk with reporters about their work, but should clearly disclose that the research is embargoed and that findings may not appear elsewhere prior to publication in the JCivilAvia.
Copyright
Opinions expressed by authors of articles summarized, quoted, or published in full in the JCivilAvia represent only the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the JCivilAvia or the ELBA Aviation Institute or institution with which the authors are affiliated. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use—such as copying for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collective works, or for resale—without the expressed permission of JCivil Avia is prohibited.
EDITORIAL AND PEER REVIEW
Manuscripts are evaluated by the JCivilAvia formal editorial team according to the following criteria: material is original and timely, writing is clear, study methods are appropriate, data are valid, conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data, information is important, and topic has general aviation interest. From these criteria, the editors select papers for peer review. Papers of insufficient priority are promptly rejected. Decisions about a manuscript are based only on its importance, methodological rigor, originality, clarity, and relevance to the JCivilAvia mission. Studies with negative results, or those challenging previously published work or widely held beliefs, receive equal consideration.
CATEGORIES OF PAPERS
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor referring to a recent JCivilAvia article are encouraged up to 3 months after the appearance of a published paper. By submitting a Letter to the Editor, the author gives permission for its publication in the JCivilAvia. Letters should not duplicate material being published or submitted elsewhere. The editors reserve the right to edit and abridge letters. Text is limited to 400 words and 10 references. A single table, figure, or image is permissible.
Editorials
Editorials in the JCivilAvia are considered opinion pieces and do not undergo peer review. They may be commissioned by members of the formal editorial team or on occasion, reformatted as editorials from other submitted papers. Editorials are 1500 words in length with no abstract and up to 10 references. Subheadings are used to guide readers through the major arguments in the text. Authors may upload suggested images as supplemental files at submission. Editor-in-Chief Üner Beköz triages editorials to the member of the formal editorial team who is expert in the content area of the column.
Field Action Reports
Field Action Reports is a peer-reviewed department of the JCivilAvia that highlights the fieldwork of aviators. This department seeks descriptions of innovative, successful, and cost-effective programs conducted by national, state, and local aviation-transport agencies and groups. The purpose of the department is to share experiences that others may learn from and replicate. All Field Action Reports must include practical experiences and applications for others. The manuscript should not exceed 1000 words, excluding the abstract (unstructured, 120 words), key findings, and other sidebars, references, boxes, and tables/figures. Text headings are recommended. Sidebar boxes highlighting specific aspects of a program are acceptable. Evaluation data may be presented in 3 tables and/or figures, but graphics that depict the content of the program are especially encouraged. Images, especially photographs showing examples of project participants in context, logos, and examples of other educational materials are likewise encouraged.
Commentaries
Scholarly essays, critical analyses and policy manuscripts may be submitted as commentaries. Guidelines for this format permit up to 2500 words in the main text, an unstructured abstract of 120 words, and up to 2 tables/figures. References should be formatted according to the APA7th Style.
Analytic Essays
Analytic essays may be commissioned as part of collections of papers on a given theme and grouped together in an analytic essay. An analytic essay consists of an unstructured abstract of up to 120 words, up to 3500 words of text with subheadings to guide readers through the essential elements of the argument, and up to 4 tables, figures, and images that are core to the analysis.
Full Length Articles
Manuscripts that report the results of original quantitative or qualitative research are published as research and practice articles at full length (up to 4000 words in the main text, a structured abstract of 200 words, and up to 4 tables/figures). The main text must follow the standard JCivilAvia research and practice format, with an introduction and separate sections for Methods, Results, and Discussion. This format is the highest priority for the JCivilAvia and represents the majority of papers published.
Case Reports
Clinical case reports are invaluable first-hand source of evidence in aviation and a tool most often used to exchange information and generate a more expanded search for evidence. In addition to the “evidence of what happened”, single or multiple cases are an important basis for further and more advanced research and investigation, safety effectiveness, causes and outcomes of accident and incidents. However limited their conclusions may be, case reports remain a fundamental component of aviation, contributing greatly to the advancement of safety in aviation. In todays ever-expanding Evidence-Based Investigation, case reporting require a well-defined focus, content and structure. A Case Report consists of an unstructured synopsis of up to 120 words, up to 3500 words of text with subheadings to guide readers through the essential elements of the argument, and up to 5 tables, figures, and images that are core to the case.