Guide for Authors

All manuscripts must be submitted via the online Machines and Algorithms Journal Management System. Manuscripts submitted for publication must be prepared according to the guideline given below.

This guideline is intended to assist authors in preparing their manuscripts. To prevent avoidable delays in the review and typesetting process, MnA asks and encourages authors to read carefully the guidelines before writing the manuscript.

MnA publishes review and research articles among others types. All papers must be written in English, with a clear and concise style. The language editors will check the language and grammar of any submitted manuscript, and will make editorial changes when deemed necessary.

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1. Submission Eligibility Policy

The eligibility criteria for research submissions to a journal addresses the accountability issues for relevant researchers. However, common requirements to ensure the quality of submissions include:

  • Relevance: Authors should carefully review the journal’s guidelines and ensure their work fits the specific field, discipline, or audience the journal targets.
  • Originality: The manuscript must present original work that has not been published elsewhere, including in other journals, conference proceedings, or preprints (unless the journal allows preprints).
  • No Duplicate Submission: The submission should not be under review at another journal simultaneously.
  • Research Quality: The research should meet the journal’s standards for rigor and validity: Sound methodology, Clear objectives and hypotheses, and robust data analysis. Results and interpretations must be well-supported by evidence.
  • Ethics Compliance: Studies involving human participants or animals must have ethical approval from relevant institutional review boards (IRBs) or ethics committees. Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants, where applicable. Authors should confirm compliance with ethical guidelines, such as the Declaration of Helsinki or equivalent.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest (e.g., financial, personal, or professional) that could influence the research.
  • Corresponding Author: One corresponding author will handle communication. Multiple co-authors are allowed.
  • Language and Presentation: The manuscript must be written in the journal's required language (i.e. English). It should follow clear and professional writing standards, free from grammatical or typographical errors.
  • Formatting and Structure: The manuscript must adhere to the journal's submission guidelines regarding:
    • Word count and number of pages
    • Manuscript sections (e.g., abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references)
    • Citation and reference style
    • File format (only MS-Word files are accepted)
  • Data Sharing and Transparency (optional): Authors are required to make their raw data or supplementary materials available in a public repository or upon request. The proposed journal should ensure data and code availability on some journal owned repository i.e. Github.
  • Adherence to Open Access & Funding Acknowledgment: Authors must comply with the journal’s open access policy. Authors must disclose any funding sources and include an acknowledgment of financial support.
  • Checklist: The journal will provide a submission checklist to ensure authors include all necessary components (e.g., cover letter, title page, main manuscript, references, and any required disclosures).

Note: All submitted papers undergo an integrity pre-review process.

2. Submission Process

The submission process for the Machines and Algorithms journal is conducted entirely online through the Online Journal System (OJS). Authors are required to follow the steps outlined below to ensure a complete and successful submission.

1. Author Registration & Login

  • Authors must create an account or log in to the journal's Online Journal System (OJS).

2. New Submission Initiation

  • Authors navigate to the "Make a New Submission" section.
  • The appropriate journal section must be selected, such as Research Articles or Review Papers.

3. Manuscript Upload

4. Metadata Entry

  • Title and Abstract
  • Authors’ names, affiliations, and ORCID IDs
  • Keywords
  • References

5. Cover Letter & Supplementary Files

  • Authors may upload cover letters, datasets, ethical approval documents, or other supplementary files if applicable.

6. Submission Confirmation

  • Authors review all entered information carefully and confirm the submission.

3. Types of Articles Accepted

The journal Machines and Algorithms covers a broad spectrum of computing and computation-related research. Below are the types of articles that can be published in this journal:

Original Research Articles

  • Novel algorithms, computational models, or machine-based solutions.
  • Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL).
  • Theoretical and empirical studies in computer science and engineering.

Review Articles

  • Comprehensive surveys on emerging trends in computing (e.g., quantum computing, neuromorphic computing).
  • Critical analyses of existing algorithms, hardware architectures, or computational paradigms.

Short Communications / Letters

  • Brief reports on significant preliminary findings or algorithmic improvements.
  • Comments on previously published works with new insights.

Case Studies & Applications

  • Real-world implementations of algorithms in robotics, healthcare, finance, etc.
  • Performance evaluations of computing systems in industry or academia.

Theoretical Contributions

  • Formal proofs of computational complexity, optimization, or algorithmic correctness.
  • New mathematical models for computation (e.g., bio-inspired computing).

Software & Hardware Innovations

  • Descriptions of novel computing architectures (e.g., GPUs, TPUs, neuromorphic chips).
  • Open-source software tools, frameworks, or libraries for computational research.

Benchmarking & Comparative Studies

  • Performance comparisons of algorithms, hardware, or computing paradigms.
  • Reproducibility studies in machine learning and high-performance computing.

Opinion & Perspective Articles

  • Discussions on ethical, societal, and economic impacts of computing advancements.
  • Future directions for research in algorithms and intelligent machines.

Tutorials & Educational Content

  • Pedagogical articles explaining fundamental or advanced computing concepts.
  • Guides on implementing algorithms or using computational tools.

Datasets & Data-driven Research

  • Introduction of new datasets for benchmarking ML/AI models.
  • Studies leveraging large-scale computational data analysis.

Interdisciplinary Research

  • Computing applications in biology, physics, neuroscience, or social sciences.
  • Hybrid approaches combining algorithms with other scientific domains.

Replication Studies

  • Research that repeats a previously published experiment or computational analysis to verify its results.
  • Ensures the reliability, robustness, and generalizability of findings.

 

4. Editorial Screening and Review Policies

4.1 Initial Screening Policy

Upon submission, every manuscript undergoes an initial screening by the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) or an assigned Associate Editor. This assessment ensures that only manuscripts meeting the journal’s fundamental quality, ethical, and scope requirements proceed to peer review.

The initial screening evaluates the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the scope of Machines and Algorithms (MnA)
  • Originality and research significance
  • Compliance with submission and formatting guidelines
  • Ethical and legal transparency
  • Plagiarism and text similarity (checked using similarity-detection tools)
  • Structural completeness, including figures, tables, references, and declarations

Manuscripts that fail to meet the minimum criteria may be returned to authors for correction or rejected without external peer review.

4.2 Screening Outcomes

Outcome Description
Proceed to Peer Review The manuscript meets all screening requirements and is sent for external review.
Minor Revision Before Review Authors must correct minor formatting, ethical statements, or structural issues before peer review.
Desk Rejection The manuscript is unsuitable for peer review due to scope mismatch, quality concerns, or ethical issues.

4.3 Communication with Authors

  • Authors are informed of the initial screening outcome within 7 days of submission.
  • Clear instructions and deadlines are provided when revisions are required.
  • Desk rejection decisions include a brief explanatory note.

4.4 Desk Rejection Policy

MnA reserves the right to desk reject manuscripts that do not qualify for external peer review. Desk rejection may occur for the following reasons:

  • Manuscript falls outside the journal’s scope or objectives
  • Failure to meet minimum quality or formatting standards
  • Ethical concerns, including plagiarism or data manipulation
  • Insufficient novelty or scientific contribution
  • Poor English language quality affecting comprehension

Desk rejection decisions are communicated within two to three weeks of submission along with a brief justification.

4.5 Desk Rejection Checklist

Category Screening Criteria Decision Basis
Relevance and Scope Alignment with journal aims and manuscript type Out of scope → Reject
Originality and Contribution Novel findings and meaningful scientific value Insufficient novelty → Reject
Structure and Format Proper organization and guideline compliance Poor structure → Reject
Ethical Compliance Plagiarism, consent, and approvals Ethical concern → Reject
Quality of Writing Clarity, grammar, figures, and references Poor presentation → Reject
Methodological Soundness Clear methods and adequate data Weak methodology → Reject
References and Literature Up-to-date and relevant citations Irrelevant citations → Reject

4.6 Communication and Transparency

  • Authors receive a formal email explaining the reason for desk rejection.
  • Editors are encouraged to include constructive comments when possible to help authors improve the manuscript for resubmission or submission elsewhere.
  • All desk rejection decisions are documented internally to ensure transparency and consistency.
  • Authors who believe that their manuscript was inappropriately desk rejected may submit a written appeal within 2 weeks.
  • The appeal will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and, if necessary, an independent member of the Editorial Board.
  • The decision on the appeal is final.