Findings is an interdisciplinary, independent, community-led, peer-reviewed, open access journal focused on short, clear, and pointed research results.
Articles must either pose a New Question, present a New Method, employ New Data (including New Contexts or Locations), discover a New Finding (i.e. it can almost exactly replicate a previous study and find something different), or some combination of the above.
Sections
The section will be assigned by the editors based on the dependent variable in the analysis. If there are dependent variables that cover more than one area (or more than one dependent variable), whichever one is more important or significant will be selected. Exceptions will be decided on a case by case basis.
Transport Findings
Transport Findings welcomes research findings focusing on the broad field of transport.
Urban Findings
Urban Findings welcomes research findings focused around cities and urbanization. The core focus is on the interactions between urban structure and technological, environmental, and/or socio-economic processes.
Resilience Findings
Resilience Findings welcomes research findings on the reliability, vulnerability, recoverability, sustainability, resilience, and management of infrastructural, environmental, and societal systems.
Energy Findings
Energy Findings welcomes research findings on the production, consumption, conversion, distribution, and associated impacts of energy. Appropriate questions and methods include those from the natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences.
Scope
Is your paper is within the scope of one of the above sections?
- Is there a hypothesis somehow related to the section’s focus?
- Is there a (scientifically valid, replicable) methodology?
- Is there a finding?
If you can answer yes to these questions, it is within scope.
Article Types
- Findings - where the object of study is
nature
, broadly construed. - Syntheses - where the object of study is the
literature
. - Cases - where the objects of study are particular
sites
orprojects
, and methods may be more qualitative.
Sections
All articles shall have 3 sections, and only 3 sections, titled as follows:
- QUESTIONS
- Which includes research questions and hypotheses addressed in the article.
- METHODS
- Which describes the methods and data used in the article.
- FINDINGS
- Which describes the results of what you found.
There shall be no introduction, “road-map paragraph,” literature review, conclusions, speculations, or policy implications beyond what is included above. Focus on what you found, not why you found it.
Submissions
The manuscript submission must include the following:
TITLE (In Title Case, with Important Words Capitalized)
AUTHORS (NAME, AFFILIATION, CONTACT)
ABSTRACT
KEYWORDS
ARTICLE (Sections 1, 2, 3)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
REFERENCES
Manuscript submissions may include SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION in separate files that do not count against article length. This information should not be essential for the general understanding of the manuscript.
File Submissions
For each submission, please upload:
- a primary manuscript in .pdf format for review,
- the source text in .docx (MS-Word) or .tex (LaTeX) format,
- any figures in .jpeg format,
- any references for LaTeX files in a .bib format
Items 2, 3, and 4 are needed to speed publication upon acceptance and reduce the back-and-forth with the authors and editors.
LaTeX Template
We have a LaTeX Template in Overleaf to help structure your article if you choose to use LaTeX.
Style
Focus and Parsimony
Papers should be focused and to the point, and not begin with trite observations like “Congestion is a problem the world over.” Usually you can delete your opening paragraph if it begins like that, and the reader is no worse off. As Strunk and White say: “Omit Needless Words”. The Abstract should not say the same thing as the Introduction.
Transparency and Replicability
A minimum standard for a good paper is transparency and replicability: Can the reader understand what you did, and repeat it, and get the same answer?
Mathematical Conventions
Each variable shall have one, and only one, definition per document.
Each defined term in the document shall be represented by one and only one variable.
Lowercase and uppercase versions of the same letter should be logically related. For instance, use lowercase letters to define the PDF (probability distribution function) or individual instance, and uppercase letters the CDF (cumulative distribution function) or population, so when you sum: i=1 to I, k=1 to K, etc.
All variables shall be a single letter or symbol. Double or triple letter variables can be confused with multiplication. If you have more than 52 symbols in your paper (26 letters for both lower and upper case), consider (a) there are too many, and (b) using Greek or Hebrew characters.
Use subscripts liberally to differentiate things that, for instance, are of a class but measured differently, or computed with different assumptions.
All equations shall have all of their variables defined.
Voice
Papers may be written in first person (I, we) when appropriate.
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Avoid acronyms and abbreviations in the abstract. Acronyms and abbreviations are discouraged where possible in the text. In any case, define them on their first appearance.
Names like the United States should be abbreviated as US, not U.S., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is NATO, not N.A.T.O, nor Nato.
R-Squared should be R2
Length and Size of Publication
Abstract Length
All abstracts have a maximum of 100 words of text.
Article Length
All articles have a maximum of 1000 words of text, exclusive of References. In addition there is a maximum figure count of 3, and maximum table count of 3.
Keywords
All articles shall have between 3 and 8 keywords.
Tables and Figures
Figures
Figures should be included within the submitted article, and uploaded separately. Figures should be high-resolution graphics to allow zooming without loss of information or blurriness.
All graphs shall have their axes labeled, clearly, with units as appropriate.
Legends and scales shall be as consistent as possible between graphics, so that they can be compared.
All maps shall have legends and scales and north shall be on top (unless stated otherwise).
Tables
All tables shall be provided in an editable format
Complex tables which may be hard to typeset in HTML may also be uploaded as separate figures.
Standards
Units
All units of measure shall be presented in metric (SI) units, though local units are also acceptable in parentheses ().
Spelling
American spelling is preferred.
Punctuation
The Oxford (serial) comma is to be used where appropriate.
Non-English words
Generally, Latin words like “et al.” and phrases are not italicized. If a non-English (or very uncommon) word is used, it should be defined.
Citations and References
Use (Author, Year) for in-text reference citations.
-Name et al., YEAR on first reference if more than three authors
-Name, Name, and NAME, YEAR for three or less
Use APA-style for References.
Provide the DOI for all referenced articles with digital object identifiers.
Open Access
All data must be publicly available to ensure scientific replicability, with exceptions for personally identifying information.
Archiving
All articles are archived with:
Authors have the right to post pre-print or post-print versions of their article online, including on their personal, departmental, or institutional repository pages.
Indexing
The journal is indexed in DOAJ and Google Scholar. We are not responsible for whether Google Scholar appropriate indexes particular articles, as we do not control the process. Articles are provided for Google Scholar and other indexing services in machine readable form, with appropriate metadata. The journal has been accepted for indexing in Scopus.
Copyright and Licensing
All article copyrights remain with the author.
Authors must agree that the following will be binding upon article acceptance when submitting a manuscript to a Findings sections for consideration:
I hereby grant to the journal the nonexclusive, royalty-free right to distribute, display, and archive this work in a digital and/or print format during the full term of copyright. I warrant that I have the copyright to make this grant to the journal unencumbered and complete. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted material from other sources.
Following publication, the author’s rights will be protected under Creative Commons License Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license CC BY-SA 4.0.
Prior to August, 2020 the articles were licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
It is expected that authors will acknowledge that the article was first published in the journal in any subsequent republication of the article in part or in whole.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statements
In general, Findings follows the publication ethics guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Specific guidance is presented below:
Responsibility of the Editor
The editor will determine which submissions to the journal are sent out for peer review and, after reviews, will move forward to publication. These decisions may be made in consultation with members of the editorial board. They will base their decisions solely on the merit of the manuscript. Merit, in the case of Findings Press, is based on scientific soundness of the work, not speculated importance. Under no circumstances will the author’s race, gender, religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, or citizenship be considered as part of the editorial process.
Confidentiality
All submitted manuscripts will be held in confidence by the editors, authors, reviewers, and publisher while under consideration. Anyone associated with the manuscript review process will not discuss or publicize manuscripts under review.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Editors will declare all potential conflicts of interest, whether financial, professional or personal. Editors will not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for their own use. This includes specific research questions, data sets, or other information. Editors will recuse themselves from any manuscript in which they are an author or advisor, or if they have any conflict of interest from financial, professional, or personal relationships. In these cases, another member of the editorial board will be asked to manage the submission review and decision process.
Responsibility of Reviewers
Purpose of peer review
Peer review will be conducted by members of the Editorial Advisory Board or their designees. Reviews are Single Blind: Reviewers know author identities, but authors do not know reviewer identities.
The acceptance test is whether it is scientifically correct (no obvious mistakes/flaws), transparent, and replicable, and of high-quality English. Scientific importance is not a test of acceptability.
The journal provides “Accept”, “Decline”, or “Revise and Resubmit” decisions.
One round of external peer review
There will be no more than one round of external peer review for each paper. The results of the review will be conveyed back to the author. If the paper is given a decision of “Revise and Resubmit”, the authors at that stage may revise and resubmit the paper, with a letter detailing the reviewer queries and the authors responses, which will then be adjudicated by the editors. After a final decision of “Accept”, no further substantive changes may be made.
As an author, you have the confidence of knowing there will be only one round of reviews to deal with. But in return you accept the responsibility for addressing all comments and accept the risk of a rejection if you do not adequately address them,.
As a reviewer, you give up some control, but in return you know that we won’t be bothering you again.
Promptness
Findings Press expects reviewers will provide reviews in a timely fashion. As the papers are short, there is less to review and the journal does not seek, nor want, reviews that describe the paper that the reviewers wish the authors had written. Initial reviews are expected approximately two weeks after requests are sent. If reviewers are unable to meet this time frame, they can either decline the review or ask for a short extension. Rapid review is a critical part of Findings Press.
Confidentiality
Manuscripts for review are confidential documents and comments about the manuscripts can only be shared with the editor, who will in turn share comments to the authors. Information about any manuscripts should not be discussed with anyone else. In the case of potential ethical concerns, such as plagiarism, the reviewers should communicate only with the editor assigned to the manuscript. If the editor is not responsive, others on the Editoral Board may be contacted.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
Reviewers will declare all potential conflicts of interest, whether financial, professional or personal. Reviewers will not use unpublished materials from submitted manuscripts for their own use. This includes specific research questions, data sets, or other information. Reviewers will recuse themselves from any manuscript in which they are an author or advisor, or if they have any conflict of interest from financial, professional, or personal relationships. Reviewers should decline any manuscripts from recent students under their supervision.
Objectivity
Reviewers are asked a narrow task—assess the scientific soundness of the research. This should be objectively assessed. Findings Press does not care if the reviewers find the findings presented objectionable. The journal only cares about scientific soundness. Personal attacks on the authors or editors will not be tolerated.
Responsibility of the Author
Reporting standards
Authors will submit original manuscripts that accurately describe research performed. Authors will not speculate as to the importance or significance of the findings. Data used should be accurately described, including origin, location, and cleaning that was undertaken. Findings Press asks that data and methods are described in sufficient detail that replication is possible. Fraudulent statements, whether intentional or not, are considered unethical behavior and any manuscript with such statements will be rejected.
Data access and retention
Authors may be asked to provide the data files used in their study for editorial or peer review. Authors are encouraged, but not required, to make all data publicly available, subject to confidentiality agreements. Data files can be included in publication as supplementary files.
Originality, plagiarism, and acknowledgment of sources
All articles must be original and by the authors. Authors will submit manuscripts with only original writing, graphics, tables, and figures. Anything the authors did not create themselves must be appropriately cited or quoted. Any suspected plagiarism will be investigated, and any manuscript with plagarized material will be rejected, and authors found to have committed plagiarism will no longer be able to publish in the journal.
Text in articles may have appeared previously in working papers and in technical reports that have not been published in an academic journal or book.
Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication
A manuscript submitted to Findings Press must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. We expect that some manuscripts submitted to Findings Press will be part of larger research projects, and may have some similarities. That said, manuscripts must be fully original and must not share findings with other publications. Papers under consideration for conference presentations may be submitted for consideration for publication. As an example, a paper submitted to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting for presentation only may be submitted for publication review in Transport Findings. However, a paper submitted to TRB for both presentation and publication may not be submitted until after it is withdrawn or rejected.
Dual Publication – publishing the same material in more than one outlet (peer reviewed journal, book, etc.) without mutual consent of all outlets and open acknowledgment in the article – is strictly prohibited. Articles published in Findings that have been previously published elsewhere without acknowledment and consent of all parties will be retracted.
Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted or by written agreement requires appropriate credit to the original publication source with a link to both the article and the Creative Commons License.
Acknowledgment of sources
Findings Press publishes short articles that do not, as a matter of course, have literature reviews, so the bibliography is often short. As such, there is no expectation for a long list of citations placing the work in the broader literature. Authors should, however, properly cite other materials as appropriate to establish credence for data, methods and interpretations of results.
Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Data sources should be cited. Private data, such as personal correspondence or discussion, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information and data gained through confidential services, such as reviewing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used.
Authorship of the paper
Authorship is for those who have contributed to the conception, design, execution, and/or analysis of the research. The first author is the lead author by contribution, and authors should be listed in descending order of contribution. Findings Press does not make editorial decisions about author order—the order when the final manuscript is submitted will be the published order, so it is up to the authors to decide. General assistance or proofreading should be covered in Acknowledgements. All authors are assumed to have approved the submission of the manuscript.
Disclosure and conflicts of interest
All authors must disclose any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. This should be immediately under the end of the manuscript, before the bibliography. Financial support must be disclosed, including grant numbers and sources.
Fundamental errors in published works
If an author discovers an error or inaccuracy in their work, they are obligated to notify the journal editor as soon as possible (meaning within a day or so) and work with the editor to retract or correct the error. If the editor or the publisher learns that a published paper contains a significant error, the author will be asked to promptly retract or correct the paper or to provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper. If the authors do not comply, their paper may be taken down at the discretion of the editor.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Articles
The use of AI tools in the writing of articles is an evolving landscape. At this time, the following is the policy of Findings Press.
Research: ChatGPT and other AI tools are permitted research tools
Authors should document the extent to which ChatGPT or other tools have been used in the research process in the Methodology section. This should include a description of the specific tasks, analyses, or portions of the work that were supported by the AI tool.
Writing: All authors must be human
AI Cannot be credited as an Author or Co-Author. Instead, researchers who use any form of AI (including e.g. ChatGPT) or similar research tools to help conceive, conduct, or document the research should acknowledge that contribution in the Acknowledgments section, emphasizing the respective role of the researchers and the AI in the article writing process. Human authors are ultimately accountable for the outcome of the work.
Publication Charges
Findings operates based on revenue from authors, and is non-profit with no paid staff. We contract with Scholastica for journal operations. We assess the following charges to remain open.
- There is a $ 50 (US) charge upon submission to have your article evaluated and to support journal infrastructure, payable upon submission.
- There is a $ 100 (US) charge upon acceptance to cover the costs of copyediting and typesetting.
If you have extenuating circumstances, for example lack of access to funds for open access publication, please contact the editors, and copyediting and typesetting charges may be waived. Cases will be decided on an individual basis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Findings fit into the broader set of journals?
Findings provides full peer review and affordable open access for short research articles related to transport, urban environments, resilience, and energy.
Who exactly is the audience for Findings? Is it aimed at researchers or policymakers?
Findings publishes research papers, some of which may be of interest to policymakers. Each Findings article must meet the bar of scientific validity, replicability, and novelty. The short format, rigorous and efficient peer review, and rapid publishing cycle make Findings a great venue for timely, policy-relevant work. Policymakers can be confident that Findings contains only peer reviewed, scientifically valid work.
How does Findings make publication decisions?
Findings reviewers focus on the following criteria:
- Transparency & replicability: Can a reasonably knowledgeable reader understand what you did, and repeat it, and get the same answer?
- Validity: Is the paper scientifically sound?
- Novelty: Does the paper report a new question, a new method, a new data set, and/or a new result?
Our reviewers do not rewrite your paper, or reject it because they wish you had submitted a different paper or asked a different question.
How can I get my paper down to 1,000 words?
Cutting 90% of the words from an 8,000 word paper leads to a confusing, disjointed mess. Rather than asking what to take out, ask what you really must put in. Build up anew from there. You are also permitted to provide supplemental information (SI) to the paper (as discussed below), which is not counted against the 1000 words. This is not part of the main body, and may include technical details on methods and data. The SI should not be used to skirt the 1000 word limit, and the paper should be fully readable and understandable without the SI.
Is my paper suitable for publication in Findings?
Submissions must include enough detail to enable replication and an assessment of validity. If 1000 words is insufficient to establish replicability and validity, you should consider publishing elsewhere. For example, the details of a new, complex, simulation tool may simply require more than 1000 words. A new module added to an existing, well-documented tool could be a great fit for Findings however.
Does Findings allow online supplemental materials?
The value of Findings is in articles that are quick to review and quick to read. Online supplements are permitted, as long as they
- (1) are not necessary to understand the paper,
- (2) are not used to circumvent the word limit, and
- (3) do not impose substantial additional burdens on reviewers.
Good uses of online supplements include presenting alternative model specifications after presenting the preferred specification in the main paper, or providing a full copy of a survey protocol. Using an online supplement to present a derivation or proof would not be suitable, as this substantive content would entail substantial additional reviewer effort.
Does Findings publish replications?
Yes. Replication is an essential part of the scientific process. The publishing industry’s bias against replications impedes self-correction and slows scientific progress. Findings is happy to publish replications that involve new data or a new analysis of existing data.
Does Findings publish null results?
Yes. Knowing what doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does. The publishing bias against null results discourages risk taking and slows the creation of knowledge. It also slows the spread of knowledge and contributes to duplicative work.
Does Findings publish data set papers?
Yes, as long as the data set has not been reported previously.
Does Findings publish review articles?
Yes. A review can be understood as a finding about what the literature says on a topic. Reviews must fit within the Findings word limit.
Does Findings publish policy briefs?
Yes, as long as it is structured around a question, method, data set, and/or result that has not been previously published. Like a review article this may include an evenhanded synthesis of results in the scientific literature.
Does Findings publish OpEd, opinion, or perspective pieces?
In general, no. Published articles must answer a scientific question, and must be replicable. Articles that objectively report the totality of what the research literature says on a topic are a good fit. Those that rely on the opinions or subjective judgments of the authors are not.
Does Findings publish short summaries of longer papers published elsewhere?
No. Each Findings paper must report a new question, method, data, and/or result. We do not republish other papers in a shorter format. We are happy to publish extensions or tangents (new analysis) or updates (new data) on prior papers.