A member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the JAE endorses its "Best Practices," as do the publishers of the JAE. By submitting one's work for review and publication, all authors attest to, and agree to abide by, the COPE code of ethical conduct.   Please see below for a summary of JAE editorial practices with a special relevance for prospective authors.  See the JAE submissions guidelines for details about the manuscript submission process;  go to http://www.acsa-arch.org/acsa-press/JAE/current-calls or http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/joae.

• Individuals qualified to submit manuscripts
  
  • Faculty members (full or part time) teaching in architecture schools, and students in PhD programs may submit manuscripts for peer review at any time.
  • Students in professional or post-professional architecture programs may be listed as second authors, as long as the first author is a faculty member.
• Manuscript requirements
  
  • Manuscripts submitted for peer review must include original and significant scholarly inquiry or research conducted by the authors or author.  
  • Authors must reveal any conflicts of interest as part of their manuscript submission.
  • Authors must cite all information from others, as appropriate.
  • Authors must include the names of all co-authors.
  • Manuscripts must be unpublished.  Papers presented at conferences and published in full in conference proceedings are not accepted.  This includes papers presented at the ACSA national and international conferences.  Exceptions may be made for short opinion articles and editorials.  
  • Unpublished manuscripts may contain short passages from previously published articles, but this must not exceed 30% of the content, and the submitted manuscript must have a unique title, abstract, and conclusion.  The previous publication should be cited in the endnotes and acknowledgements.
  • Any manuscript that includes research on human subjects, including students, must observe the relevant guidelines and procedures as dictated by the author’s institution and the laws and regulations of the subject’s location.
  • The author must obtain all appropriate copyright permissions before the manuscript will be sent out for review.
  • The JAE accepts two types of manuscripts for peer review.  “Scholarship of Design” manuscripts present original scholarship that is primarily text-based, with approximately 7,000 words and 12 images.  “Design as Scholarship” manuscripts present scholarship executed as projects or imagery, with approximately 1500 words and 20 images.
  • The JAE does not accept unsolicited reviews or editorials.  Authors interested in submitting reviews or editorials are encouraged to contact the executive editor before submitting a manuscript.
• Peer review process
  
  • The editorial review process ranges from 4 months to 18 months, depending upon the availability of expert reviewers, the number of reviews required, and the JAE editorial calendar.  
  • The review process for scholarly manuscripts is blind.  The author’s identity will not be revealed to the reviewers.  Likewise, the reviewer identities will not be revealed to the author.  
  • Reviewers are selected by the editors of the JAE.  Authors may not suggest reviewers.
  • Manuscripts must meet the minimum requirements for work count, image count, and scholarly content to qualify for blind peer review.  Manuscripts that do not meet these minimum requirements will be rejected without review.
  • Manuscripts accepted for peer review will be reviewed by two scholars with expertise relevant to the scholarship included in the manuscript.  The executive editor will make final decision on all manuscripts, based on the findings of the reviewer and in consultation with the editorial staff.  If the executive editor has a conflict of interest regarding a manuscript, an assistant editor will make the final decision.
  • In the event of a split decision, the manuscript may be sent to a third reviewer. 
  • Manuscripts will receive one of the following decisions: accept, accept pending major revision, accept pending minor revision, or reject. Authors will receive comments on the manuscript regardless of the decision. 
  • In the event that a manuscript is accepted pending revision, the author will be responsible for completing the revision in a timely manner.  The author must consult the executive editor, and they will agree on a schedule for the revision.  In most instances, revisions must be completed within 30 days.  If the author is unwilling or unable to revise the manuscript, the manuscript will not be published, and the author may withdraw the manuscript.  
  • The executive editor will be responsible for determining if a revised manuscript meets the revisions requested.  If the executive editor determines that a revised manuscript fails to address the revision requirements, the executive editor may reject the revision or request additional revisions.
  • Once a revised manuscript is accepted by the executive editor, the revision may be sent out for a second round of peer review.  In the event a manuscript requires a second round of major revisions, the executive editor, at his or her discretion, may reject the manuscript.