Editorial Policies

Mechanical Theory and System (MTS)‌ is committed to advancing research in mechanical engineering, system dynamics, and applied mechanics through transparent, ethical, and rigorous editorial practices. Our policies ensure fairness, academic integrity, and accessibility in all stages of publication.

1. ‌Aims and Scope‌

  • ‌Research Focus‌:
    MTS publishes original research, reviews, and technical notes on topics including:

    • Theoretical mechanics and computational modeling.
    • Dynamics and control of mechanical systems.
    • Robotics, mechatronics, and automation.
    • Energy systems and sustainable mechanical design.
    • Cross-disciplinary applications in aerospace, automotive, and industrial engineering.

  • ‌Exclusions‌:
    Case studies without broader theoretical implications, purely descriptive reports, or commercial promotional content are not considered.

2. ‌Ethical Guidelines‌

  • ‌Authorship‌:
    All listed authors must have contributed significantly to the research. Ghostwriting, guest authorship, or undisclosed conflicts of interest are prohibited.

  • ‌Plagiarism Screening‌:
    Submissions are screened via ‌iThenticate/Turnitin‌. Similarity scores exceeding ‌15%‌ (excluding references and methodology) may be rejected.

  • ‌Conflict of Interest‌:
    Authors must declare financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research.

  • ‌Experimental Ethics‌:
    Studies involving human/animal subjects must provide ethics committee approval and comply with relevant guidelines (e.g., ARRIVE, Helsinki Declaration).

3. ‌Open Access Policy‌

  • ‌Accessibility‌:
    MTS is a ‌gold open-access journal‌. All articles are freely available upon publication under a ‌CC BY-NC-ND 4.0‌ license.

  • ‌Article Processing Charges (APC)‌:
    Authors are charged ‌USD 1200‌ per accepted manuscript to cover peer review, production, and hosting. Waivers are available for low-income countries or exceptional cases.

  • ‌Copyright‌:
    Authors retain copyright but grant MTS exclusive publishing rights.

4. ‌Peer Review Process‌

  • ‌Double-Blind Review‌:
    All submissions undergo anonymized review by ‌2-3 independent experts‌.
  • ‌Timeline‌:
    • Initial screening: ‌7 days‌.
    • Peer review completion: ‌4-6 weeks‌.
    • Final decision: ‌8-10 weeks‌ from submission.
  • ‌Transparency‌:
    Reviewers’ comments are shared with authors, but reviewer identities remain confidential.

5. ‌Data Availability and Reproducibility‌

  • ‌Data Sharing‌:
    Authors must provide a ‌Data Availability Statement‌ and deposit raw data in public repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare) with a DOI.
  • ‌Code and Models‌:
    Computational code or simulation models critical to reproducing results must be openly accessible.

6. ‌Appeals and Corrections‌

  • ‌Appeals‌:
    Authors may contest editorial decisions by submitting a formal rebuttal within ‌14 days‌, addressing reviewer critiques point-by-point.
  • ‌Corrections/Retractions‌:
    Post-publication errors are addressed via erratum, corrigendum, or retraction notices, following COPE guidelines.

By adhering to these policies, MTS ensures the publication of groundbreaking, ethical, and industrially impactful research. For inquiries, contact the editorial office at ‌mts@gospub.com‌.