Submissions
Author Guidelines
Contents
To be considered for publication in the online open-access R & D Journal, a paper should report on some aspect of the theory of Mechanical Engineering practice. The project described in the report should be the work of the author or of a team they were a member of. Split papers (same author/team/topic) are discouraged.
Evaluation
All papers will be reviewed by more than one referee whose proposed amendments, if any, will be conveyed to the author. This is a blind review. Authors must nominate at least two referees, and the editor may ask them to review the paper. It remains the editor's prerogative to appoint referees, and nominated persons will not necessarily be invited to participate in the review process. Full contact details of nominated referees must be supplied. Papers accepted for publication may/will be subject to editorial correction.
Copyright
Authors submitting work for publication must furnish an undertaking that the work has not been published previously. Authors are responsible for the factual accuracy of their papers. Ownership of copyright of work published remains with the authors, and published in open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Plagiarism
Any submission suspected of any form of plagiarism will be rejected as soon as it is detected. If detected after publication, the paper will be removed from the website. The journal routinely scans submitted manuscripts using various means, including automated online screening tools.
Use of AI and LLMs
Authors are solely responsible for ensuring the authenticity, validity, and integrity of the content in their manuscripts. Because it is not the authors' work, any use of content generated by an AI application must be appropriately referenced. Not acknowledging such use could amount to plagiarism.
Authors may use tools and resources that aid in the preparation, methodology, data analysis, writing support, review, and translation of their articles. AI applications offer many of these tools and resources, such as grammatical and punctuation error detection tools, which are permissible as long as their use maintains ethical and scientific integrity.
Referencing and citing AI Tools
Any substantial use or content generated by an AI application must be mentioned in the methods section or the acknowledgement section. The declaration of such use should include the name, version, and manufacturer of the tool used, and the date on which it was accessed, for example: (ChatGPT 3.5, Version 28 August 2023, OpenAI, accessed 16 September 2023).
Fees
Currently the journal charges no publication fees
Presentation
Manuscripts must be presented in a form that corresponds closely with the current layout of the journal and should be in Microsoft Word. English is the preferred language for papers and the presentation shall be in the third person. The abstract shall be in English. The journal uses a size 10 font. All pages must be clearly numbered in sequence.
A latex template is available at www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/sa-randd-journal-template/sctnqdpbdsrw
Length
Papers are limited to 8000 words, or an equivalent length to allow for the space taken up by figures and/or equations. Shorter papers, 5000 words or less, are preferred. Special provision is made for brief research,notes (typically equivalent to 1000 words).
Title, Authors Name(s) and Affiliation
The title should be brief (usually 6 to 8 words), sufficiently informative for automatic retrieval techniques, and should contain keywords. Additional keywords may be supplied. The authors’ name(s) must be given with the main author’s name first. His/her position, affiliation, SAIMechE membership grade (if a member), and e-mail and postal address must be given as a footnote, co-authors’ names need have only their position and affiliation (company or institution, and city) in a footnote.
Abstract
A full-length article and a synopsis must have a summary-type abstract of ±100 (not more than 200) words in a single paragraph, using full sentences and not telegraphic phrases. It should indicate the objectives of the investigation, the major techniques employed, and the major new results and conclusions, as specifically as space permits. It should not include numerical references. Research notes and comments do not require abstracts.
Introduction
A full-length article must have an introduction which states the purpose of the work and its significance in relation to the literature. The introduction is numbered 1. and all subsequent sections and subsections must be numbered accordingly.
Nomenclature
A list defining the complete nomenclature should be inserted between the abstract and the introduction. List the symbols (cursive for variables) in alphabetical order within each of the following groups: Roman, Greek, subscript, superscript and abbreviations. Only SI units, listed as [m], may be used.
Mathematical Equations
Mathematical expressions should be formulated and condensed to fit into a single column when printed. Lengthy equations should be broken at a suitable point to fit onto more than one printed line. Cursive letters should be used for variables. All equations, definitions etc. must be numbered in one sequence.
Tables, Figures and Captions
Tables and figures should be clearly numbered consecutively, and be explained in clear and concise (typed) captions. Tables should be as simple as possible, with the longer axis vertical. Graphical presentation is preferred. Lengthy tables and multiple graphs should be avoided or presented as an appendix to the paper. Figures must be plotted by computer, with lines and dots (including grid lines) bold enough to withstand reduction. Lettering (not handwritten) must be large enough to be at least 1.5 mm high after reduction. Photographs should be sharp and should be 300 DPI. Figures and photographs should be placed in position throughout the text and in addition, the figures should be saved separately (out of the document) as .jpg and sent as separate attachments.
References
1. Schlichting H, Boundary-layer Theory, 6th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968.
2. Oppenheim AK, Development and structure of plane detonation waves, Combustion and Propulsion, 4th AGARD Colloquium, Pergamon, Oxford, 1961, 186–258.
3. Clark RH, Some aspects of computer-aided design, SA Mechanical Engineer, 1981, 31(3), 8–15.
4. SAIMechE, http://www.saimeche.org.za, 3 November 2006.
Sources cited in the text must be indicated in chronological superscript numerals, e.g. Clark3 and subsequent citations of the same reference must retain the same numeral. References must be listed at the end of the article (before any appendix) as above.
Submission Preparation Checklist
All submissions must meet the following requirements.
- This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
- This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
- All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
- All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
- Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.
Articles
Section default policy
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