Author Guidelines

Instructions and Information for Authors

Thank you for considering to submit a manuscript to the Journal of Computer and Forensic Sciences. The points below provide general instructions and information for authors. If you have any questions, please contact us at comput.forensic.sci@kpu.edu.rs.

Submission Checklist

• Ensure that your manuscript fits the Aims and Scope of the Journal.
• Use the Microsoft Word template or the LibreOffice template to prepare your manuscript.
• Ensure that your manuscript complies with our research and publishing ethics guidelines.
• Ensure that all authors have signed the Author Statement.

Aims and Scope

Journal of Computer and Forensic Sciences covers advanced and innovative research across the fields of computer and forensic sciences. 

The scope of the journal covers new developments in:

Computer Science: natural language processing, image processing, intelligent technical systems, human-machine interaction, machine learning, modeling, classification and clustering, applied mathematics, biometric system synthesis and analysis, applied cryptography and cryptanalysis, knowledge-based reasoning, cognitive and affective computing, biologically-inspired computing, information security and safety, digital forensics, big data systems and architectures, mobile device ecosystems, ambient intelligence and smart cities, and other hot topics.

Forensic Sciences: forensic chemistry and toxicology, forensic genetics, biology and serology, legal medicine, forensic anthropology, pathology and odontology, forensic physics and physical sciences, firearms, explosions and arsons, document examination, forensic biometrics, digital forensics, forensic engineering (mechanical, traffic and civil engineering, material science and chemical technologies, biotechnology and agriculture), environmental forensics, forensic psychology, as well as social (legal, ethical and policy) aspects of forensic sciences that are scientifically-sound and other emerging topics where science interacts with the law.

Open Access

The Journal of Computer and Forensic Sciences is an open access, peer-reviewed scientific journal. All accepted manuscripts are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges.

No Article Processing Charges (APC)

The journal does not have submission charges or article processing charges.

Manuscript Types

The journal publishes:

• Original research papers – recent research results in computer and forensic sciences,
• Review articles (solicited reviews) – comprehensive and up-to-date systematic review of a specific area,
• Case reports – describing interesting and exceptional cases, providing new information to the readership.

Research Ethics

Manuscripts reporting on research involving human subjects, animals, cell lines, and plants will be scrutinized by the editorial office. Editors may ask the authors for documentary evidence or reject any submission that does not meet the research ethics requirements.

Please note the following research ethics guidelines:

• Research involving human subjects must be carried out following the rules of the Declaration of Helsinki[1] of 1975, revised in 2013.

·         For research on animals, authors should ensure that their research complies with the principles of the 3Rs (i.e., Replacement, Reduction and Refinement[2]) which provide a framework for ethical decision making in the use of animals in research and teaching.

·         For research involving cell lines, the origin of any cell line should be stated.

Publication Ethics

We adhere to the Core Practices and Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics[3], and expect authors to comply with its best ethical publication practices. Plagiarism, data fabrication, and image manipulation are not acceptable. If evidence of misconduct is found, appropriate action will be taken to correct or retract the publication.

Manuscript Submission

The authors may submit a manuscript that has not been published before, that is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that has been approved by all co-authors. All manuscripts should be submitted through the online submission system.

Templates

Please use the Microsoft Word template or the LibreOffice template to prepare your manuscript.

Language

All manuscripts should be written in English. Please note the following:

• Our reviewers are advised to distinguish between the quality of writing and the quality of ideas. However, authors are strongly encouraged to carefully edit and proofread their manuscripts.
• All accepted manuscripts undergo professional English editing (free of charge), and proofreading by the authors.
• Authors are also strongly urged to avoid using language or examples that may be perceived as discriminatory.

Manuscript Length

Different types of manuscripts require more or less space. Therefore, we imply no restrictions on the length of manuscripts, provided that the text is concise and comprehensive.

Manuscript Structure

All manuscripts should consist of three main parts: the front matter, the main body, and the back matter.

The front matter should include:

• Title: The manuscript title should be specific and relevant.
• Author list, affiliations, and email addresses: At least one author should be named as the corresponding author.
• Abstract: The abstract should be a single paragraph and must not exceed 200 words. It should express the purpose of the study, indicate the main methods applied, and summarize the main findings.
• Keywords: Three to five specific keywords should be added.

The main body structure depends on the type of manuscript.

• In original research articles, it should include the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions (authors can make appropriate minor modifications to this section structure).
• In review articles, it should consist of literature review sections.
• In case studies, it should consist of sections describing and discussing the case study.

The back matter should include the following sections:

• Funding: Authors should disclose all sources of funding for their research. For research that did not receive external funding, please add “This research received no external funding”.
• Acknowledgments (optional): The authors may acknowledge any support that contributed to their manuscript, which is not included in the funding section.
• Author Contributions (optional): For manuscripts with several authors, their individual contributions can be specified.
• Institutional Review Board Statement: For studies involving humans or animals, please add “The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki” and add the Institutional Review Board Statement and approval number. If ethical review and approval were waived, the authors are required to provide a detailed justification. For studies not involving humans or animals, please add “Not applicable”.
• Informed Consent Statement: For studies involving humans, please add “Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study”. If informed consent was waived, the authors are required to provide a detailed justification. For studies not involving humans, please add “Not applicable”.
• Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose all conflicts of interest that may directly or potentially influence or impart bias on the work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include but are not limited to: research grants, honoraria, financial support, employment, consultancies, affiliations, intellectual property rights, financial relationships, personal or professional relationships, and personal beliefs. If there is no conflict of interest, please add “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
• References: The Reference section must provide a numbered list of references, as recommended by the IEEE Citation Guidelines[4]. The list is comprised of the sequential enumerated citations. A number enclosed in square brackets, placed in the text of the report, indicates the specific reference. Citations are numbered in the order in which they appear.

Figures, Tables, and Equations

• All figures and tables should be inserted into the main body of the manuscript (preferably close to their first citation) and numbered following their number of appearance.
• All figures and tables should have an explanatory caption.
• All figures should be at a sufficiently high resolution (i.e., 300 dpi or higher) and provided in a single zip archive. Preferable formats are TIFF, JPEG, and EPS.
• All equations should be numbered following their number of appearance.
• All equations should be editable by the editorial office (i.e., not provided in a picture format).

Citation Policy

If a manuscript includes material (e.g., figures, tables, text passages, etc.) taken from other sources, its source must be clearly cited. When appropriate, the authors should obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) and include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their manuscripts.

References cited in the text must appear in the References list, and vice versa. Personal communications and classical works are cited in text only and are not included in the References list.

Authors should not engage in citation manipulation, including but not limiting to excessive self-citation and “honorary” citations. Authors should not cite advertisements or advertorial material.

Editorial Procedures and Peer-Review

• Initial checks: All submitted manuscripts are first checked whether they fit the aims and scope of the Journal and meet its standards. At this stage, your manuscript may be rejected before peer-review or returned to the authors for revision and resubmission.
• Peer review: Once a manuscript passes the initial checks, it is assigned to at least two independent experts for peer-review. A double-blind review is applied. The guidelines for reviewers are available here.
• Editorial decision and revision: The decision on a manuscript is one of the following:

◦     Accept in present form,

◦     Minor revision,

◦     Major revision,

◦     Reject.

·         Author appeals: In a response to the reviewers, the authors should address all reviewers’ comments. The response should be organized by presenting reviewers’ comments one by one, followed by the authors’ response. Authors may appeal a rejection by sending an e-mail including a detailed justification to the Editorial Office.