Author Guidelines

Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI)

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI) welcomes original, ethically conducted, and methodologically rigorous scholarly contributions related to circular economy research and associated interdisciplinary fields. The journal encourages manuscripts that contribute to theoretical advancement, methodological innovation, technological development, policy understanding, and practical implementation of circular economy principles.

Authors are expected to prepare manuscripts according to recognized standards of academic writing, research integrity, transparency, responsible scholarly communication, and ethical publishing practices.

Submission of a manuscript indicates that authors agree to comply with the journal’s editorial policies, publication ethics requirements, peer-review procedures, and scholarly publishing standards.

1. Scope and Manuscript Types

Authors should ensure that submitted manuscripts align with the aims and scope of the Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI).

The journal considers scholarly contributions related to, but not limited to:

  • Circular economy principles, frameworks, and implementation strategies.
  • Sustainable production and consumption systems.
  • Resource efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, reuse, and recovery approaches.
  • Circular business models and sustainable value creation.
  • Sustainable supply chains and circular logistics.
  • Industrial symbiosis and collaborative resource management.
  • Life-cycle assessment and environmental performance evaluation.
  • Circular materials, technologies, and innovation systems.
  • Digital technologies supporting circular economy transitions.
  • Policy, governance, and regulatory approaches.
  • Socioeconomic dimensions of circular economy development.

The journal accepts the following manuscript categories:

Original Research Articles

Studies presenting original theoretical, empirical, experimental, analytical, or applied research findings supported by appropriate methodologies.

Review Articles

Comprehensive analyses of existing research providing critical synthesis, evaluation, and identification of future research directions.

Conceptual and Theoretical Articles

Scholarly contributions developing new concepts, frameworks, models, or theoretical perspectives.

Methodological Articles

Studies presenting innovative research methods, analytical approaches, tools, or procedures relevant to circular economy research.

Case-Based Research Articles

Evidence-based investigations of circular economy practices, organizations, technologies, industrial systems, or policy applications.

Authors should clearly identify the article type during manuscript submission.

2. Originality, Ethics and Submission Requirements

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scholarly work and should not have been published previously in substantially similar form or be under simultaneous consideration by another journal.

Authors must ensure that:

  • The manuscript presents original research or scholarly contribution.
  • Previous research, sources, concepts, and data are appropriately acknowledged.
  • Research findings are reported accurately and transparently.
  • The manuscript does not contain fabricated, falsified, manipulated, or misleading information.
  • All listed authors have made meaningful contributions and approve the submitted version.
  • Related publications, preprints, conference papers, datasets, or overlapping materials are disclosed during submission where applicable.
  • The manuscript follows applicable ethical and publication standards.

Submitted manuscripts may undergo similarity checking and editorial integrity assessment.

The journal does not accept plagiarism, duplicate publication, citation manipulation, fabrication, falsification, or other forms of research misconduct.

3. Manuscript Preparation and Formatting Guidelines

Authors should prepare manuscripts using a clear academic structure appropriate for the selected article type.

A typical research manuscript should include:

  • Title
  • Author Information
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Literature Review or Background
  • Research Methodology
  • Results and Findings
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Relevant Declarations

The exact structure may vary depending on manuscript type and research approach.

Title Requirements

The title should:

  • Accurately represent the research content.
  • Clearly indicate the main research focus.
  • Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
  • Avoid exaggerated or unsupported claims.
  • Be concise and informative.

Abstract Requirements

The abstract should provide a concise summary of:

  • Research background.
  • Research objectives.
  • Methodology or analytical approach.
  • Principal findings.
  • Research significance.
  • Main conclusions.

Authors should provide appropriate keywords representing the major research themes and improving article discoverability.

Manuscript Length and Presentation

Authors should prepare manuscripts with sufficient depth and detail to support rigorous academic evaluation.

The journal does not impose a fixed word limit for all manuscript categories; however, submissions should be appropriately developed according to article type, research complexity, and scholarly requirements.

File Format Requirements

Authors should submit manuscripts in an editable document format.

Recommended submission format:

  • Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

Tables, figures, graphs, and supplementary materials should be prepared clearly and submitted according to journal requirements.

4. Research Reporting, References, Tables and Figures

Authors should describe research methods clearly and sufficiently to support scholarly evaluation and research transparency.

Where applicable, manuscripts should report:

  • Research design.
  • Data sources.
  • Sampling procedures.
  • Analytical methods.
  • Computational approaches.
  • Assumptions.
  • Validation procedures.
  • Limitations.
  • Ethical considerations.

Research findings should be presented accurately without selective reporting or unsupported interpretation.

Tables, figures, graphs, and supplementary materials should:

  • Directly support research findings.
  • Include clear titles and explanations.
  • Be properly referenced within the manuscript.
  • Represent data accurately.
  • Avoid unnecessary duplication.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for copyrighted materials where required.

References and Citations

Authors should ensure that references:

  • Accurately represent relevant scholarly work.
  • Are correctly cited.
  • Include complete bibliographic information.
  • Acknowledge original sources appropriately.
  • Avoid unnecessary citation manipulation.

JCEI follows APA 7th edition referencing style unless otherwise specified by the editorial office.

5. Authorship, Declarations and Transparency Requirements

Authorship

Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contribution to the research and manuscript preparation.

Authors should have contributed to one or more of the following:

  • Research conception or design.
  • Methodology development.
  • Data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
  • Manuscript preparation or critical revision.
  • Approval of the final manuscript version.

All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and accept responsibility for their contributions.

Authors are encouraged to provide ORCID identifiers to support accurate author identification.

Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged separately.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could influence the research or its interpretation.

A conflict-of-interest statement should be included in the manuscript.

Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of financial, institutional, or material support received for the research.

Funding statements should include:

  • Funding organizations.
  • Grant information where applicable.
  • Institutional support.
  • Role of funders in the research process.

Data Availability Statement

Authors should provide a Data Availability Statement where applicable.

The statement should indicate whether supporting data are:

  • Publicly available.
  • Deposited in a repository.
  • Included within the article or supplementary materials.
  • Available upon reasonable request.
  • Restricted due to ethical, legal, privacy, commercial, or contractual limitations.
  • Not applicable.

Ethical Approval and Participant Protection

Research involving humans, animals, personal information, biological materials, or sensitive data must comply with applicable ethical standards.

Where applicable, authors should provide:

  • Ethics approval details.
  • Institutional review information.
  • Informed consent procedures.
  • Participant confidentiality measures.
  • Relevant regulatory requirements.

Artificial Intelligence Use Disclosure

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and accountability of submitted manuscripts.

Where artificial intelligence tools are used during manuscript preparation, authors should ensure:

  • Appropriate disclosure where required.
  • Verification of generated information.
  • Protection of confidential information.
  • Accurate citation of sources.
  • Avoidance of presenting AI-generated content as independent scholarly work.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors.

6. Peer Review and Editorial Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo editorial screening before external evaluation.

Suitable manuscripts are generally evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process, where author and reviewer identities remain confidential.

Authors should:

  • Provide accurate submission information.
  • Respond constructively to reviewer comments.
  • Explain revisions clearly.
  • Maintain professional communication throughout the review process.

Peer review assists editorial decision-making but does not guarantee acceptance.

The final publication decision is made by the editorial team based on scholarly quality, ethical compliance, relevance, and overall suitability of the manuscript.

7. Revision, Post-Publication and Research Integrity

When revisions are requested, authors should submit:

  • Revised manuscript files.
  • Responses to reviewer comments.
  • Explanations of changes made.
  • Justification where reviewer suggestions are not adopted.

Major revisions may undergo additional evaluation.

Authors should promptly inform the journal if significant errors are identified after publication.

Depending on the nature of the issue, the journal may consider:

  • Corrections.
  • Clarifications.
  • Expressions of concern.
  • Retractions.

Authors are expected to cooperate with post-publication investigations where necessary.

8. Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to follow appropriate reporting standards relevant to their study design.

Where applicable, authors may consider established reporting guidelines such as:

  • CONSORT for clinical trials.
  • PRISMA for systematic reviews.
  • STROBE for observational studies.
  • Other relevant discipline-specific reporting frameworks.

9. Submission Checklist

Before submission, authors should confirm that:

  • The manuscript fits the journal scope.
  • The manuscript represents original scholarly work.
  • All authors have approved submission.
  • Ethical requirements have been addressed where applicable.
  • Conflicts of interest are disclosed.
  • Funding information is provided.
  • Data availability information is included where applicable.
  • References are accurate and complete.
  • Tables and figures are properly prepared.
  • The manuscript follows journal requirements.

Authors should submit:

  • Main manuscript file.
  • Separate title page containing author information.
  • Supplementary materials where applicable.
  • Required declarations or supporting documents.

10. Title Page Requirements

The title page should include:

  • Manuscript title.
  • Full names of all authors.
  • Institutional affiliations.
  • Department or research unit.
  • Country information.
  • Corresponding author details.
  • Email address.
  • ORCID identifiers where available.

11. Copyright and Licensing

Authors should review the journal’s copyright, licensing, and open-access policies before submission.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts comply with applicable copyright requirements and that permissions are obtained for copyrighted materials where necessary.

Commitment to Responsible Submission

The Journal of Circular Economy Innovations (JCEI) is committed to supporting high-quality scholarly communication through transparent submission practices, rigorous peer review, ethical research reporting, and responsible authorship.

Authors submitting manuscripts to JCEI share responsibility for maintaining the accuracy, reliability, originality, and integrity of the published scholarly record.