Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

NEW! Submit your work online. See below.

Introduction
Manuscript Types and Length Limits
Human Factors Policies
Review Process
Manuscript Preparation
Presenting Data in Tables and Figures
How to Submit Your Manuscript Online

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for submitting your work to Human Factors!

Human Factors, the quarterly journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), publishes original articles about people in relation to systems, including hardware, software, and environmental factors. Evaluative reviews of the literature, definitive articles on methodology and procedures (including prescriptive methods for task simulation and evaluation, quantitative and qualitative approaches to theory (including models of human performance and safety), and empirical articles reporting original research are considered for publication.

Submissions on a wide variety of topics are welcome.

Human Factors also publishes special sections that focus on important areas of human factors/ergonomics in an integrated manner.

Suitably revised papers printed in the proceedings of technical meetings may be submitted for consideration. In the cover letter, explain how the paper being submitted for consideration in Human Factors differs from the proceedings paper.

If you are not certain that the subject matter of your submission is applicable for Human Factors, feel free to send an inquiry, along with the paper title and abstract, to the Journal Administrator. If the work described in your paper has a strong applications orientation, consider submitting it to Ergonomics in Design, another peer-reviewed publication from HFES. Learn more about Ergonomics in Design.

Published issues of Human Factors are now available online for 2003 and 2004. The online journal features easy searchability and linked references. HFES members receive the journal free in either paper or online form. Join HFES for this member benefit or subscribe as a nonmember.

MANUSCRIPT TYPES AND LENGTH LIMITS

The following types of papers may be submitted.

Regular Articles. Regular articles represent original contributions to topics of interest to the human factors/ergonomics community. The article format is appropriate for any major research effort (e.g., series of experiments or large multifactor studies conducted in the laboratory or the field) that provides a clear increment in knowledge. It is also suitable for longer theoretical and methodological contributions, but not appropriate for single studies of limited scope. Regular Articles are restricted to 7,000 words*. They typically have no more than 8 tables and/or figures and a reference section of no more than 1,500 words.

Research Reports. The Research Report format is ideal for most single laboratory or field experiments, replication studies, and theoretical or methodological notes. It is not suitable for "exploratory" or "pilot" research, most of which is not acceptable. Research Reports are restricted to 4500 words*. They typically have no more than 4 tables and/or figures and a reference section of no more than 1500 words.

Review Articles. Review articles present a synthesis of published work on a topic of interest. Review articles must provide an original perspective on the literature reviewed, not merely a summary, but an extension of knowledge on the topic. They often involve evaluation of previous work, practical or theoretical conclusions, and identification of future research directions. Reviews should be organized as efficiently as possible so as not to exceed 13,000 words*. They typically have no more than 8 tables and/or figures and a reference section of no more than 2,500 words.

Special Section Articles. Papers for consideration in a special section should be submitted by the specified deadline with the name of the special section clearly indicated in the cover letter.

* Note on New Length Restrictions. The length restrictions have been revised in an attempt to be more explicit about our expectations. Word counts are based on the counting feature in Microsoft Word (go to the Tools pulldown menu and select "Word Count") and include all material (title page, abstract, bios, etc.) EXCEPT references, figures, and tables.

The author should provide the manuscript's precise word count in the cover letter accompanying the submission. Papers exceeding the limits noted above will not be reviewed. In the cover letter, the author should also provide the number of tables and figures and the word count for references. Limits provided for tables/figures and references should be interpreted as expectations for the average article. If these limits are greatly exceeded, the author must provide written justification. Keep in mind that there is a delicate balance between the effective use of tables and figures and their excessive or redundant use. Likewise, there is a balance between the scholarly selective use of citations and padding a reference list with citations only tangentially related.

Human Factors POLICIES

Please review the journal policies before submitting your paper. Receipt of your submission by HFES indicates your consent to abide by these policies.

REVIEW PROCESS

All manuscripts submitted to Human Factors undergo single-blind review (reviewers are anonymous to the author). However, if you prefer that your identity be concealed from the reviewers, please follow these instructions:

1. Do not put any author information on the cover sheet of your manuscript. This page is visible to the reviewers.
2. Do not include biographies with the online submission; send them in an e-mail message to Andrea Tomcsanyi, Journal Administrator.
3. When submitting a revised manuscript and providing responses to the reviewers' comments, do not include any identifying information. This information is visible to the reviewers.

The information in the cover letter will identify you to the editor, but any identification in the three areas noted above will eliminate the possibility of a double-blind review.

Generally, decisions on first submissions are sent within 12 weeks. Although Human Factors does not impose a deadline for submitting revisions, authors are encouraged to respond promptly (e.g., within 8 weeks) to expedite the review process. Manuscripts for which no activity has been logged for 9 months will be deleted from the system.

Human Factors accepts about 25% of submissions.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Human Factors manuscripts should be prepared according to editorial style and ethical guidelines of the Fifth Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 750 First St., NE, Washington, DC 20002; 800/374-2721).

General information is included below; consult the Publication Manual for more detailed instructions.

Submitted manuscripts that do not conform to APA Publication Manual style, or the guidelines noted here, will be rejected.

Language. Only articles written in English will be considered.

Typing the paper. Using either 8.5 x 11-inch or A4 paper, type the text double-spaced on one side of the page, with margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm). Be sure to number each page at the top or bottom of the page (If requesting double-blind review, omit author name(s) from your page headers/footers.)

Subheadings. Level 1 text headings should appear in solid caps, centered; Level 2 headings are lowercase bold caps, flush to the left margin; and Level 3 headings are in italics, indented, and run in with the rest of the paragraph they precede.

The manuscript should contain the following information:

• Article title/subtitle (caps/lowercase)
• Name of each author and the author's primary institution, city, state, and country (caps/lowercase)
• 250-word, structured abstract (see below)
• Contact information for the author to whom requests for reprints should be sent (give complete address)
• Short version of the title for running heads
• Several keywords for indexing purposes (exclude words that already appear in the title/subtitle)

Units of measure. Magnitudes of all measured quantities must be given in the International System of Units (SI).

Footnotes. Use of substantive or explanatory footnotes is not permitted. Such notes should be incorporated into the text or omitted.

Structured abstract. The abstract is very important to readers because it is often the only part they read, and it generally determines whether they decide to dig deeper. Prepare a one-paragraph abstract of no more than 250 words, with information arranged under the following subheadings (include the subheadings in your abstract):

1. Objective
2. Background
3. Method
4. Results
5. Conclusion
6. *Application

*Construct a statement that reflects to a broad audience the practical impact of this work. This is very important to Human Factors.

We recognize that these categories may be a bit awkward for review papers or papers that use nontraditional methodologies such as modeling or naturalistic observation, but we encourage the authors to do their best to adapt to this structure.

View examples of structured abstracts (empirical article and review article). (PDF: 14 kb each)

Tables. Refer to the "Presenting Data in Tables and Figures" section below. Each table should be on a separate page and all tables grouped together at the end of the manuscript.

Figures. Refer to the "Presenting Data in Tables and Figures" section below. Provide all figure legends on a separate sheet at the end of the manuscript. Each figure should be on a separate page and all figures grouped together at the end of the manuscript. Photos, graphs, line drawings, and other nontabular graphics should be high resolution (at least 200 dpi). Do not use shading as background or to indicate differences in quantity (e.g., as sometimes appears in bar graphs); instead, use patterns such as horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and zigzag lines (avoid fine dot patterns). Line weight should be at least 1 point. The image size should be large enough so that even if the figure is reduced to fit a single-column width (2-3/4 inches), the type will be no smaller than 8 points. NOTE: Graphics created in or imported into PowerPoint are not acceptable.

If any of your figures contain colors other than black, and retaining those colors is critical to the meaning of the image, HFES can print in multiple colors provided that the cost of color printing is borne by the author. To obtain an estimate of the color printing cost, please contact the Journal Administrator at 310/394-1811, fax 310/394-2410.

Acknowledgments. If applicable, include an acknowledgments section recognizing funding sources and other pertinent disclosures. If no such acknowledgments are present in the initial submission, HFES will assume that no disclosures are necessary.

Biographies. For each author, indicate the current affiliation and highest degree obtained (field, year obtained, institution). Type biographies on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.

Permissions. When quoting more than 150 words from another source, or using a table or figure from another source, it is necessary to obtain written permission from the copyright holder of that source. In the case of adaptations of tables and figures drawn from other sources, written permission must be obtained if more than 40% of the original material is used in the adapted table/figure. Following acceptance of your manuscript, submit permission letters to HFES when the final production-ready manuscript is ready for uploading.

PRESENTING DATA IN TABLES AND FIGURES

Excellent recommendations for presenting data in text, tables, and figures is available in a Human Factors article, "Guidelines for Presenting Quantitative Data in HFES Publications" (Gillan, Wickens, Carswell, & Hollands, 1998).

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT ON LINE

All submissions to Human Factors should be uploaded to the following Web site:

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/humanfactors

If you encounter any problems or have questions about uploading your manuscript, please don't hesitate to contact the Journal Administrator.

IMPORTANT: All notifications and correspondence concerning your submission are sent to you via e-mail. If your e-mail address changes, be sure to notify the Journal Administrator.

File formats. NOTE: At this time, HFES is unable to accommodate submissions created in Microsoft Word or Excel 2007. Please save all documents to Word or Excel 2003. Please include tables with the text in one file for uploading and include figures (graphics) in a separate file or files. Text: Acceptable file formats include Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and Portable Document Format (.pdf). Figures: Acceptable file formats include .jpg, .gif, .tif., and .eps. All uploaded text files are automatically converted to PDF format. Do not submit PowerPoint files.

Please have the following information ready when you log in. You will be prompted to enter it in the following order:

1. Manuscript type (e.g., Regular Article, Research Report; see above)
2. Title and subtitle of the paper
3. Running head (this appears on all pages of the published paper)
4. Abstract (cut and paste into a text window)
5. Up to six keywords (select from the list and/or add your own) to assist in reviewer selection
6. Full names and addresses for all authors
7. Preferred or nonpreferred reviewers, if any (requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and only if accompanied by an explanation/rationale in the cover letter)
8. Cover letter, if any (cut and paste into a text window or upload a file)
9. Consent to abide by the journal policies
10. Major category for the paper (select only one from the list provided) for use on the Table of Contents of the published issue
11. File(s) containing your text and figures (graphics) for uploading

After you enter all these details, you will have the opportunity to proofread the files you uploaded. At the end of the proofreading phase, click "Submit." An e-mail confirmation message will be sent containing your manuscript number. Keep this confirmation in a safe place for future reference. You may log back in to the site at any time to check on the status of your submission.

Technical support and on-line User Guides are available at the submission site. You may also contact the Journal Administrator between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Pacific time (310/394-1811, fax 310/394-2410).

All submissions to Human Factors must be uploaded to the journal site for consideration. If you do not have Internet access or encounter difficulties using the system and Technical Support is not able to resolve those problems, please contact the Journal Administrator. You will be asked to send the details listed above, along with one printed copy of your manuscript and cover letter, PLUS an electronic version of the manuscript and cover letter, to the following address:

U.S. Postal Service First Class or Priority Mail ONLY:
Editor, Human Factors
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
P.O. Box 1369
Santa Monica, CA 90406-1369

Overnight (e.g., UPS, FedEx, DHL) or U.S. Postal Service Express Mail:
Editor, Human Factors
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
1124 Montana Ave., Suite B
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Return to the Human Factors main page.

Revised May 2005