Instructions for Authors

The author should send an electronic copy of the paper, along with an electronic copy of the cover letter, via e-mail to civil@academicstar.us, civilengineering@academicstar.us. Word is acceptable file formats. At the same time, Latex file is also acceptable. But please send the Latex file and PDF file to us at the same time. 

When we receive the electronic copy, you will be sent a confirmation via e-mail.

Contributions sent via fax will not be considered. Manuscripts should not exceed 40 pages in length (including notes, references, tables, and legends). Any manuscript longer than 50 pages can be accepted if approved by the editor. The author should pay submission fee. Please direct all inquiries regarding submissions to:  civil@academicstar.us.

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; 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 should there be any claims for compensation.

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.

How to Submit

Manuscripts should preferably be submitted in the original file format. Please send the manuscript via e-mail to the editor and attach the files. The authors can also submit their papers via our online submission system at:  http://www.academicstar.us/onlineupload.asp
1. Title Page
The title page should include: 
o The name(s) of the author(s)
o A concise and informative title
o The affiliation(s) and address(es) of the author(s)
o The e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of the corresponding author
o The research fields of the authors
Abstract
Please provide an abstract of 150 to 200 words. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references.
Keywords
Please provide 4 to 6 keywords which can be used for indexing purposes.
JEL Classification Code
An appropriate number of JEL codes should be provided. This classification system is prepared and published by the Journal of Economic Literature, see
o www.aeaweb.org/journal/jel_class_system.html
2. Text
2.1 Text Formatting
Manuscripts should be submitted in Word. 
Use a normal, plain font (e.g., 10-point Times Roman) for text.
Use italics for emphasis.
Use the automatic page numbering function to number the pages.
Do not use field functions.
Use tab stops or other commands for indents, not the space bar.
Use the table function, not spreadsheets, to make tables.
Use the equation editor or MathType for equations. 
Note: If you use Word 2007, do not create the equations with the default equation editor but use the Microsoft equation editor or MathType instead.
Save your file in doc format. Do not submit docx files.
Word template
2.2 Headings
Please use the decimal system of headings with no more than three levels. 
2.3 Abbreviations
Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.
2.4 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. 
2.5 Acknowledgments 
Acknowledgments of people, grants, funds, etc. should be placed in a separate section before the reference list. The names of funding organizations should be written in full.
3. References
3.1 Citation
Cite references in the text by name and year in parentheses. Some examples: 
o Negotiation research spans many disciplines (Thompson 1990).
o This result was later contradicted by Becker and Seligman (1996).
o This effect has been widely studied (Abbott 1991; Barakat et al. 1995; Kelso and Smith 1998; Medvec et al. 1993).
3.2 Reference list 
The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been published or accepted for publication. Personal communications and unpublished works should only be mentioned in the text. Do not use footnotes or endnotes as a substitute for a reference list. 
Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last names of the first author of each work. 
Journal article 
Harris, M., Karper, E., Stacks, G., Hoffman, D., DeNiro, R., Cruz, P., et al. (2001). Writing labs and the Hollywood connection. Journal of Film Writing, 44(3), 213–245. 
Article by DOI 
Slifka, M. K., & Whitton, J. L. (2000) Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. Journal of Molecular Medicine, doi:10.1007/s001090000086
Book 
Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Book chapter 
O’Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men’s and women’s gender role journeys: Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107–123). New York: Springer.
Online document 
Abou-Allaban, Y., Dell, M. L., Greenberg, W., Lomax, J., Peteet, J., Torres, M., & Cowell, V. (2006). Religious/spiritual commitments and psychiatric practice. Resource document. American Psychiatric Association. http://www.psych.org/edu/other_res/lib_archives/archives/200604.pdf. Accessed 25 June 2007.
Journal names and book titles should be italicized.