Prior Publication, Preprints & Simultaneous Submission

Originality

Manuscripts must be original, must not have been published, and must not be under consideration by any other journal or publisher at the same time. Authors confirm this at submission.

Preprints

• The journal accepts manuscripts that have been posted on a recognised preprint server.
• State the preprint DOI in the cover letter and in the submission metadata.
• Do not post an updated version of the manuscript on the preprint server while it is under review.
• After acceptance, add a link to the published article on the preprint page.
• Cite a preprint in the reference list only when no peer-reviewed version exists, and update the citation if one appears.

Conference papers, theses and dissertations

A paper that was presented at a conference is acceptable when the earlier version was an abstract or a short presentation, or when the manuscript is substantially extended. A full paper already published in proceedings is prior publication. Material from a thesis or dissertation is acceptable if the thesis itself is not the main text of the article. Authors must disclose any such earlier version in the cover letter and cite it.

Secondary publication and translations

The journal does not republish articles that have already been published in another journal, in the same or in another language, unless there is a justified reason, permission from the first publisher and a clear note about the original publication.

Simultaneous submission

Submitting the same work to more than one journal at the same time is not allowed. If it is found, the manuscript is rejected or, if already published, retracted, and the authors’ institutions may be informed. See the Research Misconduct Policy and the Plagiarism Policy.