Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment
Journal / Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment / Submissions

 

Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment (AZOJETE) welcomes contributions in the form of original research papers (theoretical and experimental), book reviews as well as short communications from all parts of the world, with particular reference, but not exclusive, to arid regions. Submission of an article is based on the understanding that it has not been published elsewhere, or under consideration in any other journal. All contributions will be critically reviewed by expert referees on whose advice the Editorial Board will accept, reject or return articles to authors for modification or revision. Articles should be typewritten double-spaced on one side of A4 paper.

Manuscript Arrangement
Papers should normally be divided into Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements (if any) and References.

Organization of the Manuscript: The manuscript should be organized in the following order;
Title, Author’s name and address including E-mail address and telephone numbers; Abstract; Keywords; Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results and Discussion; Conclusion; Notation (If any); Acknowledgments; References. The main headings listed above should be capitalized and be left justified. Sub-sub headings should be in italics. All headings, sub headings, and subsub headings should be in bold font. Headings and sub headings should be identified with numbers such as 1; 1.1; 1.1.1 etc. For the sub headings, the first letter of every word should be capitalized.

Title: The title should be as short as possible, usually not more than 14 words. Use words that can be used for indexing. In the case of multiple authors, the names should be identified with superscripted numbers and the addresses listed according to the numbers
Abstract: An abstract not exceeding 400 words should be provided. This should give a short outline of the problems, methods, major findings and recommendations.
Keywords: There should be keywords that can be used for indexing. A maximum of 5 words is allowed.
Introduction: The introduction should provide background information on the problem including recent or current references to work done by previous researchers. It should end with objectives and contribution to the work.
Materials and Methods: This section can be very depending on the nature of the paper. For papers involving experiments, the methods, experimental design and details of the procedure should be presented. Rather, authors should refer to other sources. This section should also contain description of equipment and statistical analysis where applicable. For a paper that involves theoretical analysis, this is where the theory is presented.
Results and Discussions: Results give details to what have been achieved, presented in descriptive, tabular or graphical forms. Discussion on the other hand, describe ways the data, graphs and other illustrations have served to provide answers to questions and describe problem areas as previously discussed under introduction.
Conclusion: Conclusion should present the highlights of the solutions obtained. It should be a brief summary stating what the investigation was about, the major result obtained and whether the result were conclusive and recommendations for further work, if any.
Notation: A list of symbols and abbreviation should be provided even though each of them should be explained in the places where it is used.
References: The following format should be used
Journal Articles: Umar, B. 1997. The role of public and private tractor hiring units in agricultural mechanization - a case study from Adamawa state, Nigeria. Outlook on Agriculture, 26(1): 35-38.
Conference Papers: Keating, BA., Wafula, BM. and Watiki, JM. 1992. Development of a modelling capability for maize in semi-arid eastern Kenya. In: Probert, M.E. (ed ). A search for strategies for sustainable dryland cropping in semi-arid eastern Kenya. Proceedings of a symposium held in Nairobi, Kenya, 10 - 11 December 1990. ACIAR proceedings no. 41, 138p.
Books: Phillips, RE. 1981. Farm Buildings – From Planning to Completion. Doane – Western, Inc. St. Louis, Missouri.
Book Chapter: Kirkby, MJ. 1980. Modelling water erosion processes. In Kirkby, M.J. and Morgan, R.P.C. (eds), Soil erosion, pp. 183-216, Wiley, Chichester.
Reports: Yang, Q. 1991. Blemish detection in fruit and vegetable grading with computer vision. Divisional Note DN 1610. Silsoe: Silsoe Research Institute.
Internet: Wallace, TB. and Cox, WE. 2002. Locating information on surface water availability in Virginia. http://www.rappriverbasin.va.us/studies/locatingsurfacewaterinfo.doc accessed on 10 October, 2004.

Tables: Tables should be numbered by Arabic numerals e.g. Table 1... in ascending order as reference is made to them in the text. The same data cannot be shown in both Table and figure. Use table format to create tables. The caption should be self-explanatory, typed in lower case letters (with the first letter of each word capitalized) and placed above the table. Tables must be referred to in the text, and positioned at their appropriate location, not at the end of the paper.

Figures: Illustrations may be in the form of graphs, line drawings, diagrams schematics and photographs. They are numbered in Arabic numerals e.g. Figure 5. The title should be placed below the figure. Figures should be adequately labeled. All figures and photographs should be computer generated or scanned and placed at their appropriate locations, not at the end of the paper.

Units: All units in the text, tables and figures must conform to the International System of units (SI)

Reviewing: All papers will be peer reviewed by the three reviewers to be appointed by the Editors. The editors collate the reviewer’s reports and add their own. The Editor-in-chief’s decision on any paper is final.

Off Prints: A copy of the journal is supplied free of charge to the author(s). Additional reprints can be obtained at current charges.
Page Charges: The Journal charges Article assessment fee of N5000 (about US$25) only per paper should be paid into the Editor in Chief account. This payment will be rebated against the publication fee of N35,000 if the article is accepted.

Once the payment notification is received, the paper would be placed on peer review immediately. All communications between you and the editorial office as regards this article will have to be via e-mail on editor@azojete.com.ng.

Submission of Manuscript: Submission of an article for publication implies that it has not been previously published and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. The Journal’s peer review policy demands that at least two reviewers give positive recommendations before the paper is accepted for publication. Printed copies of the paper should be sent to:

The Editor-In-Chief
Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment (AZOJETE)
℅ The Editorial Office
Faculty of Engineering
University of Maiduguri, P.M.B. 1069,
Maiduguri, Nigeria

Papers can also be submitted directly to the Editor-In-Chief or the Technical Editor and head of Journal Secretariat. Those who have access to the internet can submit electronically as an attached file in MS Word to editor@azojete.com.ng and copy azojete@gmail.com. All correspondence with respect to status of manuscript should be sent to the Editor at editor@azojete.com.ng and copy azojete@gmail.com

Copyright Notice
Copyright of the paper named above is hereby assigned and transferred to the Arid Zone Journal of Engineering, Technology and Environment published by University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Policy in Relation to Plagiarism, Infringement of Copyright, Moral Rights and Submission of Multiple Publications

Arid Zone Journal of Enginevering, Technology and Environment (“AZOJETE”) will not tolerate submission of works to which contain plagiarised material or infringe the copyright or moral rights of third parties.

Plagiarism is the act of dishonestly copying or taking advantage of, the work of another author as if it were your own, without acknowledgement. Plagiarism can take many forms including word for word copying of another work, or simply copying the ideas from another work without attribution.

Plagiarism includes so called “self-plagiarism”, which is the submission of one’s own previously published material to a new publication, without informing the publisher of the new publication that the work has been previously published. There is also a concern where authors submit the same work to multiple publications. This can waste the time of publishers and reviewers and this policy therefore aims to prevent this. Copyright infringement is unlawful and occurs when a substantial part of the work of another author is copied without consent.

Authors have certain moral rights which include the right to object to derogatory treatment of a copyright work.

Infringement of moral rights occurs if a person publishes commercially or communicates to the public a derogatory treatment of the work of another author. A derogatory treatment of a work is any addition to, deletion from or alteration to or adaptation of the work which amounts to distortion or mutilation of the work or is otherwise prejudicial to the honour or reputation of the author. Moral rights of authors also include the right to be identified as the author of a copyright work (if the author has asserted this right), and breaching this right would also constitute an infringement of moral rights.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AUTHORS

Before submitting any work to AZOJETE the author(s) must make sure that: the author(s) owns all of the rights in the work including the copyright in the work;  the work is the author(s)’s own original work and is not copied wholly or substantially from any other work or material or any other source; the work does not infringe the copyright or other rights of any third party; the author(s) has the right to license or assign (as applicable) the copyright in the work; the work or any version of it has not previously been published or submitted for publication except as specifically informed to AZOJETE at the time of submission; and the author has not submitted the work or any substantially similar work to another publication and will not do so unless AZOJETE decides not to publish the work.

PROCEDURE WHERE A WORK HAS BEEN SUBMITTED, BUT NOT PUBLISHED

If AZOJETE becomes aware that a work may contain plagiarised material or infringe copyright or moral rights belonging to a third party before publication, AZOJETE will contact the author(s) to highlight the issue that has arisen and ask for the author(s)’s explanation of the apparent problem. The following is a non-exhaustive list of actions that may be taken by AZOJETE in such circumstances:

9.1 No response or unsatisfactory response: If no response is received or an unsatisfactory response is received to AZOJETE’s query: the work may immediately be withdrawn from the editorial/review process and may not be published; AZOJETE may inform the author(s) that no further action with respect to progressing the reviewing/editorial handling of the work will take place and that AZOJETE will not consider for publication works written by the author(s) for a period of 5 years; and the editor or editorial board of AZOJETE publications and members of staff employed by AZOJETE may also be informed of these actions only on a need to know basis.

9.2 Response admitting mistake: In the case of minor mistakes (for example omitting to include proper citation of the source of reproduced material) AZOJETE may request from the author(s) some wording for use in noting any correction to the online version by adding a note to the metadata or adding an additional separate PDF, or in the case of a print version for use in printing an erratum note in a subsequent issue before progressing the editorial process.

9.3 In the case of misconduct, AZOJETE may adopt any or all of the responses and actions listed in section 9.1.

9.4 Submitting a similar work to more than one publication: If prior to publication, it is found that an author(s) has submitted a work or substantially similar work concurrently to more than one publication without informing AZOJETE, AZOJETE will inform the author

(i) that it believes the same work or substantially similar work had been submitted to another publication and

(ii) whether AZOJETE will reject the work or would like to discuss publication of the work with the publisher of the other publication.

9.5 If prior to publication, it is found that the work or a substantially similar work has already been published previously in another publication, AZOJETE will inform the author that it believes the same work or a substantially similar work has been published in another publication and AZOJETE may reject the work.

9.6 Any repeat occurrence may result in a similar process to that described in section 9.1 above except that AZOJETE may not consider for publication works written by the author(s) for a period of 1 year.

PROCEDURE WHERE A WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED

If AZOJETE has published a work and subsequently becomes aware of matters which give rise to a reasonable suspicion that the work contains plagiarised material or material that infringes copyright or moral rights then AZOJETE may immediately withdraw the work from the relevant publication.

- In respect of AZOJETE Digital Library, the metadata, (Title and Authors) may be retained, but the PDF may be removed and replaced by a notice indicating the work is currently unavailable; and If AZOJETE withdraws publication of a work in this manner AZOJETE may then follow the procedure set out in sections 11 and 12 below.

If AZOJETE becomes aware that a work may contain plagiarised material or infringe copyright or moral rights belonging to a third party after publication, AZOJETE will inform the author(s) that an issue has arisen and ask for the author(s)’s explanation of the apparent problem. The following is a non-exhaustive list of actions that may be taken by AZOJETE in such circumstances:

12.1 No response or unsatisfactory response: If no response is received or an unsatisfactory response is received to AZOJETE’s query: the work may be withdrawn from the relevant publication:

- In respect of AZOJETE, the metadata, (Title and Authors) may be retained, but the PDF may be removed and replaced by a notice indicating the work has been retracted.

- AZOJETE may request that AJOL simultaneously takes down the PDF from their database and leaves in place similar metadata and a similar retraction notice to that retained on AZOJETE website.

- If the work has also been printed, in the next available issue of the publication AZOJETE may publish a retraction note (included in the contents list) with respect to the work. AZOJETE may inform the author(s) that the work will be withdrawn from the relevant publication and that AZOJETE may not consider for publication works written by the author(s) for a period of 5 years; AZOJETE may not consider for publication works written by the author(s) for a period of 5 years; and the editor or editorial board of AZOJETE publications and members of staff employed by AZOJETE may also be informed of these actions only on a need to know basis.

12.2 Response admitting mistake: If the author(s) responds admitting a mistake:

In the case of minor mistakes (for example omitting to include proper citation of the source of reproduced material) AZOJETE may request from the author(s) some wording for use in noting any correction to the online version by adding a note to the metadata or adding an additional separate PDF, or in the case of a print version for use in printing an erratum note in a subsequent issue. In the case of misconduct, AZOJETE may adopt any or all of the responses and actions listed in Section 12.1.

Similar material published in more than one publication12.3 Where it is discovered after publication of the work that the work or a substantially similar work has been published previously in another publication, AZOJETE will inform the author that it believes the same work had been published in another publication and AZOJETE may withdraw the work from AZOJETE publication. Any repeat occurrence may result in a similar process to that described in section 12.1 above except that AZOJETE may not consider for publication works written by the author(s) for a period of 1 year.

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES FOR MEMBERS

Where the author(s) is a member of AZOJETE and AZOJETE believes that the author(s) may have acted contrary to the Bye-laws of AZOJETE than the matter may be referred to the Disciplinary Board of AZOJETE together with the facts as known.

DISPUTES BETWEEN AUTHORS AND THIRD PARTIES
This section (sections 14 to 15) will be followed if there is a dispute between a third party and an author whereby a third party has made an allegation of plagiarism or infringement of copyright or moral rights against an author(s) of a work submitted to AZOJETE for publication or published by AZOJETE. Where such a dispute arises: the author(s) and the third party should endeavour to resolve their difficulties independently of AZOJETE; AZOJETE will not act to decide the dispute between the third party and the author;

AZOJETE will not agree to act as an arbitrator or mediator on either a formal or an informal basis in any such dispute but does encourage the parties to resolve the matter amicably between themselves; AZOJETE will decide for its own internal purposes on the basis of the procedures set out in the sections above, whether or not to publish a work or withdraw publication of a work if it has already been published; and AZOJETE reserves the right not to publish any work that is the subject of a dispute until the dispute has been resolved.

When such a dispute is finally resolved through Court proceedings or by arbitration or mediation by the author(s) and the third party, and the outcome referred to AZOJETE, a decision as to whether or not to publish a work, or re-instate a work which has been withdrawn, will be taken by AZOJETE.

If AZOJETE itself is accused of infringement of copyright or moral rights, AZOJETE will take such steps as it deems appropriate to defend its interests.