Writing for CI Magazine

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CI Author Guidelines

Concrete International (CI) is a practice-oriented monthly magazine. Known as the premier magazine of the concrete community, CI features articles, case studies, technology spotlights, and research that help ACI members do their jobs. Authors need not be members of ACI to submit articles for consideration for publication. Articles on how to design, construct, or repair concrete structures more efficiently, faster, or more cost-effectively can be submitted to Sidra Dahhan, Editor, at Sidra.Dahhan@concrete.org.

CI editors can assist authors in article development. If you have an idea for an article or would like suggestions for preparing your article, email Lacey Stachel, Editor-in-Chief, Lacey.Stachel@concrete.org.

 

Basis of Acceptability

An acceptable manuscript shall be concise and shall:

    • Be within ACI’s area of interest in accordance with its mission. Articles dealing with general structural analysis or engineering treatments common to other materials will not be considered;
    • Be of substantial interest to one or more parts of the concrete industry;
    • Be based on an adequate factual record that is either presented in the manuscript or is available by reference to open literature;
    • Be original and not previously published (other than the author’s thesis or dissertation), nor submitted for consideration elsewhere while in the CI review or publication process;
    • Not be written with the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The use of AI-based text-generative technologies is permitted solely to improve the language, grammar, and readability of the work (refer to the Author Policy on AI-Based Text Generation Technologies); and
    • Be objective in treatment, avoid personalities and pleas of special interests, and be in good taste both technically and professionally.

 

Evaluation System

Publication of any submission is at the discretion of the CI editors. CI editors could reject a manuscript on preliminary review based on not meeting the basis of acceptability and submission requirements or a preliminary evaluation of writing quality.

Articles submitted for publication in CI will be given preliminary review by CI staff and/or other ACI staff to determine which of the following review methods is appropriate:

    • Review 1: Received and reviewed under Institute publication policies (full peer review).
    • Review 2: Selected for reader interest by the editors after independent expert evaluation and recommendation.
    • Review 3: Selected for reader interest by the editors.


If the CI editors determine that a paper requires peer review, they will select the peer reviewers. Articles will be sent to two peer reviewers. If the two peer reviewers have different recommendations, the article will be reviewed by a third peer reviewer. A minimum of two positive reviews is required to accept a manuscript.

During its evaluation, the content of a manuscript is confidential. Evaluation of a manuscript to determine its acceptability is also confidential, and while the reviewers’ comments may be shared with the author, the identity of the reviewers will not be disclosed. Efforts will be made to avoid conflicts of interest among reviewers.

If an article is not recommended for publication by the peer reviewers, authors may revise their article to address the peer reviewers’ comments and resubmit the article for consideration. However, publication is at the discretion of the CI editors. Appeal of a decision not to publish a manuscript in CI should be made to the Editor-in-Chief of CI. The decision of publication made by the Editor-in-Chief is final.

 

Submission Requirements

Submission of an article to CI implies that it represents original, unpublished work and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. By submitting an article, the author intends to transfer copyright to ACI. Before submitting an article, please ensure it meets the formatting requirements:

    • A Microsoft Word file of the article of no more than 3000 words of text, including author bios and references (if a paper exceeds 3000 words, it is at the discretion of the CI Editor-in-Chief to publish an overlength article);
    • No more than 8 figures, tables, and illustrations;
    • Captions for all photographs and figures;
    • A short biography (100-word maximum) and color passport-style photo of each author;
    • A one-paragraph abstract of the article; and
    • A maximum of 10 keywords.


Minimize your work by:

    • Using a simple format (left alignment and automatic wrap);
    • Placing figures and tables in separate files rather than in your text file;
    • Using the author-year system for citations (CI editors number them later);
    • Avoiding the use of links for references or figures;
    • Avoiding the use of endnotes or footnotes;
    • Using placeholders for equations (for example, “Eq. 1 goes here”) and listing the equations in a separate file; and
    • Avoiding placement of equations or figures into tables.

 

Image Format and Photos for the Cover

While images embedded in the manuscript are acceptable for the review process, they cannot be used for final publication. All photos and figures must be sent as individual image files to allow CI editors to verify that they are of print quality.

Photos must be sent as .tif or .jpg files. They should be at least 4 x 6 in. and have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Glossy prints or color slides are also acceptable. Author photos should be at least 1 x 1.5 in. and have a resolution of at least 300 dpi.

Graphs, charts, and line art can be sent as .tif, .jpg, .eps, .xls, .pdf, or .ai files. If your images were created in a different program, please inquire to see if we can accept the file format.

Submissions are welcome for potential cover photos. Cover photos must be portrait (vertical) orientation. They must be sent as .tif or .jpg files and be at least 8.25 x 10.75 in. at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.

 

Copyright Transfer Requirement

Under the terms of United States Copyright Law, ACI must obtain a Copyright Transfer Agreement, completed and signed by all authors. CI editors will send a copy to sign when an article is accepted for publication.

 

Author Policy on AI-Based Text Generative Technologies

The use of AI-based text generative technologies by CI article authors is permitted solely for improving the language, grammar, and readability of the work and must be disclosed at the end of the manuscript in the “Acknowledgments” section. The disclosure should state, “The authors acknowledge the use of [NAME OF AI TOOL] to improve the language and readability of this manuscript but claim full responsibility for the content of the publication.”

 

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor can be submitted by anyone who has significant comments or questions regarding the content of a published CI article. Discussions must be written in a professional manner and should not contain matter readily found elsewhere, that advocates special interests, contains obvious commercial intent, controverts established facts, or is purely speculative.

When discussions are received and approved for publication, the author(s) of the original article is invited to prepare a closure that provides clarification of and responses to the points raised in the discussions. The letter to the editor and the author’s closure will be published simultaneously and included with the electronic version of the original article.