Instruction For Authors

Submission of papers

Please submit contributions in LCJ format (Instructions & Template) using MS Word 6 or later by email to the Editors at editors@LeanConstructionJournal.org

Files containing viruses will be deleted unopened.

Reviewing

Papers will only be sent for review when the editors have:

• a correctly LCJ formatted version of your paper (please read and use  Instructions & Template)
• a completed copyright form for the paper (Copyright Form)
• your response to any Editors’ Review comments

LCJ papers and forum articles are double blind peer reviewed by at least three members of our expert review panel. At least one of your reviewers will be a practitioner.

Revisions may be required before a decision is made to accept or reject the paper. This can involve a further review or reviews.

Publication

As LCJ is an on-line journal we publish as soon as your paper is approved.

Neither the Lean Construction Journal nor the Lean Construction Institute makes any charge for publishing papers that are accepted for publication or for reviewing your paper.

We begin a new volume each year and send out a full list of contents to lists like CNBR and IGLC in June and early January each year.

Copyright

Submission of a paper, forum essay, discussions, rejoinders or closure to Lean Construction Journal (LCJ) is understood to mean:

• it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere?
• it is not already published?

Author(s) are required to transfer limited rights to the Lean Construction Institute Board of Directors prior to the start of the review process. For more information see the copyright page.

Permission for papers published in LCJ to be re-published elsewhere must be obtained in writing from the Journal Editors. Any republication or personal use of the work must explicitly identify prior publication in LCJ.

Formatting Instructions

The LCJ format is designed to be easy to read on screen as well as on paper.

Please download, read and use formatting templates:

Instructions & Template (for papers, forum essays, technical notes, discussions, and closures)

Book Review Guidelines

Who are you writing for?

LCJ is aimed at thoughtful practitioners as well as academics and your style should be accessible to both audiences.

Document Structure

The Instructions & Template file is a typical example of how a paper is structured. The following features are common:

• First page:

• citation (Top left in the header section) – complete the author & title information, leave the rest blank
• the paper’s title in upper and lower case – choose carefully to reflect the content
• author(s) in 12pt bold upper and lower case. Use a footnote to provide the professional title, affiliation, and mailing address of the author(s).
• a structured abstract, and
• key words

Continue with the paper without a break. Most papers will start with an introduction, followed by background, methods, and discussion sections and ending with conclusions. Please ensure that all headings are upper and lower case together and in the correct styles.

Include references in the last section of the paper.

Paper size & margins

The Instructions & Template file is already sized correctly – A4 size portrait format (210 x 297 mm) with margins set:

• Top & Bottom: 3 cm;
• Left & Right: 2.5 cm.

Document Length

Papers and Forum articles, including title page and abstract, should not normally exceed 5000 words or word equivalents [~12 pages]. Longer scripts will be accepted if the material justifies the additional length. [If you think your material justifies more than 5000 words, do discuss an outline of your paper with the editors before you write it.]

Background and methods should be kept to a minimum in the published paper. Background and/or method appendices can be sent with your paper if you feel it will help your reviewer decide or if you want to make them available to Journal readers as a separate optional download. Technical notes/Discussions have a limit of 2,500 words.

Book reviews have a limit of 2000 words.

Downloads

The  Instructions & Template file (for papers, forum essays, technical notes, discussions, and closures)

Book Review Guidelines

The papers on this site are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, click here.