Author Guidelines
The African Journal of Offshore, Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture (AJOMENA) publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed research in marine engineering, naval architecture, offshore structures, ship design, ocean renewable energy, and related maritime technologies. Authors are invited to submit manuscripts that align with the journal’s aims and scope and adhere to the standards of ethical, transparent, and reproducible research.
1. Submission Overview
- All submissions are assessed by the editorial team for suitability to the journal’s scope.
- Manuscripts deemed suitable are sent for double-blind peer review before acceptance or rejection.
- Editors may desk-reject submissions that do not meet minimum standards of quality, originality, or clarity.
Author Responsibilities Before Submission:
- Obtain permission for any third-party material (images, datasets, tables, figures).
- Ensure all listed authors consent to authorship.
- Obtain appropriate ethical approval for research involving humans, animals, or sensitive data in accordance with national regulations.
- Ensure the manuscript is clearly structured, with a concise title and a standalone abstract, to facilitate review.
2. Aims and Scope
AJOMENA is an international, peer-reviewed journal committed to advancing knowledge in
marine engineering and naval architecture. The journal publishes innovative, quantitative,
and applied research that addresses technical and societal challenges in maritime systems.
The scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to:
1. Ship and Offshore Structures
- Ship design, construction, and production techniques
- Offshore platforms, subsea structures, and structural integrity.
- Maintenance, durability, and reliability of marine structures
2. Hydrodynamics, Ocean, and Offshore Engineering
- Hydrodynamics, seakeeping, and stability analysis
- Ocean engineering applications, including wave, current, and coastal dynamics
- Offshore engineering systems and marine environment interaction
3. Marine Propulsion and Power Systems
- Marine propulsion, power generation, and energy efficiency
- Fuel optimisation, emission reduction, and energy management
4. Marine Materials and Corrosion
- Marine-grade materials and composites
- Corrosion prevention, protection, and monitoring
- Material testing and performance evaluation under local conditions
5. Ports, Harbours, and Coastal Infrastructure
- Port and harbour design, construction, and maintenance
- Coastal engineering, shoreline protection, and sediment management
- Inland water transport and navigation systems
6. Maritime Safety and Operational Reliability
- Safety engineering, risk assessment, and accident analysis
- Operational optimisation for ships, offshore platforms, and ocean systems
- Emergency response, resilience, and reliability studies
7. Emerging Technologies and Interdisciplinary Applications
- Automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and robotics in marine systems
- Computational modelling, simulation, and experimental methods
- Integration of renewable energy and sustainability-driven engineering solutions
8. Regional and Local Content Focus
- Research reflecting African operational environments and maritime conditions
- Locally generated data and context-specific case studies
- Adapted engineering solutions for shipbuilding, ports, offshore, ocean, and inland water transport
AJOMENA publishes continuously and is indexed in Google Scholar and subsequently in WoS, Scopus, DOAJ, and other recognised databases.
3. Manuscript Types
The African Journal of Offshore, Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture (AJOMENA) publishes peer-reviewed scholarly articles that contribute to the advancement of marine engineering, naval architecture, and related maritime disciplines. The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:
|
Article Type |
Marine & Offshore focus
|
Core Sections |
|
Original Research
Articles
|
Marine, offshore, and naval engineering
research
|
Abstract; Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; References
|
| Review Articles |
State-of-the-art marine and offshore topics
|
Abstract; Introduction; Review Method; Analysis; Future Directions; Conclusions, and References
|
|
Technical Papers |
Applied marine and offshore engineering solutions |
Abstract; Introduction; Technical
Approach; Evaluation; Conclusions;
References
|
|
Case Studies |
Real-world maritime and offshore applications
|
Abstract; Introduction; Case Description; Outcomes; Lessons Learned; References
|
|
Short Communications |
Emerging or preliminary marine findings
|
Abstract; Brief Introduction; Key Results; Conclusions; References
|
|
Methodological Articles |
Marine research tools
and techniques
|
Abstract; Introduction; Method
Development; Validation; Conclusions; References
|
|
Perspective & State-of-the-Art Articles
|
Forward-looking and
conceptual insights
|
Abstract, Introduction, Critical analysis, Outlook, Conclusions, and References
|
All submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by any other journal. Manuscripts are evaluated through a peer-review process to ensure scientific quality, relevance, and compliance with ethical publishing standards.
4. Manuscript Preparation
4.1 General Formatting
- Language: British English
- Font: Times New Roman, 10 pt
- Spacing: Single-spaced
- Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm)
- File Format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) and PDF
4.2 Structure of Original Research Articles
1. Title Page: Concise title, author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, corresponding author’s
email
2. Abstract: 200–300 words summarising background, methods, results, and conclusions
3. Keywords: 4–6 terms for indexing
4. Introduction
5. Materials and Methods / Experimental Procedures
6. Results
7. Discussion
8. Conclusions
9. Acknowledgements
10. Funding Statement
11. Conflict of Interest Statement
12. Data Availability Statement
13. References (Harvard style or journal-specific formatting)
4.3 Figures, Tables, and Supplementary Material
- Submit high-resolution images (≥300 dpi).
- Number and title all figures and tables with descriptive captions.
- Supplementary materials (datasets, CAD models, code, videos) should be clearly referenced in the main text.
- All visual data must comply with image integrity standards.
5. Authorship and Contributions
- Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contribution.
- The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all authors meet the criteria.
- Authors should provide a CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) statement, detailing contributions in areas such as: Conceptualisation, Methodology, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition.
6. Ethics and Compliance
- Research must adhere to recognised ethical standards.
- Authors must disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.
- Data, code, and materials should be made available where legally and ethically feasible.
- Use of AI tools in writing, analysis, or visualisation must be disclosed.
7. Peer Review Process
- AJOMENA uses double-blind peer review.
- Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent experts.
- Authors receive constructive feedback and may be asked to revise.
- Typical review timeline: initial decision within 6–8 weeks.
8. Submission Process
- Submit via the AJOMENA online portal.
- Include a cover letter specifying manuscript type, significance, and confirmation of originality.
- Ensure all authors have approved the submission and that ethical approvals are in place.
9. Open Access and Licensing
- Articles are published open access under CC BY-NC 4.0.
- Authors retain copyright and may self-archive in institutional repositories.
10. Article Processing Charges (APCs)
- APCs are applied after acceptance to support editorial, peer review, and digital preservation.
- Waivers or discounts are available for authors from low- and middle-income countries or in cases of financial hardship.
- APCs do not influence editorial decisions.
