Earthquake Spectra
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Earthquake Spectra, the professional peer-reviewed journal of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), serves as the publication of record for the development of earthquake engineering practice, earthquake codes and regulations, earthquake public policy, and earthquake investigation reports. The journal is published quarterly in both printed and online editions in February, May, August, and November, with additional special edition issues.
EERI established Earthquake Spectra with the purpose of improving the practice of earthquake hazards mitigation, preparedness, and recovery — serving the informational needs of the diverse professionals engaged in earthquake risk reduction: civil, geotechnical, mechanical, and structural engineers; geologists, seismologists, and other earth scientists; architects and city planners; public officials; social scientists; and researchers.
EERI is a non-profit membership organization that connects multidisciplinary professionals dedicated to advancing earthquake resilience worldwide. EERI members receive full access to Earthquake Spectra, including the benefit of submitting manuscripts without author submission fees. Visit *the EERI website* to learn more about membership benefits and explore EERI's programs, resources, and publications.
Earthquake Spectra is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
| Jack W. Baker | Stanford University, USA |
| Helen Crowley | EUCENTRE, Italy |
| David Wald | U.S. Geological Survey, USA |
| Farzad Naeim | Farzad Naeim Inc., USA |
| Tyrra Turner | J&J Editorial, USA |
| Ana Acevedo | Universidad EAFIT, Colombia |
| Ivan Au | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
| Katrin Beyer | École Polytechnique Féderale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland |
| Brendon Bradley | University of Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Svetlana Brzev | University of British Columbia, Canada |
| Henry Burton | University of California Los Angeles, USA |
| Ashly Cabas | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Serena Cattari | University of Genoa, Italy |
| Carlo Cauzzi | ETH Zurich, Switzerland |
| Contreras Santina | University of Southern California, USA |
| Costa Rodrigo | University of Waterloo, Canada |
| David McCallen | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA |
| Ronald T. Eguchi | ImageCat, Inc., USA |
| Eleni Chatzi | ETH Zurich, Switzerland |
| Francesco Cavalieri | EUCENTRE, Italy |
| Katsu Goda | Western University, Canada |
| Graeme Weatherill | GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Germany |
| Russell Green | Virginia Tech, USA |
| Kishor Jaiswal | U.S. Geological Survey, USA |
| Fatemeh Jalayer | University College London, UK |
| Mervyn J. Kowalsky | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Nicolas Kuehn | University of California, Los Angeles, USA |
| David Lallemant | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore |
| Abbie Liel | University of Colorado Boulder, USA |
| Dimitrios Lignos | École Polytechnique Féderale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland |
| Jorge Macedo | Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| Brett Maurer | University of Washington, USA |
| Carlos Molina Hutt | University of British Columbia, Canada |
| Gilberto Mosqueda | University of California, San Diego, USA |
| Santiago Pujol | University of Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Ellen M Rathje | University of Texas, Austin, USA |
| Anastasios Sextos | University of Bristol, UK |
| Emel Seyhan | Risk Management Solutions, USA |
| Vitor Silva | University of Aveiro, Portugal |
| Haluk Sucuoglu | Middle East Technical University, Turkey |
| Ertugrul Taciroglu | University of California, Los Angeles, USA |
| Eric Thompson | U.S. Geological Survey, USA |
| Heidi Tremayne | Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, USA |
Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/earthquakespectra to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned. You can log in to the submission site at any time to check on the progress of your paper through the peer-review process.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.
- What do we publish?
1.1 Aims & Scope
1.2 Article types
1.3 Target page Limit
1.4 Writing your paper - Editorial policies
2.1 Peer review policy
2.2 Authorship
2.3 Acknowledgements
2.3.1 Third party submissions
2.3.2 Writing Assistance
2.4 Funding and Conflicts of Interest
2.5 Research Data and Code Availability - Publishing policies
3.1 Publication ethics
3.1.1 Plagiarism
3.1.2 Prior Publication
3.2 Preprints
3.3 Contributor's publishing agreement
3.4 Open Access and Author Archiving - Preparing your manuscript for Submission
4.1 Format Guidelines
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
4.3 Supplementary material
4.4 Reference style
4.5 English language editing services - Submitting your manuscript
5.1 Cover Letter
5.2 ORCID
5.3 Information required for completing your submission
5.4 Permissions - Acceptance and Publication
6.1 Submission, page overage, and color print fees
6.1.1 Submission Fee
6.1.2 Page Count Overage Fees
6.1.3 Color Print Fees
6.2 Sage Production
6.3 Online First publication
6.4 Promoting your article - Appealing the Publication Decision
- Further information
8.1 Contact
8.2 Permissions
Before submitting your manuscript to Earthquake Spectra, please read the Aims & Scope.
Manuscripts published in Earthquake Spectra are contributed and solicited Technical Papers, Opinion Papers, Data Papers, Earthquake Engineering Practice Papers, Discussions, and Response to Discussions. Each type of manuscript is subject to rigorous peer review.
Research Papers comprise the bulk of submitted and published manuscripts; these are full-length papers presenting original research results.
Opinion Papers provide a forum for timely presentation and discussion of questions, problems, or topics based on technically sound observation, experience, or judgment for which proof or supporting research may not be available.
Opinion papers will be reviewed to evaluate whether they express a clear point of view about a contemporary issue of interest to the readership. The paper should present a well-balanced view of various perspectives on the topic, and engage seriously with potential objections to the opinion. It should cite appropriate literature and make an original contribution to discussion of the issue of interest.
Data Papers are concisely written articles that describe data/datasets that are of interest to the earthquake engineering community. Earthquake Data papers serve the earthquake community by:
- Publicizing important datasets,
- Describing critical details regarding a dataset and its generation, and
- Providing a venue to publish a peer-reviewed article documenting and publicizing the archived data set, which serves as a permanent contribution to the profession.
The described dataset may be associated with laboratory or field experiments, may represent a collection of data from multiple sources, or may represent other data types relevant to earthquake engineering (e.g., social science data, numerical simulation data). The Data Paper should describe the significance of the data and its potential for re-use by the earthquake community. It must describe the experimental set up, data collection, and data processing in a detailed manner such that potential users of the data can understand it without contacting the authors. Interpretation of the data is beyond the scope of a Data Paper.
The described dataset must be publicly available in a data repository and have an assigned Digital Object Identifier (DOI). A link to the dataset via the DOI must be included within the reference list of the paper. The choice of the data repository for publication is up to the authors, but one relevant repository is DesignSafe (https://www.designsafe-ci.org/) of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) supported by the National Science Foundation. Through DesignSafe, authors can store, curate, archive, and formally publish data on the Data Depot and receive a persistent DOI. Other general data repositories include Zenodo, Dryad, Figshare, Open Science Framework, Harvard Dataverse, and Hydroshare.
Earthquake Engineering Practice Papers present original findings that are immediately useful to practicing engineers. Possible topics include but are not limited to:
- Engineering and construction case studies
- Simplified techniques and design tips
- State-of-the-practice reports
- Novel and practical applications of performance-based engineering methods 4
- Comparative or critical reviews of various seismic code provisions
- Issues and tips related to application of commonly used engineering software
- Proper and improper engineering details and assumptions
- Comparative study of various seismic analysis techniques and the impact of selected methods on the final product
- Committee and organization reports and summaries that may substantially affect engineering practice
- Legal and ethical issues affecting earthquake engineering practice
Book Reviews provide a short review of a new book of interest to the Earthquake Spectra readership. The review should describe the book's scope, the audience likely to find it valuable, and any notable features, findings, or limitations.
Discussions and Response to Discussions comment on previously published papers in Earthquake Spectra. Authors of discussed papers are given a preprint of any Discussion paper and are provided with an opportunity to respond.
The target page limit for Technical Papers, Opinion Papers, Earthquake Engineering Practice Papers, and Data Papers is 18 journal pages, including text, references, figures, and tables. Page overage charges will be applied for papers longer than 19 journal pages (see 6.1.2). For papers longer than 30 journal pages, authors must include a statement in the Cover Letter explaining the need for the added length. Authors are encouraged to use supplemental material to limit the length of their paper.
The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors services to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.
As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights to the work, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyrighted work not owned by you, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere.
Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Earthquake Spectra will be reviewed.
The Earthquake Spectra Editor-in-Chief or Editor will perform an initial review of the manuscript for suitability, quality, and novelty. All manuscripts are checked for duplication and plagiarism. If the manuscript is potentially acceptable for publication, they will assign each manuscript to an Associate Editor, usually a member of the Editorial Board, who in turn identifies three reviewers for the manuscript. In addition to overall quality and novelty, manuscripts are reviewed for technical quality, clarity of expression, and grammar. When the reviews are received, the Associate Editor evaluates the reviews and submits a publication recommendation to the Editor. The Editor evaluates the recommendation and reviews, and then informs the manuscript’s corresponding author of the publication decision and the reviewers’ comments. Manuscripts will receive one of the following decisions: Accept, no revisions; Revise for Editor only; Revise for re-review; Reject.
Manuscripts requiring revision must be revised and resubmitted to the Editor with a reconciliation document that summarizes the response to each review comment. Authors are responsible for adequately responding to suggested revisions, ensuring the accuracy of the final manuscript, and ensuring high-quality writing standards. The Editor may return manuscripts requiring substantial revision to the Associate Editor and reviewers for consideration.
Earthquake Spectra operates a conventional single-blind reviewing policy in which the reviewer’s name is concealed from the submitting author unless they voluntarily identify themself.
Earthquake Spectra is committed to delivering a timely and high-quality peer review for your paper. We have partnered with Publons, a third-party service that seeks to track, verify, and give credit for peer review. Reviewers for Earthquake Spectra can opt in to Publons to claim their reviews or have them automatically verified and added to their reviewer profile. Reviewers claiming credit for their review will be associated with the relevant journal, but the article name, reviewer’s decision, and the content of their review are not published on the site. For more information visit the Publons website.
The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no visibility of or involvement in the decision-making process.
Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who
I - made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
II - drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
III - approved the version to be published,
IV - participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.
Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.
Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship. Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.
Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or general support. Any acknowledgments should appear first at the end of your article, following any Data and Resources section, and prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.
Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:
- Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
- Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
- Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.
Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.
Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and should only be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company, and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. It is not necessary to disclose the use of language polishing services.
2.4 Funding and Conflicts of Interest
Earthquake Spectra requires all authors to acknowledge their funding and any conflicts of interest in a consistent fashion in the Acknowledgements section.
2.5 Research Data and Code Availability
The journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency, and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data-sharing policy.
Effective 2024, all Research Papers must include a section titled “Data and Resources” before the manuscript’s References section, which shares the underlying data needed to understand and evaluate the reported research at the time of peer review. Specifically, authors should:
- Share your research data in a relevant public data repository.
- Include a data availability statement. This should:
- Indicate if data is available and shared.
- In certain cases, indicate if research data is available but not shared, and why.
- Indicate if there is an absence of data.A statement that “the data will be provided upon request” is not allowed. The journal’s Editors and Reviewers will evaluate whether an author's decision not to share data is reasonable and may decline to publish manuscripts where the relevant research data is not provided.
Authors are also encouraged to provide the code developed in support of the research. Furthermore, when code is a key part of the research output, the journal may require sharing. For data-driven studies, such as those that utilize machine learning models not replicable by reading the paper, it is expected that authors will provide the code to document their work.
The described dataset must be publicly available in a data repository at the time of manuscript submission and have an assigned Digital Object Identifier (DOI) that is included within the reference list of the paper. One relevant repository is DesignSafe (https://www.designsafe-ci.org/) of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) supported by the National Science Foundation. Other general data repositories include Zenodo, Dryad, Figshare, Open Science Framework, Harvard Dataverse, and Hydroshare.
Example Data and Resources statements are shown below:
- The data and software used to produce the analysis presented in this paper are available at Ji et al. (2022). [Reference in reference list: Ji C, Cabas A, Kottke A, Macedo J, Liu C and Pilz M (2022) A DesignSafe ground motion database: Time series, engineering metrics, and site metadata. DesignSafe-CI. DOI: 10.17603/DS2-SYC5-NK92.]
- The liquefaction and non-liquefaction database presented in this article, including the historical performance (surface evidence); geotechnical, geophysical, and laboratory test data; earthquake information; and the intensities measures computed, is freely available at DesignSafe (Montalva et al., 2021), where users can download and process data, to train or evaluate predictive liquefaction models. This SPT data and the geophysical test data were obtained from geotechnical reports from the Ministry of Public Works, R&V Engineers, and the fieldwork performed by the geotechnical group at the University of Concepción. The supplemental material lists all IMs reported in the paper along with their uncertainties. [Reference in reference list: Montalva GA, Ruz F, Escribano D, Bastias Tejos N, Espinoza D, Paredes F (2021) Liquefaction Triggering in Subduction Zones (Field SPT, CPT, Vs, Tsite along with surface evidence of liquefaction). DesignSafe-CI. https://doi.org/10.17603/ds2-g3yc-6z20 v1 (Last accessed December 30, 2021).]
- The data analyzed in this manuscript involves Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and so are not provided to protect the identities of those involved.
- Ground motion data utilized in the study are available at https://doi.org/10.17603/ds2-syc5-nk92. Building exposure data were provided by a commercial partner, as described above, and are not available for redistribution under the data-sharing agreement with the partner.
- Seismograph data were obtained from the Geological Survey Of Canada (1989). [Reference in reference list: Geological Survey Of Canada. (1989). Canadian National Seismograph Network. International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks. https://doi.org/10.7914/SN/CN]
For more information, please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages and Research Data Sharing FAQs.
3. Publishing Policies
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record and encourages authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.
Earthquake Spectra and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles will be routinely checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, is found to have plagiarized other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgment, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to, publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.
Previously published material is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Material from theses can be submitted for publication. Material from conference papers can be re-used, but the manuscript should substantially expand upon the conference paper’s scope. Preprints are not considered prior publications (see Section 2). Please refer to the prior publication guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.
If ANY significant amount of content of your submission is already online or published, the nature and extent of the overlap MUST be specified in the Cover Letter (see Section 5.1). Failure to be transparent about shared or overlapping content may result in the Editorial Board declining publication.
Earthquake Spectra accepts submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers. Please alert the journal of the preprint by listing details in the Cover Letter and including the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer-reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If your paper is accepted, you must update the preprint with a link to the final Earthquake Spectra version of the paper.
3.3 Contributor's publishing agreement
Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive license agreement, which means that the author retains the copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case, copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information, please visit the Sage Author Gateway.
3.4 Open access and author archiving
Earthquake Spectra offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies. Note that some authors (particularly in some EU academic consortia) may have Sage Choice fees waived based on prior arrangements.
Any Sage Choice open access publishing charges are independent of EERI charges for page overages and color figures.
For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.
4. Preparing your manuscript for submission
4.1 Formatting
Both Word and LaTeX file formats are accepted. Formatting guidelines and LaTex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.
Sections and subsections should not be preceded by section numbers. Line numbers and page numbers should be included, to facilitate review comments that point to specific passages. Figures and Tables should appear in the manuscript in the order in which they are cited, reasonably close to the location of the first citation.
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
Earthquake Spectra standards require that all figures are easily readable in print and online. For that purpose, each figure should take about half a page in size. For guidance on preparing illustrations, pictures, and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines. For faster processing and publishing please include your figures embedded into your text file.
Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For specifically requested color reproduction in print please see section 6.
Earthquake Spectra can host additional materials online (e.g., datasets, podcasts, videos, images) alongside the full text of the article. Please note that the supplemental materials will not be copy-edited. Refer to Section 2.5 and Sage’s guidelines on submitting supplemental files for more information.
Earthquake Spectra adheres to the Sage Harvard reference style. View the Sage Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Harvard EndNote output file.
4.5 English language editing services
Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
Earthquake Spectra is hosted on Sage Track, a web-based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/earthquakespectra to login and submit your article online.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal since 2020, you likely have an account. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
Your submission MUST include a Cover Letter stating:
I -that the content is original, or in what form and to what degree it has been previously published (preprints are allowed, and some latitude is afforded to theses, proceedings, or reports that are not widely distributed as long as any such overlap is clearly stated),
II-any issues that the Editor should be made aware of, including potential conflicts of interest, previous submissions of a similar or the same manuscript to another journal, or other concerns,
III -and the type of manuscript you are submitting, if not a technical paper.
IV-justification for papers longer than 30 journal pages.
As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process, Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.
The collection of ORCID IDs from corresponding authors is now a recommended part of the submission process of this journal. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign in to your ORCID account, and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID ID is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and view your other publications.
If you do not already have an ORCID ID please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
5.3 Information required for completing your submission
You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors, identify the corresponding author, and order the authors as in the manuscript. These details must match what appears in your manuscript. The affiliation listed in the manuscript should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a manuscript note at the end of the paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
Please obtain permission from copyright holders to reproduce any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.
6.1 Submission, page overage, and color print fees
Earthquake Spectra charges the following fees for accepted manuscripts. Papers will not be passed into the production stage until all fees are paid in full. The publications coordinator will issue submission fee invoices soon after the paper is exported to Production and final page count is known of the paper. All payments will be processed by EERI.
There is no submission fee for current EERI members. If the First Author is not an EERI member, the Submission Fee is $350. To join EERI, visit www.eeri.org/join.
The overage charge is based upon the finalized page count, as confirmed by Sage following author approval of your manuscript’s PDF Proof. We offer equations below to help authors estimate the number of final formatted journal pages, but this approximation may not exactly match the final page count.
If your paper is becoming lengthy, use supplemental material when possible. Supplemental materials are published alongside your manuscript online, and do not count towards the final page count since they are not copy-edited (see section 4.3).
Earthquake Spectra charges the following page count overage fees:
● If the number of formatted journal pages is 19 or fewer, no page count overage fees will be charged.
● If the number of formatted journal pages is between 20-24, there will be a flat page count overage fee of $300.
● If the number of formatted journal pages is between 25-30, there will be a flat page count overage fee of $800.
● If the number of formatted journal pages is 31 or more, the paper will require justification and Editor’s approval (as described above). Additionally, it will be charged a flat rate of $800 plus $150 for each page over 30.
If the manuscript has figures/tables embedded into the document, the file length is multiplied by 0.675 to yield an estimated number of formatted journal pages. If the manuscript does not contain figures or tables, the length of the document is multiplied by 0.675 and an estimated number of formatted pages are added to that number based on 0.5 pages per figure or table, to yield a total number of formatted journal pages. The estimated number should be rounded up to the nearest whole page.
Sample Calculations for a submitted and approved manuscript in Word with Embedded figures/tables:
36 page word manuscript x 0.675 = TOTAL pages =25 ⇒ FEE CHARGED is $800
33 page word manuscript x 0.675 = TOTAL pages =23 ⇒ FEE CHARGED is $300
30 page word manuscript x 0.675 = TOTAL pages =21 ⇒ FEE CHARGED is $300
23 page word manuscript x 0.675 = TOTAL pages =16 ⇒ NO FEE CHARGED
Sample Calculation for an approved manuscript that does not contain embedded figures/tables where the author submits a 23-page Word document (this word document contains only text) and 12 individual images, one for each figure or table that will be compiled into the final formatted version during the production process:
23 page text-only word manuscript x 0.675 = 16
+
12 figures/tables x 0.5 = 6
⇒ TOTAL pages= 22 pages ⇒ FEE CHARGED is $300
Figures supplied in color will appear in color online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version, and in black-and-white by default in printed copies of the paper.
Figures can optionally be printed in color for a charge of $25 per figure if the First Author is an EERI member, and $50 per figure otherwise.
A Sage Production Editor will be assigned to each paper once it is accepted, and will manage the production process that includes copyediting, typesetting, layout, web-posting, compilation into the final issue, and printing.
Your Sage Production Editor, who is different from the Earthquake Spectra Publications Coordinator, will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal Sage Edit or by email, and corrections should be made and sent to Sage Production promptly.
Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.
Online First allows final articles (accepted and copyedited articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals OnlineFirst help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.
Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.
7. Appealing the Publication Decision
Editors have broad discretion in determining whether an article is an appropriate fit for their journal. Many manuscripts are declined with a very general statement of the rejection decision. These decisions are not eligible for formal appeal unless the author believes the decision to reject the manuscript was based on an error in the review of the article, in which case the author may appeal the decision by providing the Editor with a detailed written description of the error they believe occurred. The Earthquake Spectra Editorial Board includes an Ombudsperson whose role it is to referee when authors are concerned about the editorial process. The Ombudsperson will be brought in as deemed appropriate by the Editor or Managing Editor.
This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics. If an author believes the decision regarding their manuscript was affected by a publication ethics breach, the author may contact the publisher with a detailed written description of their concern, and supporting information, at publication_ethics@sagepub.com
Authors should follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Earthquake Spectra editorial office as follows:
Earthquake Spectra Editorial Office
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)
spectra@eeri.org
To gain permission for an article published after 1st January 2020, please follow the ‘Request Permission’ hyperlink on the individual article. If the article was published before 1st January 2020, please contact: PermissionsUK@sagepub.com. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.