INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
The central aim of Mechanics of Composite Materials and Structures is to promote the dissemination of significant
developments and publish state-of-the-art reviews and technical discussions of previously published papers dealing
with the mechanics aspect of composite materials and structures. Refereed contributions describing analytical,
numerical, and experimental methods and hybrid approaches that combine theoretical and experimental techniques in
the study of composite materials and structures will be published along with critical surveys of the literature and
discussions of papers in the field. Contributions will range from new theories and formulations to analyses and novel
applications. Emphasis will be placed on the mechanics aspect at the interface of materials and mechanics disciplines.
The journal will publish manuscripts dealing with the mechanics aspects (for example, the mechanical characterization,
mathematical modeling, and numerical simulation) of composite materials and structures. Contributions may range
from new methods to novel applications of existing methods to gain understanding of the material and/or structural
behavior of composites. Typical topic areas are listed below.
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Materials: adhesives, ceramics, metal-matrix composites, and polymer-based composites; processing and
manufacturing of composite; actuator/sensor materials and electromagnetic materials; and damage and failure
mechanisms in material.
Structures: basic structural elements such as beams, plates, and shells; structures with actuators/sensors; active
and passive control of structures; aerospace, automotive, and underwater structures; and adhesively bonded
structures.
Methodologies: mathematical formulation of the kinematic, constitutive, and structural behavior of materials and
structures; experimental methods directed toward mechanical characterization, damage evolution, and failures in
mechanics and structures; computational methods for the solution of micro-, meso-, and macro-mechanics
mathematical models; methods dealing with the determination of local effects; and novel computational
approaches for material and structural modeling of composites.
Order of Presentation. Manuscripts should be organized as follows: Page 1 should include the title, author name(s) and
institutional affiliation(s) including zip code(s), mailing address for page proofs, and an abbreviated title of less than 50
characters to be used as a running head. The body of the manuscript should be preceded by a summary (maximum
length of 200 words) which should summarize the entire paper, not only the conclusions. The paper should be
reasonably divided into sections and, if necessary, subsections. Numbering these subsections is optional.
Preparation of Manuscript. Papers submitted should be in English. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on
one side of the page only and with adequate margins. All pages should be numbered.
Headings. Major headings of the same relative importance should be typed identically; for example, all main heads
should be typed in capital letters.
References. References to cited literature should be identified in the text with a number in square brackets. Full
citations should be grouped at the end of the paper and in numerical order of appearance. Double-spaced typing must
be used throughout. References should be styled and punctuated according to the following examples: journal
article[1]; book[2]; thesis[3]; report[4]; proceeding [5]; and edited book[6].
1. I. Tanasawa, S. Nishio, and K. Suzuki, Heat Transfer Bibliography—Japanese Works, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer,
vol. 38, pp. 1533—1542, 1995.
2. A. Bejan, Conviction Heat Transfer, 2nd ed., pp. 536—538. Wiley, New York, 1995.
3. D. Getachew, Non-Newtonian Convection in a Porous Matrix: Constitutive Equations and an Application, Ph.D.
Thesis, The University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, 1994.
4. J. E. Welch, F. H. Harlow, J. P. Shannon, and B. J. Daly, The MAC Method, Los Alamos Scientific Lab. Rept. LA3425, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 1966.
5. J. P. Harnett, Single Phase Channel Flow Forced Convection Heat Transfer, Heat Transfer 1994: Proc. 10th Int.
Heat Transfer Conf., Brighton, UK, vol. 1, pp. 247—258, Taylor & Francis, Washington, D. C., 1994.
6. D. W. Pepper and A. J. Baker, Finite Differences Versus Finite Elements, in W. J. Minkowycz, E. M. Sparrow, G.
E. Schneider, and R. H. Pletcher (eds.), Handbook of Numerical Heat Transfer, chap. 13, Wiley, New York, 1988.
Always give inclusive page numbers for references to journal articles and a page range for books. Each reference must
be cited in the text.
Equations. All mathematical equations should be carefully typewritten and checked so that a compositor can follow
the copy easily. Equation numbers (which are required) should be in Arabic Numerals, enclosed in parentheses and
aligned with the edge of the righthand margin. they should be cited in the text, for example, as “Eq. (10),” or “Eqs.
(12) to (16)”.
Footnotes. Any footnotes of acknowledgment or author identification will appear on the opening page of the chapter.
Text footnotes should be keyed with symbols (†, ‡) by page.
Tables. Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Each table should be typed double-spaced on
a separate piece of paper and be fully titled. Footnotes to tables should be identified by superscript lowercase letters
and placed at the bottom of the page containing the table. All tables must be referred to in the text discussions. Tables
in general should not repeat data available elsewhere in the paper, e.g., in a figure.
Illustrations. Line drawings should be in a form suitable for reproduction, with lettering large enough to be clearly
legible when the illustration is reduced. Photographs should be black and white glossy prints. All figures should have
captions, which should be typed double-spaced and supplied on a separate sheet. Each figure should be referred to in
the text. The original figure should be identified on the back with a figure number and an author’s name. Color
illustrations cannot normally be included unless paid for by the author. The charge for the first figure is $1200.
Subsequent figures, totaling no more than 4 text pages, are $500 each. Good quality color prints should be provided, in
their final size. Figures needing reduction or enlargement will cost an additional 25%. The publisher has the right to
refuse publication of color prints deemed unacceptable.
Units. All manuscripts must use SI units throughout; however, English units may be included parenthetically.
Spelling. Follow Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
Submission of Manuscripts. Three copies of the manuscript should be submitted to: Professor J. N. Reddy, Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843-3123, USA. If desired, submissions
may be made to that member of the Advisory Editorial Board who, in the author’s opinion, is most closely concerned
with the subject matter of the paper. The submission must include the contact author’s name; e-mail and street address;
and telephone and fax numbers. The editor reserves the right to return the manuscript to the author without review.
Submission of Accepted Papers. All accepted papers should be submitted to the editor at the above address in final
form. All accepted manuscripts, artwork, and photographs become the property of the publisher.
Permissions. If any figure, table, or more than 50 words of text from previously published material is included in a
manuscript, the author must obtain written permission for publication from the copyright holder and forward a copy to
the publisher.
Transfer of Copyright. All papers accepted for publication must be accompanied by a copyright release form signed by
the author. This form is available from the editor. A signed copyright form also acknowledges that the author
recognizes full responsibility for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material from other sources.
Proofs. One set of page proofs is sent to the corresponding author for review. Proofs should be checked carefully and
returned promptly.
Offprints. An offprint order form will accompany the proofs. It should be completed and returned with the proofs.