Submissions

Login or Register to make a submission.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
  • I've read Editorial CSIC's Good Practice Code and comply with all its guidelines.
  • The Authorship, good publication practice and copyright transfer statement is filled and signed, and it'll be added to the submission.
  • The article has not been previously published, and has not been sent to another journal for consideration.
  • The submission is an original work and does not violate the copy and reproduction rights of other authored works. If necessary, the author has written permit for the reproduced work and a copy will also be submited.
  • Each of the authors has been identified including the following data:
    - Given name (in full form) and family name(s).
    - Email contact address.
    - Country of professional activity.
    - Institutional affiliation.
    - Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID).
    - Role/roles according to the CRediT taxonomy.
  • An author's contributions document has been completed, and it'll be added to the submission.
  • Images, illustrations and figures using colour or grayscale have a minimum 300 dots per inch (dpi) resolution. Lineal drawings have between 900 and 1200 dpi.

Author Guidelines

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS TO MATERIALES DE CONSTRUCCIÓN

Download HERE the Good Practice Code in PDF
Download HERE the Authorship Form in PDF

  1. Submission and acceptance for consideration. Papers submitted for publication in Materiales de Construcción must meet the requirements set out below. Non-compliant manuscripts will be returned.

  2. Author contributions: In order to improve the quality and transparency of the journal, we ask authors to submit the following information:

    • Individual contributions of each author to the article using the following functions, according to the CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Software; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing - original draft; Writing - review & editing.
    • ORCID number of individual authors
    • Authorship, good publication practice and copyright transfer statement, properly filled out and signed by all authors.

  3. Originals: Originals must be submitted in English. All originals received will be reviewed by two referees in accordance with criteria of scientific quality. Final decisions on the publication of manuscripts will be made by the Editorial Board based on the referee’s evaluations. Journal reviewing is simple-blinded. Referee’s suggestions will be forwarded to the authors for amendment of their papers as appropriate. Only original manuscripts not previously published in other journals will be accepted. Originals may not be over 10 single-spaced pages long, in Times New Roman 11pt.

  4. Wording and presentation. The text should be worded as clearly and concisely as possible. Papers will be published in English. If necessary, you can use this Microsoft Word Template.

  5. Article structure. The paper should be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be also numbered. Any section or subsection may be given a brief heading. Each article should consist of the following sections:

    a. Essential title page information

    • Title. Paper titles should be explicit and precise and clearly reflect their content. They should be followed by the author´s(s’) name(s), surname(s), position(s), affiliation(s) as appropriate and date of submission. The title must be written both in English and Spanish.
    • Author names and affiliations. Authors are requested to specify whether they use compound or otherwise ambiguous family names. Authors’ affiliations (centers where the research was actually conducted) should be placed underneath the names. Authors will be identified with their respective affiliations by means of a lower-case superscript letter placed immediately after the author’s name and before the name and address of the institution. Full postal addresses must be provided for each affiliation, including the country name and the author’s e-mail address, as appropriate.
    • Corresponding author. The author who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, as well as during post-publication, must be specified, along with the respective e-mail address and complete postal address.
    • Abstract. Articles are to be preceded by an abstract in English and Spanish (maximum 150 words in each language), clearly indicating objectives, approach and conclusions.
    • Keywords. No more than five keywords may be listed from the list provided at the end of this page. Keyword must be written both in English and Spanish.

    b. Introduction
    The introduction must clearly define the objectives of the research, and include a review of the state of the art.

    c. Material and methods
    Descriptions must be given in sufficient detail for all trials to be reproduced.

    d. Results
    Results should be set out clearly and concisely.

    e. Discussion
    The significance of the results, as well as their importance for knowledge advancement, must be analyzed. The results and discussion sections may be combined.

    f. Conclusions
    The main conclusions of the study should be briefly presented.

    g. References
    References should be limited to publications directly related to the paper submitted. Lengthy comments on the publications cited should be avoided. References are to be cited in the text by number, between parentheses ( ), and listed at the end of the paper in consecutive order. Entries should use the CSE format:

    Example for periodicals journals:
    Ghorab HY, Kenawi IM, Abdell All ZG. 2012. Interaction between cements with different composition and superplasticizers. Mater. Construcc. 62(307):359- 380. http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/mc.2012.63610.

    Example for books:
    Taylor HFW. 1990. Cement Chemistry, Academia Press, Inc. New York.

    DOI.: https://doi.org references should be included.

  6. Tables, figures and photographs. Tables and figures should be included with restraint. Each graph or figure must be numbered and cited in the text accordingly. The approximate position for figures in the text should be specified. Only photographs that are genuinely useful, reproductively clear and representative should be submitted. Once the manuscript has been accepted, all figures and photographs are to be submitted on a single ZIP or RAR compressed file.

  7. Mathematical expressions and formulas. Maximum clarity and legibility should be pursued, using the notation that takes up the least possible space. Formulas are to be cited in the text between square brackets [ ].

  8. Proofs. Authors will be provided galleys for proofing, which must be returned with any corrections, within one week. No new material corrections will be allowed on proofs.

  9. Research data policy

    We recommend authors depositing data obtained from the research developed for the preparation of their article in repositories of recognized prestige, specific to the discipline or of a generalist nature. In any case, it must be a FAIR repository (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), preferably in open access.

    There are several repositories destined to conserve and disseminate concrete data such as results of surveys, observations, interviews, simulations, automatically collected data, samples, models ... If necessary, authors can consult the Registry of Research Data Repositories re3data taking into account that each repository has its own deposit rules.

    Those CSIC authors who would like to deposit their datasets in Digital.CSIC may do so by following these guidelines. They can use the Servicio de Archivo Delegado made available by the Technical Office of DIGITAL.CSIC and the Red de Bibliotecas CSIC.

    DIGITAL.CSIC generates DOIs for datasets and associated software and is certified as data repository in re3data and Repository Finder. More information at Política de datos en Digital.CSIC.

    If the author has deposited datasets in a repository, he should mention it in the article providing a brief description of the type of data deposited, the name and URL of the repository, the identification code and the data of the license for use and distribution. This information must be included at the end of the article, immediately before the bibliographic listing, under the heading "Data availability".

KEYWORDS

MATERIALES DE CONSTRUCCIÓN

A. MATERIALS

Portland cement
Concrete
Composite
Brick
Mortar
Gypsum
Hemhydrate
Ceramic
Glass-ceramic
Limestone
Sandstone
Granite
Calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H)
Hydration products
Interstitial Zone
Ettringite
Active addition
Organic Admixture
Aggregate
Alkali-activated cement
Alkali
Blended cement
Calcium aluminate cement
Ferrite phase
Lime
Bicalcium silicate
Tricalcium silicate
Portlandite
Calcium sulphoaluminate
Calcium carbonate
Cement paste
Chloride Clinker
Thaumasite
Filler
Fly ash
Fluoride
Fluxes
Blast furnace slag
Heavy metals
Superplasticizers
Hydrogranate
Metakaolin
MgO
Mineralizers
Monosulphoaluminate
Nitrate
Organic acids
Organic material
Polymer
Pozzolane

 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Below you will find instructions for the following procedures:

- How to register at Materiales de Construcción

- How to send an original manuscript to Materiales de Construcción

- How to check a revision report and submit a revised version of a manuscript

 

How to register at Materiales de Construcción

1.- On the journal's website, click on the link "Register":

 

2.- On the registration page you will have to fill in all the fields (the "Family name" field is optional, although highly recommended) using lower case only for your email, username and password. After reading the Privacy Statement you will need to consent to the collection and storage of your data and complete the Captcha. Receiving notifications of new publications and notices is optional.

 

3.- You will receive a message with a link to activate your account at the provided email address. Once activated, you will be able to log in to your account with the credentials you created.

 

How to send an original manuscript to Materiales de Construcción

1.- On the magazine's website, log in by clicking on "Login":

 

2.- Enter your username and password. Once you return to the magazine's homepage, click on the "Make a Submission" button:

Before submitting, please review the "Submission Preparation Checklist" and read the "Author Guidelines", the "Copyright Notice" and the "Privacy Statement". When you have all the required documents ready, click on the link "Make a new submission".

In subsequent logins, you will be taken to your user dashboard. There press the ‘New Submission’ button to submit a new article. You will be shown any articles received and in process under the ‘My Queue’ tab):

 

3.- As you will see on the new submissions page, submitting a manuscript is a four-stage process, in addition to a final section with information on follow-up:

3.1.- "1. Start"

At this stage you must select the language in which the article is written and the section of the journal in which you think it would fit, you must indicate that you have prepared all the items on the "Submission requirements" list and, optionally, you may send comments to the editor. You must comply with the terms of the Copyright Statement and the collection and storage of your data as the author of the article in accordance with the Privacy Statement of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).

Then press the "Save and continue" button.

 

3.2.- "2. Upload submission"

In this phase, the files that make up the article and its additional documentation will be uploaded to the management module.

There are three parts to upload each file. In the first one, we will select which component of the article we are going to contribute and we will upload the corresponding file. Once uploaded, click on the "Continue" button. In the second part we will see the file metadata, with the possibility to edit them, but we will click "Continue" without making this edition.

In the third part, select "Add Another File", going back to "1. Upload file" and, without modifying the default option "This is not a revision of an existing file", select the new "Article Component" identifying what it is and uploading the file. Click "Continue" until you reach, once again, step "3. Confirm". This process must be repeated until all the files have been sent, and only when all the material has been uploaded should the "Complete" button be selected.

If after "Completing" the submission we realise that we have forgotten to upload a file, we can do so by selecting the "Upload File" button located in the upper right-hand corner of the "2. Upload Submission" tab:

Once all the submission files have been uploaded, we will press the "Save and continue" button.

 

3.3.- "3. Enter Metadata"

In this phase the author will enter the metadata of the article according to the journal guidelines. These are:

- Title in Spanish and English. If the article is written in another language, it will be introduced first this language and then in English.

- Summary or abstract in the same languages as the previous item.

- List of contributors. Although it was not necessary when registering as a journal user, in this section it is compulsory for authors to have their ORCID identifier and affiliation correctly indicated. If necessary, the information of additional authors will be added using the link "Add contributor":

- Keywords. The article keywords will be inserted in both languages. The entire list cannot be copied, must be entered one term at a time pressing "Enter" after each one.

- Funding data. The entities that have supported the research published in the article must be indicated. After selecting "Add funder", the name of the funder should be inserted again, which will trigger an internal search that will return the institution standardised name and DOI. If the institution does not have a DOI, it will not be able to register in this field. After entering the grant numbers, click on "Save".

To finish this phase of entering metadata, click on the "Save and continue" button.

 

3.4.- "4. Confirmation" y "5. Next steps"

In this last phase we will confirm the submission metadata recording linked to the uploaded files. Before clicking on the "Finish Submission" button, we can go back to the previous phases and review the information and files provided to check that they are all correct.

Once we click on the "Finish Submission" button, the article will be sent to the journal and its staff will contact you to continue with the process, as indicated in the "5. Next Steps" section.

 

How to check a revision report and submit a revised version of a manuscript

Once your submission has been reviewed, the journal's staff will send you a review report. Once received, you must log in to the journal and, in the "Submissions" section of your dashboard, you will be able to check that your submission is in the Review phase and, if the editorial staff has requested, whether it is necessary to make any modifications or revisions to the manuscript:

By clicking on the title of your submission, you will be taken to the workflow of your submission and you will be able to check the information related to its review. You will find the notifications that the editorial staff has sent you, the attachments that the reviewers may have attached and, if requested, the possibility to provide a new version of the manuscript with the requested modifications by clicking on the "Upload file" button:

 


Research data policy

We recommend authors depositing data obtained from the research developed for the preparation of their article in repositories of recognized prestige, specific to the discipline or of a generalist nature. In any case, it must be a FAIR repository (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), preferably in open access.

There are several repositories destined to conserve and disseminate concrete data such as results of surveys, observations, interviews, simulations, automatically collected data, samples, models ... If necessary, authors can consult the Registry of Research Data Repositories re3data taking into account that each repository has its own deposit rules.

Those CSIC authors who would like to deposit their datasets in Digital.CSIC may do so by following these guidelines. They can use the Servicio de Archivo Delegado made available by the Technical Office of DIGITAL.CSIC and the Red de Bibliotecas CSIC.

DIGITAL.CSIC generates DOIs for datasets and associated software and is certified as data repository in re3data and Repository Finder. More information at Política de datos en Digital.CSIC.

If the author has deposited datasets in a repository, he should mention it in the article providing a brief description of the type of data deposited, the name and URL of the repository, the identification code and the data of the license for use and distribution. This information must be included at the end of the article, immediately before the bibliographic listing, under the heading "Data availability".

Download HERE the Good Practice Code in PDF
Download HERE the Authorship Form in PDF

Privacy Statement

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has a record of data processing activities. Data collected through this form will be incorporated and processed in the “Gestión de las actividades de producción y distribución de las publicaciones del CSIC” treatment activity of Editorial CSIC, in order to manage the requested service. It is the responsibility of Editorial CSIC to manage this record. If you wish to exercise your rights, please contact us through the contact address Vitruvio, 8, 28006 Madrid, Spain, e-mail address publ@csic.es. Data processing is legitimized by the consent of the affected. The data may not be transferred to third parties except in the cases provided for in current regulations on the protection of personal data. You have the right to file a claim with the Spanish Data Protection Agency. You have the right to withdraw your consent. In the event that you wish -or want to exercise the rights of access, deletion, rectification, limitation or portability- you can do so through the following form. You can also contact the CSIC Officer for Data Protection via email: delegadoprotecciondatos@csic.es