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

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

Submit your work online. See below.

Introduction
JUST UPDATED: 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 issues (or special sections of issues) 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 Editorial Review Coordinator. 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 available online. 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.

Just Updated: MANUSCRIPT TYPES AND LENGTH LIMITS*

The following types of papers may be submitted.

Research Article. Research articles represent the most common type of contribution to Human Factors. These articles report previously unpublished original research that is experimental (field or laboratory based), methodological, or theoretical in nature. These articles report a single experiment or concept that is fully developed and includes a statistical analysis (when appropriate). This mechanism is not appropriate for the reporting of preliminary or pilot data. Research articles submissions are limited to 4,500 words, excluding the abstract, key points, and references. Figures and tables are encouraged to enhance information transfer and effective communication.

Extended Multi-Phase Study. Multi-phase studies report on a sequence or series of closely related original studies that are best discussed collectively instead of through multiple original articles. Research approaches encompassed in such a series of studies could include more than one experiment or a mixture of experiments, observational studies, modeling, surveys, ethnographic studies, and so on. The series must have a theoretical underpinning that makes its inclusion in the same report a logical progression. This mechanism is not appropriate for single-experiment or single-model reporting, nor is it an appropriate mechanism for reporting pilot study results along with a single experiment. Each component (experiment) of the sequence of studies must be able to be statistically evaluated independently. Multi-experiment series are limited to 4,500 words plus 3,000 words for each experiment (or model) beyond the first experiment, excluding the abstract, key points, and references. (Thus, a two-experiment series should not exceed 7,500 words, a three-experiment series should not exceed 10,500 words, etc.) Figures and tables are encouraged when they can enhance information transfer and effective communication.

Review Article. Review articles present a synthesis of previously published work on a specific topic of interest to the human factors/ergonomics community. These articles are intended to scientifically analyze a body of literature and synthesize the information in an original manner. Review articles must provide an original perspective on the literature, not merely a summary but an extension of knowledge on a topic. Review articles are typically solicited by invitation. Those interested in submitting a review article should contact the Editor in Chief prior to submission.

Brief Report. Brief reports are intended to report preliminary observations in a timely manner, new and unique interpretations of previously published data, simple new techniques or new methodological approaches, or points of historical interest. Although such reports would not be expected to have large databases associated with them, they are expected to have adequate data sample sizes to demonstrate statistical significance. This is intended to be a rapid-communication mechanism for emerging ideas. Brief reports are limited to 1,500 words.

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

*Note on 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").

The author should provide the manuscript's precise word count on the title page of the submission. Papers exceeding the limits noted above may not be reviewed. Keep in mind that 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, Editorial Review Coordinator.
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:

1. Article title/subtitle (caps/lowercase)
2. Name of each author and the author's primary institution, city, state, and country (caps/lowercase)
3. Precise word counts for (a) text (excluding title page, abstract, bios) and (b) references
4. 250-word structured abstract (see below)
5. Contact information for the author to whom requests for reprints should be sent (give complete address)
6. Short version of the title for running heads
7. Several keywords for indexing purposes (exclude words that already appear in the title/subtitle)
8. NEW! A list of key points in bullet form, inserted prior to the References list
9. NEW! Précis: a 50-word description (in 1-3 sentences) of the manuscript, which will appear in the Table of Contents below the title and authorship information

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 structured abstract of no more than 250 words, with information arranged under the following subheadings (include the subheadings in your abstract) - with each subheading beginning on a new line:

1. Objective
2. Background
3. Method
4. Results
5. Conclusion
6. *Application (for nontheoretical works)

*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.

If any of your figures contain colors other than black, and retaining those colors is critical to the meaning of the image, please indicate this information in the cover letter.

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 Editorial Review Coordinator.

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 Editorial Review Coordinator.

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., Research Article, Brief 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 eight (8) 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 Editorial Review Coordinator 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 encounter difficulties using the system and Technical Support is not able to resolve those problems, please contact the Editorial Review Coordinator.

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