- Ethical Policy: Following COPE Rules and Using Plagiarism Checker Software
- Review Time: 4 months approximately 
- Preliminary Review: 10 days
- Licensed by: CC BY-NC 4.0
- Submission and Processing Charges: No (free)
- Reviewing and Evaluating Process: Double Blind
- Acceptance Rate: 30%
- DOI: 10.22068/ijaup

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Author Guidelines

International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning (IJAUP)

1. About the Journal

The International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning (IJAUP) is a fully open-access scholarly journal published by Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST).

The journal publishes original scholarly research and review papers within its Aims and Scope. All published articles are freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

IJAUP does not charge submission fees, article processing charges (APCs), publication fees, or other mandatory publication-related fees.

2. Submission Requirements

Manuscripts submitted to IJAUP must:

• Be written in English.
• Present original scholarly research or a substantive scholarly review.
• Not have been previously published.
• Not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• Fall within the journal’s Aims and Scope.
• Comply with the journal’s editorial, ethical, formatting, and submission requirements.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission and authorship.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, completeness, and appropriate citation of all material presented in the manuscript.

3. Types of Manuscripts

3.1 Research Papers

Research Papers should present original research, demonstrate a clear scholarly contribution, and provide sufficient information concerning the research design, methodology, findings, and conclusions.

Research Papers should normally contain 5,000–8,000 words of main text, excluding the abstract, references, tables, figures, and figure captions. Longer manuscripts may be considered when the additional length is justified by the nature and significance of the research.

A typical Research Paper may include Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgments, and References, as appropriate to the subject and methodology.

3.2 Review Papers

Review Papers should provide a comprehensive, critical, and well-structured synthesis of relevant scholarly literature and should demonstrate a clear contribution to understanding the subject.

Review Papers should normally contain 7,000–10,000 words of main text, excluding the abstract, references, tables, figures, and figure captions. Longer manuscripts may be considered when justified by the scope and depth of the review.

4. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the following requirements:

• Language: English
• Paper size: A4
• Font: 12-point Times New Roman
• Line spacing: 1.15
• Margins: 1.5 cm on the left and right; 2.5 cm on the top and bottom
• Pages: Consecutively numbered

The manuscript should be clearly organized and consistently formatted throughout.

5. Double-Blind Peer Review

IJAUP uses a double-blind peer review process.

Authors should ensure that the manuscript does not contain unnecessary information that could reveal their identity or compromise the anonymity of the review process.

All submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine compliance with the journal’s submission requirements, relevance to the Aims and Scope, originality, scholarly significance, scientific quality, and ethical and editorial standards.

The preliminary assessment is normally completed within a maximum of 10 days.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s requirements, fall outside its scope, or do not satisfy the required standards may be returned to the authors for correction or declined without external peer review.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment are normally assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers.

The possible editorial decisions are:

• Accept
• Minor Revision
• Major Revision
• Reject

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for the final publication decision.

Authors should carefully read the journal’s Peer Review Policy before submission.

6. Title Page

The title page should include:

• A concise and informative title.
• Full names of all authors.
• Institutional affiliations of all authors.
• Complete institutional or postal addresses, where applicable.
• Full contact details of the corresponding author.
• Email address of the corresponding author.
• Telephone number, where required or applicable.
• Any other information requested by the online submission system.

For the double-blind review process, identifying information should be provided separately from the anonymized manuscript where required.

7. Organization of the Manuscript

Manuscripts should be organized clearly and logically according to their subject, methodology, and type.

For Research Papers, a typical structure may include:

1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
6. Acknowledgments
7. References

The Introduction and Conclusions sections should be included where appropriate.

Authors may adapt the structure to suit the nature and methodology of the manuscript.

Headings and subheadings should be numbered and formatted consistently throughout the manuscript.

Tables, figures, graphs, diagrams, maps, and photographs should be cited in the text and inserted directly into the main text at the appropriate locations.

8. Abstract and Keywords

The manuscript should include a title, abstract, and keywords.

The abstract should:

• Contain approximately 200–250 words.
• Be written as a single paragraph.
• Clearly state the purpose, principal methods, major findings, and main conclusions of the study, where applicable.

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords that accurately represent the main subjects of the manuscript.

9. Tables

Tables should:

• Be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals.
• Have a concise and informative title or caption.
• Be clearly referred to in the main text.
• Be inserted directly into the main text at an appropriate location.
• Be clear and understandable without unnecessary reference to the main text.
• Include explanatory notes or footnotes where necessary.

Tables should present information efficiently and should not unnecessarily duplicate information provided elsewhere in the manuscript.

10. Figures and Photographs

Figures, graphs, diagrams, maps, and photographs should:

• Be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals.
• Be clearly referred to in the main text.
• Be inserted directly into the main text at an appropriate location.
• Be of sufficient quality for publication.
• Have a resolution of at least 300 dpi, where applicable.
• Include clear and informative captions.
• Have clear, legible labels and symbols.

Unnecessary shading or visual elements that reduce readability should be avoided.

Where applicable, graphs and charts should also be supplied in an editable format, such as Microsoft Excel, when requested by the editorial office.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted or otherwise restricted third-party material where permission is required.

11. References

IJAUP uses the APA reference style.

Authors should ensure that:

• All in-text citations correspond to entries in the reference list.
• Every work cited in the text is included in the reference list, and every work listed in the reference list is cited in the text, as appropriate.
• Author names, publication years, titles, and other bibliographic information are accurate and consistent.
• References are complete and presented consistently according to the APA style.
• DOI information is included whenever available.
• URLs are provided where appropriate, particularly for online sources without a DOI.
• Direct quotations include page numbers or equivalent location information where applicable.
• Secondary citations are clearly identified and used only when necessary.

Authors are strongly encouraged to prepare both in-text citations and the reference list using reference-management software, such as EndNote or other equivalent reference-management tools, in order to improve accuracy and consistency.

Authors are strongly encouraged to provide a DOI for every reference whenever a DOI is available.

Authors should carefully check the accuracy and completeness of all bibliographic information in the reference list before submission.

12. Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgments section may be used to recognize individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship.

Authors should also acknowledge relevant funding, institutional support, technical assistance, or other substantive support, where applicable.

13. Originality, Plagiarism, and Text Similarity

All submitted manuscripts are routinely screened for plagiarism and inappropriate text similarity as part of the editorial assessment process.

The journal may use plagiarism-detection or similarity-checking software to identify potential cases of:

• Plagiarism
• Excessive textual overlap
• Self-plagiarism
• Duplicate or redundant publication
• Unattributed reproduction
• Inappropriate paraphrasing
• Unauthorized use of third-party material

Similarity reports are not assessed solely on the basis of a predetermined numerical threshold. The editorial team evaluates the nature, extent, context, and source of identified similarities.

A similarity score alone does not establish plagiarism. Final decisions concerning suspected plagiarism or unethical text reuse are made by the editorial team based on the available evidence, relevant context, and applicable publication ethics standards.

Depending on the seriousness and circumstances of a case, the journal may request clarification or revision, reject the manuscript, suspend consideration, or take other appropriate editorial action.

If plagiarism or related misconduct is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate post-publication action, including correction, retraction, or an Expression of Concern, in accordance with its publication ethics policies.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are original and that all sources, quotations, adapted material, images, and other third-party content are appropriately acknowledged and cited.

Authors should carefully read and comply with the journal’s Plagiarism Policy before submission.

14. Research and Publication Ethics

Authors must ensure that their manuscripts comply with accepted standards of research and publication ethics.

Authors should:

• Report research accurately and honestly.
• Properly acknowledge all relevant contributions.
• Disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.
• Report relevant funding and institutional support.
• Provide information concerning ethical approval where required.
• Obtain permission for copyrighted or otherwise restricted third-party material where necessary.
• Cooperate with the journal in addressing ethical or research-integrity concerns.

IJAUP follows the principles and guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Authors must carefully read the journal’s complete Publication Ethics Policy before submitting a manuscript and must ensure that their submission fully complies with all applicable requirements and principles stated in that policy.

15. Authorship

Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the work.

All listed authors should:

• Have made a meaningful contribution to the research or manuscript.
• Approve the submitted version of the manuscript.
• Agree to the order of authorship.
• Accept responsibility for their contribution to the work.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal and confirms that all authors have approved the submission.

Any change in authorship after submission must comply with the journal’s Change of Authorship Policy.

16. Funding and Conflicts of Interest

Authors should disclose all financial support, grants, institutional support, or other funding relevant to the research.

Any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence the research, interpretation, or publication process should be disclosed.

17. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must comply with the journal’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and appropriate attribution of all content submitted to the journal.

Any use or disclosure of artificial intelligence tools in manuscript preparation must comply with the requirements specified in the journal’s AI Policy.

Authors should carefully review the journal’s AI Policy before submission.

18. Revised Manuscripts

When a revision is requested, authors should:

• Address all reviewer and editorial comments carefully.
• Provide a clear response to each comment.
• Explain the changes made in the revised manuscript.
• Indicate the location of significant changes where appropriate.
• Ensure that the revised manuscript continues to comply with all journal requirements.

Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated by the Editor, depending on the nature and extent of the revisions.

19. Proofs

Authors may receive proofs of accepted articles before publication.

At the proof stage, authors should carefully check for typographical, factual, and formatting errors and return any necessary corrections within the period specified by the editorial office.

Substantive changes to the manuscript are not normally permitted at the proof stage.

20. Copyright and Licensing

IJAUP is a fully open-access journal.

Authors retain full copyright in their published work. Publication in IJAUP does not require the transfer or assignment of copyright to the journal, publisher, or Iran University of Science and Technology.

As a condition of publication, authors grant the journal a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free License to Publish.

This license authorizes the journal to publish, distribute, archive, preserve, assign DOIs to, and disseminate the published work while copyright remains with the authors.

All published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

Under this license, users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to, reuse, adapt, and build upon the published work for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given, the Creative Commons license is linked, any modifications are indicated, and the reuse is non-commercial.

For complete information, authors should carefully read the journal’s Copyright & Licensing Policy.

21. Open Access and Self-Archiving

All published articles are freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication.

There is no embargo period for access to published articles.

Authors may archive and share the Submitted Manuscript, Accepted Manuscript, and Published Version of Record through personal websites, institutional repositories, subject repositories, and other non-commercial repositories.

When archiving the Published Version of Record, authors should acknowledge the journal as the original publisher and include the complete citation and DOI, where available.

For further information, authors should carefully read the journal’s Archiving Policy and Copyright & Licensing Policy.

22. Publication Charges

IJAUP does not charge authors for:

• Manuscript submission
• Article processing
• Publication
• Mandatory page or article fees
• Other mandatory publication-related charges

23. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)

Each published article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Authors should use the DOI of the published article when citing or linking to the Published Version of Record.

24. Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

• The manuscript is written in English.
• The manuscript falls within the journal’s Aims and Scope.
• The work is original and has not been previously published.
• The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
• The manuscript follows the required formatting instructions.
• The manuscript uses 12-point Times New Roman font and 1.15 line spacing.
• The required margins are applied correctly.
• The title, abstract, and 3–6 keywords are provided.
• The abstract contains approximately 200–250 words.
• The manuscript complies with the recommended word count for the relevant manuscript type.
• Tables and figures are numbered, cited, and inserted directly into the main text.
• Figures are of suitable quality and resolution.
• References follow the APA reference style.
• In-text citations and the reference list are complete and consistent.
• Reference-management software has been used where possible to improve citation accuracy and consistency.
• DOI information is provided for references whenever available.
• All bibliographic information in the reference list has been carefully checked for accuracy and completeness.
• The manuscript has been checked for plagiarism and inappropriate text similarity.
• The manuscript has been prepared to support the double-blind review process.
• Authorship and author order have been agreed upon by all authors.
• Funding and conflicts of interest have been disclosed, where applicable.
• Ethical approvals and permissions have been addressed, where applicable.
• The journal’s complete Publication Ethics Policy has been read carefully and all applicable requirements have been followed.
• The relevant Plagiarism, AI, Peer Review, Copyright & Licensing, and Archiving policies have been reviewed where applicable.
• Any required AI disclosure has been provided in accordance with the journal’s AI Policy.
• The corresponding author is authorized to submit the manuscript on behalf of all authors.

25. Editorial Assessment and Publication Decision

All submissions undergo an initial editorial assessment to determine compliance with the journal’s submission requirements, relevance to the journal’s scope, originality, scholarly significance, scientific quality, and ethical and editorial standards.

The journal may return a manuscript to the authors for correction or decline it without external peer review when necessary.

Manuscripts that pass the initial assessment are normally sent to at least two independent expert reviewers under the journal’s double-blind peer review process.

The assigned Editor evaluates the reviewers’ comments and recommendations before making an editorial recommendation.

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for the final publication decision.

The possible editorial decisions are Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

26. Contact

Editorial Office
International Journal of Architectural Engineering & Urban Planning (IJAUP)
Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST)
Email: ijaupiust.ac.ir
Website: https://ijaup.iust.ac.ir