Are you interested in submitting your work to the Research Data and Reports (RDR) repository? We recommend that you review the About the Research Data and Reports page to learn more about the journal’s aim and scope. Refer to the Submission preparation checklist and Author Guidelines for more details. Authors need to Register with the journal before submitting, or if already registered, can simply log in and follow the remaining steps. See the RDR’s Privacy Statement, which assures that the authors’ details will be used for publications, the peer review process, and for communicating with readers, authors, reviewers, and editors.

Manuscript Submission

Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described has not been published before, that it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else, and that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities—tacitly or explicitly—at the institute where the work has been carried out. The publisher will not be held legally responsible for any claims for compensation.

File format

We ask you to provide editable source files for your entire submission (including figures, tables, and text graphics). Some guidelines:

• Save files in an editable format, using the extension .doc/.docx for Word files and .tex for LaTeX files. A PDF is not an acceptable source file.
• Lay out text in a single-column format.
• Use spell-check and grammar-check functions to avoid errors.

Permissions

Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.

Source Files

Please ensure you provide all relevant editable source files at every submission and revision. Failing to submit a complete set of editable source files will result in your article not being considered for review. For your manuscript text please always submit in common word processing formats such as .docx or LaTeX.

Length of paper

Papers should not exceed 10,000 words and a maximum of 20 tables and figures. Multi-part figures are considered as single figures. The submission of an article with multiple parts is not permitted without prior authorization by the editorial board.

Title Page

You are required to include the following details in the title page information:

• Article title. Article titles should be concise and informative. Please avoid abbreviations and formulae, where possible, unless they are established and widely understood, e.g., DNA).
• Author names. Provide the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author. The order of authors should match the order in the submission system. Carefully check that all names are accurately spelled.
• Affiliations. Add affiliation addresses, referring to where the work was carried out, below the author names. Indicate affiliations using a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the corresponding address. Ensure that you provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the email address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Indicate who will handle correspondence for your article at all stages of the refereeing and publication process and also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about your results, data, methodology, and materials. The email address and contact details of your corresponding author must be kept up to date during the submission and publication process.
• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in your article was carried out, or the author was visiting during that time, a "present address" (or "permanent address") can be indicated by a footnote to the author's name. The address where the author carried out the work must be retained as their main affiliation address. Use superscript Arabic numerals for such footnotes.

Author information

• The name(s) of the author(s)
• The affiliation(s) of the author(s), i.e. institution, (department), city, (state), country
• A clear indication and an active e-mail address of the corresponding author
• If available, the 16-digit ORCID of the author(s)

If the address information is provided with the affiliation(s) it will also be published.

For authors that are (temporarily) unaffiliated we will only capture their city and country of residence, not their e-mail address unless specifically requested.

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, do not currently satisfy our authorship criteria. Notably, an attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, which cannot be effectively applied to LLMs. The use of an LLM should be properly documented in the Methods section (and if a Methods section is not available, in a suitable alternative part) of the manuscript. The use of an LLM (or other AI tool) for "AI-assisted copy editing" purposes does not need to be declared. In this context, we define the term "AI-assisted copy editing" as AI-assisted improvements to human-generated texts for readability and style, and to ensure that the texts are free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and tone. These AI-assisted improvements may include wording and formatting changes to the texts but do not include generative editorial work and autonomous content creation. In all cases, there must be human accountability for the final version of the text and agreement from the authors that the edits reflect their original work.

Abstract

You are required to provide a concise and factual abstract that does not exceed 250 words.
The abstract of the journal article should briefly state the purpose of your research, principal results, and major conclusions. Some guidelines:

• Abstracts must be able to stand alone as abstracts are often presented separately from the article.
• Avoid references. If any are essential to include, ensure that you cite the author(s) and year(s).
• Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations. If any are essential to include, ensure they are defined within your abstract at first mention.

In the case of the Data article, it should be 250 words maximum with the data collection process, the data set, and its reuse potential.

• Purpose (stating the main purposes and research question)
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

For life science journals only (when applicable)

• Trial registration number and date of registration for prospectively registered trials
• Trial registration number and date of registration followed by “retrospectively registered”, for retrospectively registered trials

Keywords

You are required to provide 4 to 6 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Please try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using "and" or "of"). We recommend that you only use abbreviations in keywords if they are firmly established in the field.

Text

1. The manuscript should be in Microsoft Word format, Times New Roman, 12-point font size, double-spaced typed with line numbers and one-column format. A4 typeset: 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.69 in.) with 2.54 cm (1 in.) margins.
2. SI units of measurement are mandatory.
3. Heading and subheading: Ensure clear headings and subheadings, and use the decimal system for numbering up to three levels.
4. Page numbers (include at the bottom to facilitate peer review).
5. Editable files in the form of .docx or LaTeX should be given during the review process and final submission.

For docx submissions, we encourage authors to use the template when preparing a submission.

Please ensure you provide all relevant editable source files at every submission and revision.

Text Formatting

We recommend using the docx Journal article template and Data article template. The submission should include the source (including all style files and figures) and a PDF version of the compiled output.

LaTex files are also accepted.

Headings

Please use the decimal system of headings with no more than three levels.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.

Footnotes

Footnotes can be used to give additional information, which may include the citation of a reference included in the reference list. They should not consist solely of a reference citation, and they should never include the bibliographic details of a reference. They should also not contain any figures or tables.

Footnotes to the text are numbered consecutively; those to tables should be indicated by superscript lower-case letters (or asterisks for significance values and other statistical data). Footnotes to the title or the authors of the article are not given reference symbols.

Always use footnotes instead of endnotes.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments of people, grants, funds, etc. should be placed in a separate section on the title page. The names of funding organizations should be written in full.

Graphical abstract

You are encouraged to provide a graphical abstract at submission. The graphical abstract should summarize the contents of your article in a concise, pictorial form that is designed to capture the attention of a wide readership. A graphical abstract will help draw more attention to your online article and help readers digest your research. Some guidelines: Submit your graphical abstract as a separate file in the online submission system. Ensure the image is a minimum of 531 x 1328 pixels (h x w) or proportionally more and is readable at a size of 5 x 13 cm using a regular screen resolution of 96 dpi. Our preferred file types for graphical abstracts are TIFF, EPS, PDF, or MS Office files.

Scientific style

This journal requires you to use the international system of units (SI) which follows internationally accepted rules and conventions. If other units are mentioned within your article, you should provide the equivalent unit in SI.

Math formulae

• Submit math equations as editable text, not as images.
• Present simple formulae in line with normal text, where possible.
• Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms such as X/Y.
• Present variables in italics.
• Denote powers of e by exp.
• Display equations separately from your text, numbering them consecutively in the order they are referred to within your text

Tables

Tables must be submitted as editable text, not as images. Some guidelines:

• Place tables next to the relevant text or on a separate page(s) at the end of your article.
• Cite all tables in the manuscript text.
• Number tables consecutively according to their appearance in the text.
• Please provide captions along with the tables.
• Place any table notes below the table body.
• Avoid vertical rules and shading within table cells.

We recommend that you use tables sparingly, ensuring that any data presented in tables does not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

Figures, images, and artwork

Figures, images, artwork, diagrams, and other graphical media must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. We recommend that you read our detailed artwork and media instructions. Some excerpts: When submitting artwork:

• Cite all images in the manuscript text.
• Number images according to the sequence in which they appear within your article.
• Submit each image as a separate file using a logical naming convention for your files (for example, Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc).
• Please provide captions for all figures, images, and artwork.
• Text graphics may be embedded in the text at the appropriate position. If you are working with LaTeX, text graphics may also be embedded in the file.

Statements and Declarations

The following statements should be included under the heading "Statements and Declarations" for inclusion in the published paper. Please note that submissions that do not include relevant declarations will be returned as incomplete.

• Competing Interests:  Authors are required to disclose financial or non-financial interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Please refer to “Competing Interests and Funding” below for more information on how to complete this section.

Supplementary material

We encourage the use of supplementary materials such as applications, images, photos of instruments, Figures, and big tables to enhance research. Some guidelines:

• Cite all supplementary files in the manuscript text.
• Submit supplementary materials at the same time as your article. Be aware that all supplementary materials provided will appear online in the exact same file type as received. These files will not be formatted or typeset by the production team.
• Include a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file describing its content.
• Upload updated files if at any stage of the publication process, you wish to make changes to submitted supplementary materials.
• Do not make annotations or corrections to a previous version of a supplementary file.
• Provide clean copies of the files during final uploading. Switch off the option to track changes in Microsoft Office files.

We recommend you upload research data to a suitable specialist or generalist repository.

Video

RDR accepts video material and animation sequences to support and enhance your scientific research. We encourage you to include links to video or animation files within articles. Some guidelines:

• When including video or animation file links within your article, refer to the video or animation content by adding a note in your text where the file should be placed.
• Clearly label files ensuring the given file name is directly related to the file content.
• Provide files in MP4 format, H.264+AAC, max target 720p.  Files should be within our preferred maximum file size of 150 MB per file, 1 GB in total.
• Provide "stills" for each of your files. These will be used as standard icons to personalize the link to your video data. You can choose any frame from your video or animation or make a separate image.
• Provide text (for both the electronic and the print versions) to be placed in the portions of your article that refer to the video content. This is an essential text, as video and animation files cannot be embedded in the print version of the journal.

We publish all video and animation files supplied in the electronic version of your article.

Research data

We are committed to supporting the storage of, access to, and discovery of research data, and our research data policy allows the research community to access the data and support them to do efficient and transparent research.

Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings, which may also include software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods, and other useful materials related to the project.

Data linking

Linking to the data underlying your work increases your exposure and may lead to new collaborations. It also provides readers with a better understanding of the described research.

If your research data has been made available in a data repository there are a number of ways your article can be linked directly to the dataset:

• Provide a link to your dataset when prompted during the online submission process.
• You can also link relevant data or entities within the text of your article through the use of identifiers.

Glossary

Please provide definitions of field-specific terms used in your article, in a separate list.

CRediT ( Contributor Roles Taxonomy) Author Statement

Corresponding authors are encouraged to acknowledge the contributions of the author and co-authors using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) in terms of conceptualization, data presentation, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, project administration, software, supervision, validation, visualization, formal analysis,  writing-original draft, Writing-Review, and editing, etc.

Not all CRediT roles will apply to every manuscript and some authors may contribute through multiple roles.

Acknowledgments

Include any funding sources with project No. and mention all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship. If no funding has been provided for the research, please include the following sentence:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Acknowledgments should be placed in a separate section that appears directly before the reference list. Do not include acknowledgments on your title page, as a footnote to your title, or anywhere else in your article other than in the separate acknowledgments section.

Appendices

We ask you to use the following format for appendices:

• Identify individual appendices within your article using the format: A, B, etc.
• Give separate numbering to formulae and equations within appendices using formats such as Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc., and in subsequent appendices, Eq. (B.1), Eq. (B. 2), etc. In a similar way, give separate numbering to tables and figures using formats such as Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.

References

References within text

Any references cited within your article should also be present in your reference list and vice versa. Some guidelines:

• We recommend that you do not include unpublished results and personal communications in your reference list, though you may mention them in the text of your article.
• Any unpublished results and personal communications included in your reference list must follow the standard reference style of the journal. In substitution of the publication date add "unpublished results" or "personal communication."
• References cited as "in the press" imply that the item has been accepted for publication.

Linking to cited sources will increase the discoverability of your research.

Before submission, check that all data provided in your reference list are correct, including any references that have been copied. Providing correct reference data allows us to link to abstracting and indexing services such as Scopus, Crossref, and PubMed. Any incorrect surnames, journal or book titles, publication years, or pagination within your references may prevent link creation.

We encourage the use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) as reference links as they provide a permanent link to the electronic article referenced.

Reference style

Indicate references by adding a number within square brackets in the text. You can refer to author names within your text, but you must always give the reference number, e.g., "in line with the previous research results [3,6]. Agullo et al. [8] ....".

Number references in the order they appear in your article.   

Abbreviate journal names according to the List of Title Word Abbreviations (LTWA).

Examples:

Reference to a journal publication:

[1] Agullo L, Carbonari BT, Gettu R, Aguado A (1999) Fluidity of cement pastes with mineral admixtures and superplasticizer—A study based on the Marsh cone test. J Mater Struct 32:479 485

[2] Jayasree C, Santhanam M, and Gettu R (2011b) Cement-Superplasticizer Compatibility-Issues and Challenges. Indian Concr. J. 85 (7): 48–60

Article by DOI

[3] Slifka MK, Whitton JL (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol Med. https://doi.org/10.1007/s001090000086

Reference to a book:

[4] Aı¨tcin (1998) High performance concrete. E&FN Spon, London

Building Codes and Provisions

[5] ACI (American Concrete Institute) 2019. Building code requirement for reinforced concrete. ACI 318-19. Farmington Hills, MI: ACI.

Conference Proceeding

[6] Jayasree C, Gettu R (2006) Influence of mixing method on the fluidity of superplasticized cement paste. Fifth Asian Symposium on Polymers in Concrete, Chennai, India, pp 665–670

Dissertation

[7] Jayasree C (2009) Study of cement–superplasticizer interaction and its implications for concrete performance. Doctoral thesis, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.

Reference to a website:

When listing web references, as a minimum you should provide the full URL and the date when the reference was last accessed. Additional information (e.g. DOI, author names, dates, or reference to a source publication) should also be provided, if known.

[8] Internal Curing Overview Internal Curing Overview - ESCSI, Chicago

(accessed 04 December 2024).

Reference to a dataset:

We encourage you to cite underlying or relevant datasets within the article text and to list data references in the reference list.

When citing data references, you should include: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier.

Add [dataset] immediately before your reference. This will help us to properly identify the dataset. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

[9] Y. Shi, ZM. Shi (2020) Dataset of wind blows sand erosion test on ultrasonic surface treated cementitious composites [dataset], Mendeley Data, V31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2020.105943.

Reference to software:

[10] E. Coon, M. Berndt, A. Jan, D. Svyatsky, A. Atchley, E. Kikinzon, D. Harp, G. Manzini, E. Shelef, K. Lipnikov, R. Garimella, C. Xu, D. Moulton, S. Karra, S. Painter, E. Jafarov, S. Molins, Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) v0.88 [software], Zenodo, March 25, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1234/zenodo.3727209.

Preprint references

We ask you to mark preprints clearly. You should include the word "preprint" or the name of the preprint server as part of your reference and provide the preprint DOI.

Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, use the formal publication as your reference.

If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic but are not yet formally published, you may reference the preprint.

Reference management software

It is optional to use reference templates available in popular reference management software products.

If you use a citation plug-in from these products, select the relevant journal template, and all your citations and bibliographies will automatically be formatted in the journal style.

If a template is not used, follow the format given in examples in the reference style section of this Guide for Authors.

Suggest reviewers

To support the peer review process, we ask you to provide the names and institutional email addresses of several potential reviewers for their manuscripts. Some guidelines:

• Reviewers should not be colleagues or have co-authored or collaborated with you during the last three years.
• Do not suggest reviewers with whom you have competing interests.
• Suggest reviewers who are located in different countries or regions from yourself. This helps to provide a broad and balanced assessment of your work and to ensure scientific merit.
• Do not suggest members of our Editorial Board.
• During the third stage of submission under “comments to editors”, suggest the name of the reviewers.

The journal editors will make the final decision on whether to invite your suggested reviewers.

After receiving a final decision

Publishing Agreement

Authors will be asked to complete a publishing agreement while submitting the article. We advise you to read about our copyright policies for more details.

Open access

You can refer to our Open-access page to learn about open-access options for this journal.

Permission for copyrighted works

If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included in your article, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) within your article.

Proof correction

We will ask you to provide proof corrections within 5 working days to ensure a fast publication process.

You can choose to annotate and upload your edits on the PDF version of your article if preferred. We will provide you with proofing instructions in our email

The purpose of the proof is to check the typesetting, editing, completeness, and correctness of your article text, tables, and figures. Significant changes to your article at the proofing stage are not recommended and will only be considered with the approval of the journal editor.

DOI link

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) link to the published version of your open-access article will be sent by email to the corresponding author. You can share the DOI link via email and within your social networks.

Responsible sharing

We encourage you to share and promote your article to give additional visibility to your work, enabling your paper to contribute to scientific advancements and promoting the exchange of scientific developments within your field.

Getting help and support

Author support

We recommend that you visit our EMAIL ID if you have questions about the editorial process or require technical support for your submission. Some popular FAQs:

Please see the relevant sections in the submission guidelines for further information.