About the journal
ENGINEERING Foods (ISSN 2097-7778, Quarterly), launched in 2026, is an open-access academic journal supervised by the Chinese Academy of Engineering and administered by the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology as its primary supporting institution. Published by Higher Education Press, it is one of the new series of sub-journals under Engineering, the flagship journal of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
ENGINEERING Foods is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the engineering science of food systems. The journal provides a platform for research at the intersection of food science, biotechnology, and engineering, with a focus on innovative technologies and quantitative approaches that enable the design, optimization, and scale-up of modern food production and processing systems.
Global food systems are facing increasing challenges related to sustainability, food security, nutrition, and environmental constraints. Addressing these issues requires the integration of food science with chemical and biological engineering, materials science, biotechnology, and data science. ENGINEERING Foods aims to publish research that translates fundamental scientific understanding into engineering solutions for future food systems, with clear relevance to industrial implementation, technological innovation, and sustainable production.
The journal particularly welcomes studies that combine mechanistic understanding, engineering design, and quantitative analysis to improve food manufacturing, product functionality, safety, and sustainability. Contributions that integrate emerging technologies such as synthetic biology, precision fermentation, microbial and cell-free factories, and digital engineering tools to redesign food production systems are especially encouraged.
Scope includes, but not limited to:
• Fundamental physicochemical mechanisms governing food systems and food processing.
• Design, analysis, and optimization of food processing and manufacturing systems.
• Synthetic biology, fermentation engineering, and microbial bioprocessing for future food production.
• Biocatalysis, microbial and cell-free factories, and precision fermentation for the sustainable production of food ingredients and functional compounds.
• Biomanufacturing technologies for alternative proteins and emerging food production systems.
• Mathematical modeling, simulation, and quantitative analysis of food processes.
• Artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and data-driven approaches in food manufacturing and food system design.
• Sensors, instrumentation, and real-time monitoring technologies for food processing, quality, and safety.
• Food materials engineering and structure–function relationships in complex food matrices.
• Engineering approaches for food preservation, microbial control, and shelf-life prediction.
• Sustainable processing technologies and engineering solutions for resilient food systems.
Submissions of the following types of articles are invited: short communications, mini-reviews, reviews (after discussion with the editors), and research articles. In addition, the journal will also present up-to-date research highlights, news and views, and commentaries covering food research and policy.
(1) Research Articles are a contribution describing original research, including theoretical expositions, extensive data and in-depth critical evaluation, and are peer-reviewed. The total length of a manuscript excluding the abstract, acknowledgements, figures, tables and references must not exceed 6000 words.
(2) Review Articles and Mini-reviews are encouraged to give an in-depth overview of a specific topic. The format and length of review papers are more flexible than for a full paper. There is a 6,000-word limit for Mini-reviews and a 10,000-word limit for Review Articles under normal circumstances. Authors may make a case to the editor if they believe there is justification for a longer length for these submissions. All review papers will be fully peer-reviewed.
(3) Short Communications are for concise, but independent reports representing a significant contribution to food science and engineering, not as a mechanism to publish preliminary results. Only if these results are of exceptional interest and are particularly topical and relevant will they be considered for publication. A Short Communication should be no more than 3000 words and could include up to 4 figures or tables. It should have at least 8 references. Short communications will be fully peer-reviewed.
Peer review
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors to determine suitability for publication in this journal. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to at least two reviewers, though occasionally only one may be assigned. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected will be taken by our editors.
Our editors are not involved in making decisions about papers which:
· they have written themselves.
· have been written by family members or colleagues.
· relate to products or services in which they have an interest.
Any such submissions will be subject to the journal's usual procedures and peer review will be handled independently of the editor involved and their research group.
Authors may submit a formal appeal request to the editorial decision. Please email us at engf@pub.hep.cn for assistance.
Special issues and article collections
The peer review process for special issues and article collections follows the same process as outlined above for regular submissions, except, a guest editor may send the submissions out to the reviewers and may recommend a decision to the journal editor. The journal editor oversees the peer review process of all special issues and article collections to ensure the high standards of publishing ethics and responsiveness are respected and is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles.
Ethics and policies
Ethics in publishing
Submission declaration
When authors submit an article to journal it is implied that:
· the work described has not been published previously except in the form of a preprint, an abstract, a published lecture, academic thesis or registered report.
· the article is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
· the article's publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out.
· if accepted, the article will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.
To verify compliance with our journal publishing policies, we may check your manuscript with our screening tools.
Authorship
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following:
1. The conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be submitted.
Authors should appoint a corresponding author to communicate with the journal during the editorial process. All authors should agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work to ensure that the questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Changes to authorship
The editors of this journal generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted. It is important that authors carefully consider the authorship list and order of authors and provide a definitive author list at original submission.
The policy of this journal around authorship changes:
· All authors must be listed in the manuscript and their details entered into the submission system.
· Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should only be made prior to acceptance, and only if approved by the journal editor.
· Requests to change authorship should be made by the corresponding author, who must provide the reason for the request to the journal editor with written confirmation from all authors, including any authors being added or removed, that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement.
· Any changes to the author list (including additions, deletions, or reordering of names) of an accepted manuscript must be requested by the corresponding author to the Editorial Office. The request must include: (a) the reason for the change; and (b) written confirmation from all authors (including those being added or removed) indicating their agreement to the change. This confirmation should be sent via email to engf@pub.hep.cn.
· Only in exceptional circumstances will the journal editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors post acceptance.
· Publication of the manuscript may be paused while a change in authorship request is being considered.
· Any authorship change requests approved by the journal editor will result in a corrigendum if the manuscript has already been published.
· Any unauthorized authorship changes may result in the rejection of the article, or retraction, if the article has already been published.
Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:
· Employment
· Consultancies
· Stock ownership
· Honoraria
· Paid expert testimony
· Patent applications or registrations
· Grants or any other funding
· Affiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board Member
Funding sources
Authors must disclose any funding sources who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article. The role of sponsors, if any, should be declared in relation to the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report and decision to submit the article for publication. If funding sources had no such involvement this should be stated in your submission.
List funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements:
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of Peace [grant number aaaa].
It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants, scholarships and awards. When funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.
If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence:
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.
The Journal recognizes the potential of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI Tools”), when used responsibly, to help researchers work efficiently, gain critical insights fast and achieve better outcomes. Increasingly, these tools, including AI agents and deep research tools, are helping researchers to synthesize complex literature, provide an overview of a field or research question, identify research gaps, generate ideas, and provide tailored support for tasks such as content organization and improving language and readability.
Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal can use AI Tools to support them. However, these tools must never be used as a substitute for human critical thinking, expertise and evaluation. AI technology should always be applied with human oversight and control.
Ultimately, authors are responsible and accountable for the contents of their work. This includes accountability for:
· Carefully reviewing and verifying the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and impartiality of all AI-generated output (including checking the sources, as AI-generated references can be incorrect or fabricated).
· Editing and adapting all material thoroughly to ensure the manuscript represents the author’s authentic and original contribution and reflects their own analysis, interpretation, insights and ideas.
· Ensuring the use of any tools or sources, AI-based or otherwise, is made clear and transparent to readers. If AI Tools have been used, we require a disclosure statement upon submission; please see example below.
· Ensuring the manuscript is developed in a way that safeguards data privacy, intellectual property and other rights, by checking the terms and conditions of any AI tool that is used.
Finally, authors must not list or cite AI Tools as an author or co-author on the manuscript since authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to, and performed by, humans.
The use of AI Tools in the manuscript preparation process must be declared by adding a statement at the end of the manuscript when the paper is first submitted. The statement will appear in the published work and should be placed in a new section before the references list.
An example:
· Title of new section: Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the manuscript preparation process.
· Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.
The declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools, such as tools used to check grammar, spelling and references. If you have nothing to disclose, you do not need to add a statement.
Please email us at engf@pub.hep.cn for assistance.
Writing and formatting
File format
We ask you to provide editable source files for your entire submission (including figures, tables and text graphics). Some guidelines:
· Save files in an editable format, using the extension .doc/.docx for Word files. A PDF is not an acceptable source file.
· Format Word files in a single-column layout. Double-column formatting is only permitted for LaTeX submissions.
· Remove any strikethrough and underlined text from your manuscript, unless it has scientific significance related to your article.
· Use spell-check and grammar-check functions to avoid errors.
Title page
You are required to include the following details in the title page information:
· Article title. Article titles should be concise and informative. Please avoid abbreviations and formulae, where possible, unless they are established and widely understood, e.g. DNA.
· Author names. Provide the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author. The order of authors should match the order in the submission system. Carefully check that all names are accurately spelled. If needed, you can add your name between parentheses in your own script after the English transliteration.
· Affiliations. Add affiliation addresses, referring to where the work was carried out, below the author names. Indicate affiliations using a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the corresponding address. Ensure that you provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the email address of each author.
· Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence for your article at all stages of the refereeing and publication process and also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about your results, data, methodology and materials. It is important that the email address and contact details of your corresponding author are kept up to date during the submission and publication process.
· Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in your article was carried out, or the author was visiting during that time, a "present address" (or "permanent address") can be indicated by a footnote to the author's name. The address where the author carried out the work must be retained as their main affiliation address. Use superscript Arabic numerals for such footnotes.
Abstract
You are required to provide a concise and factual abstract which does not exceed 250 words. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of your research, principal results and major conclusions. Some guidelines:
· Abstracts must be able to stand alone as abstracts are often presented separately from the article.
· Avoid references. If any are essential to include, ensure that you cite the author(s) and year(s).
· Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations. If any are essential to include, ensure they are defined within your abstract at first mention.
Keywords
You are required to provide 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Please try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using "and" or "of").
We recommend that you only use abbreviations in keywords if they are firmly established in the field.
Math formulae
· Submit math equations as editable text, not as images.
· Present simple formulae in line with normal text, where possible.
· Present variables in italics.
· Denote powers of e by exp.
· Display equations separately from your text, numbering them consecutively in the order they are referred to within your text
Tables
Tables must be submitted as editable text, not as images. Some guidelines:
· Place tables next to the relevant text or on a separate page(s) at the end of your article.
· Cite all tables in the manuscript text.
· Number tables consecutively according to their appearance in the text.
· Please provide captions along with the tables.
· Place any table notes below the table body.
· Avoid vertical rules and shading within table cells.
We recommend that you use tables sparingly, ensuring that any data presented in tables is not duplicating results described elsewhere in the article.
Figures, images and artwork
Figures, images, artwork, diagrams and other graphical media must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript.
When submitting artwork:
· Cite all images in the manuscript text.
· Number images according to the sequence they appear within your article.
· Submit each image as a separate file using a logical naming convention for your files (for example, Figure_1, Figure_2 etc.).
· Text graphics may be embedded in the text at the appropriate position. If you are working with LaTeX, text graphics may also be embedded in the file.
Figure captions
All images must have a caption. A caption should consist of a brief title (not displayed on the figure itself) and a description of the image. We advise you to keep the amount of text in any image to a minimum, though any symbols and abbreviations used should be explained.
Artwork formats
When your artwork is finalized, "save as" or convert your electronic artwork to the formats listed below taking into account the given resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations:
· Vector drawings: Save as EPS or PDF files embedding the font or saving the text as "graphics."
· Color or grayscale photographs (halftones): Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files using a minimum of 300 dpi (for single column width: min. 1063 pixels, full page width: 2244 pixels).
· Bitmapped line drawings: Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files, using a minimum of 1000 dpi (for single column width: min. 3543 pixels, full page width: 7480 pixels).
· Combinations bitmapped line/halftones (color or grayscale): Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files using a minimum of 500 dpi (for single column: min. 1772 pixels, full page width: 3740 pixels).
Please do not submit:
· Files that are too low in resolution.
· Disproportionally large images compared to font size, as text may become unreadable.
Map
Please use the authorized maps as the basis for map figure drawing (e.g., standard maps in National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information). Any maps drawn without the authorized basis have to be submitted with the certificate from the Surveying and Mapping management. All the maps should follow the publishing requirements released by the IX government.
Color artwork
If you submit usable color figures with your accepted article, we will ensure that they appear in color online.
Please ensure that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision.
This policy states:
· We do not permit the use of Generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create or alter images in submitted manuscripts.
· The only exception is if the use of AI or AI-assisted tools is part of the research design or methods (for example, in the field of biomedical imaging). If this is the case, such use must be described in a reproducible manner in the methods section, including the name of the model or tool, version and extension numbers, and manufacturer.
· The use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of artwork such as for graphical abstracts is not permitted. The use of generative AI in the production of cover art may in some cases be allowed, if the author obtains prior permission from the journal editor and publisher, can demonstrate that all necessary rights have been cleared for the use of the relevant material, and ensures that there is correct content attribution.
We encourage the use of supplementary materials such as applications, images and sound clips to enhance research. Some guidelines:
· Supplementary material should be accurate and relevant to the research.
· Cite all supplementary files in the manuscript text.
· Submit all supplementary materials at the same time as your manuscript.
· Include a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file, describing its content.
· After submission supplementary files can only be added or replaced in the revision stage of the editorial process.
· Be aware that all supplementary materials provided will appear online in the exact same way as received. These files will not be checked, formatted or typeset by the production team.
This journal accepts video material and animation sequences to support and enhance your scientific research. We encourage you to include links to video or animation files within articles. Some guidelines:
· When including video or animation file links within your article, refer to the video or animation content by adding a note in your text where the file should be placed.
· Clearly label files ensuring the given file name is directly related to the file content.
· Files should be within our preferred maximum file size of 150 MB per file, 1 GB in total.
· Provide "stills" for each of your files. These will be used as standard icons to personalize the link to your video data. You can choose any frame from your video or animation or make a separate image.
· Provide descriptive text in your manuscript to refer to the video content. This text helps ensure accessibility for visually impaired readers who rely on descriptive information. For journals publishing in print this is also essential, as video and animation files cannot be embedded in the print version.
We publish all video and animation files supplied in the electronic version of your article.
We are committed to supporting the storage of, access to and discovery of research data, and our research data policy sets out the principles guiding how we work with the research community to support a more efficient and transparent research process.
Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings, which may also include software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.
Please read our guidelines on sharing research data for more information on depositing, sharing and using research data and other relevant research materials.
Research data deposit and citation
For this journal, Option A instructions from our research data guidelines apply. This means that you are encouraged to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository.
· Cite this dataset in your article.
Research data guidelines for journal:
These are several ways you can share your data, which help you get credit for your work and make your data accessible and discoverable for your peers.
Option A: Research data deposit and citation
You are encouraged to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository
· Cite this dataset in your article
Option B: Research data deposit, citation and linking (or a Research Data Availability Statement)
You are encouraged to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository
· Cite and link to this dataset in your article
· (If this is not possible, make a statement explaining why research data cannot be shared)
Option C: Research Data deposit, citation and linking (or a Research Data Availability Statement)
You are required to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository
· Cite and link to this dataset in your article
· (If this is not possible, make a statement explaining why research data cannot be shared)
Option D: Research Data deposit, citation and linking
You are required to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository
· Cite and link to this dataset in your article
Option E: Research Data deposit, citation and linking (or a Research Data Availability Statement); Research Data peer reviewed prior to publication
You are required to:
· Deposit your research data in a relevant data repository
· Cite and link to this dataset in your article.
· Peer reviewers are asked to review the data prior to publication
Linking to the data underlying your work increases your exposure and may lead to new collaborations. It also provides readers with a better understanding of the described research.
If your research data has been made available in a data repository there are a number of ways your article can be linked directly to the dataset:
· Provide a link to your dataset when prompted during the online submission process.
· For some data repositories, a repository banner will automatically appear next to your published article on ScienceDirect.
· You can also link relevant data or entities within the text of your article through the use of identifiers. Use the following format: Database: 12345 (e.g. TAIR: AT1G01020; CCDC: 734053; PDB: 1XFN).
Divide your manuscript into clearly defined sections covering all essential elements using headings.
Include any individuals who provided you with help during your research, such as help with language, writing or proof reading, in the acknowledgements section.
Acknowledgements should be placed in a separate section which appears directly before the reference list. Do not include acknowledgements on your title page, as a footnote to your title, or anywhere else in your article other than in the separate acknowledgements section.
We ask you to use the following format for appendices:
· Identify individual appendices within your article using the format: A, B, etc.
· Give separate numbering to formulae and equations within appendices using formats such as Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc. and in subsequent appendices, Eq. (B.1), Eq. (B. 2) etc. In a similar way, give separate numbering to tables and figures using formats such as Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.
Any references cited within your article should also be present in your reference list and vice versa. Some guidelines:
· References cited in your abstract must be given in full.
· We recommend that you do not include unpublished results and personal communications in your reference list, though you may mention them in the text of your article.
· Any unpublished results and personal communications included in your reference list must follow the standard reference style of the journal. In substitution of the publication date add "unpublished results" or "personal communication."
· References cited as "in press" imply that the item has been accepted for publication.
Linking to cited sources will increase the discoverability of your research.
Before submission, check that all data provided in your reference list are correct, including any references which have been copied. Providing correct reference data allows us to link to abstracting and indexing services such as Scopus, Crossref and PubMed. Any incorrect surnames, journal or book titles, publication years or pagination within your references may prevent link creation.
We encourage the use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) as reference links as they provide a permanent link to the electronic article referenced.
Citations in the text should follow the referencing style used by the American Psychological Association. You are referred to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) ISBN 978-1-4338-3215-4.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Handgraaf T., & Lupton, R. A. (2020). The art of writing a scientific article. Journal of Scientific Communications, 163, 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sc.2020.00372.
Staehelin, J., & Hoigne, J. (1985). Decomposition of ozone in water in the presence of organic solutes acting as promoters and inhibitors of radical chain reactions. Environmental Science & Technology, 19(12), 1206–1213. https://doi.org/10.1021/ es00142a012
Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
Van der Geer, J., Handgraaf, T., & Lupton, R. A. (2022). The art of writing a scientific article. Heliyon, 19, Article e00205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e00205.
Reference to a book:
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th ed.). Longman (Chapter 4).
Reference to a chapter in a book:
Mettam, G. R., & Adams, L. B. (2020). How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In B. S. Jones, & R. Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the electronic age (pp. 281–304). E-Publishing Inc.
Reference to a website:
Powertech Systems. (2022). Lithium-ion vs lead-acid cost analysis. Retrieved from http://www.powertechsystems.eu/home/tech-corner/lithium-ion-vs-lead-acid-cost-analysis/. Accessed January 6, 2022.
Reference to a dataset:
Oguro, M., Imahiro, S., Saito, S., & Nakashizuka, T. (2015). Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt disease and surrounding forest compositions [dataset]. Mendeley Data, v1. https://doi.org/10.17632/xwj98nb39r.1.
Reference to a conference paper or poster presentation:
Engle, E.K., Cash, T.F., & Jarry, J.L. (2019, November). The Body Image Behaviours Inventory-3: Development and validation of the Body Image Compulsive Actions and Body Image Avoidance Scales. Poster session presentation at the meeting of the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.
Reference to software:
Coon, E., Berndt, M., Jan, A., Svyatsky, D., Atchley, A., Kikinzon, E., Harp, D., Manzini, G., Shelef, E., Lipnikov, K., Garimella, R., Xu, C., Moulton, D., Karra, S., Painter, S., Jafarov, E., & Molins, S. (2020). Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) (Version 0.88) [Computer software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3727209.
When listing web references, as a minimum you should provide the full URL and the date when the reference was last accessed. Additional information (e.g. DOI, author names, dates or reference to a source publication) should also be provided, if known.
You can list web references separately under a new heading directly after your reference list or include them in your reference list.
We encourage you to cite underlying or relevant datasets within article text and to list data references in the reference list.
When citing data references, you should include:
· author name(s)
· dataset title
· data repository
· version (where available)
· year
· global persistent identifier
Add [dataset] immediately before your reference. This will help us to properly identify the dataset. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.
We ask you to mark preprints clearly. You should include the word "preprint" or the name of the preprint server as part of your reference and provide the preprint DOI.
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, use the formal publication as your reference.
If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but they are not yet formally published, you may reference the preprint.
If you use a citation plug-in from these products, select the relevant journal template and all your citations and bibliographies will automatically be formatted in the journal style. We advise you to remove all field codes before submitting your manuscript to any reference management software product.
If a template is not available for this journal, follow the format given in examples in the reference style section of this Guide for Authors.
Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Authors should ensure their work uses inclusive language throughout and contains nothing which might imply one individual is superior to another on the grounds of:
· age
· gender
· race
· ethnicity
· culture
· sexual orientation
· disability or health condition
We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors about personal attributes unless they are relevant and valid. Write for gender neutrality with the use of plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default. Wherever possible, avoid using "he, she," or "he/she."
No assumptions should be made about the beliefs of readers and writing should be free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions.
These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help you identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.
Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses
There is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and gender. We offer the following guidance:
· Sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) should be integrated into research design when research involves or pertains to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells. This should be done in accordance with any requirements set by funders or sponsors and best practices within a field.
· Sex and/or gender dimensions of the research should be addressed within the article or declared as a limitation to the generalizability of the research.
· Definitions of sex and/or gender applied should be explicitly stated to enhance the precision, rigor and reproducibility of the research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer.
Definitions of sex and/or gender
We ask authors to define how sex and gender have been used in their research and publication. Some guidance:
· Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and physiological features such as chromosomal genotype, hormonal levels, internal and external anatomy. A binary sex categorization (male/female) is usually designated at birth ("sex assigned at birth") and is in most cases based solely on the visible external anatomy of a newborn. In reality, sex categorizations include people who are intersex/have differences of sex development (DSD).
· Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors and identities of women, men and gender-diverse people that occur in a historical and cultural context and may vary across societies and over time. Gender influences how people view themselves and each other, how they behave and interact and how power is distributed in society.
Depending on the focus of a paper, sex and/or gender may or may not be relevant to the content of the paper. We recognize that beliefs, attitudes, and laws relating to sex and gender may vary. These articles do not attempt to dictate author beliefs but rather require that, where relevant to an author’s research or paper, the author must provide clear explanations of how the paper and research define and use sex and gender.
Studies in humans
Authors must follow ethical guidelines for studies carried out in humans.
Work which involves the use of human subjects should be carried out in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects.
Manuscripts should follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing and publication of scholarly work in medical journals and aim to be representative of human populations in terms of sex, age and ethnicity. Sex and gender terms should be used correctly, as outlined by WHO (World Health Organization).
Manuscripts must include a statement that all procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and have been approved by the appropriate institutional committee(s). The statement should contain the date and reference number of the ethical approval(s) obtained.
Manuscripts must also include a statement that the privacy rights of human subjects have been observed and that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects.
This journal will not accept manuscripts that contain data derived from unethically sourced organs or tissue, including from executed prisoners or prisoners of conscience, consistent with recommendations by Global Rights Compliance on Mitigating Human Rights Risks in Transplantation Medicine. For all studies that use human organs or tissues, sufficient evidence must be provided that these were procured in line with WHO Guiding Principles on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation. For clinical studies, a statement of informed consent having been obtained from a patient or their nominated representative, paired with ethical approval for the study from a suitable institution, as required by the policies of the journal, may be considered sufficient evidence, but the journal reserves the right to request additional evidence in cases where it feels this is not sufficient. The source of the organs or tissues used in clinical research must be transparent and traceable. If your manuscript describes organ transplantation you must additionally declare within the manuscript that:
· autonomous consent free from coercion was obtained from the donor(s) or their next of kin.
· organs and/or tissues were not sourced from executed prisoners or prisoners of conscience.
Studies in animals
Authors must follow ethical guidelines for studies carried out in animals.
All animal experiments should comply with ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines.
Studies should be carried out in accordance with Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63 for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes or the NIH (National Research Council) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PDF).
A statement should be included in your manuscript that such guidelines as listed above have been followed.
The sex of animals, and where appropriate, the influence (or association) of sex on the results of the study must be indicated.
Clinical Trials
This journal follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) clinical trials registration guidelines.
Registration
Clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry. Purely observational studies, in which the assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator, do not require registration.
Some important points:
· Trials must be registered at or before the onset of patient enrolment.
· The clinical trial registration number must be included in the manuscript, preferably at the end of the article abstract.
· A clinical trial is defined as any research study that prospectively assigns human participants, or groups of humans, to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects of health outcomes.
· Health-related interventions include any intervention used to modify a biomedical or health-related outcome such as drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, dietary interventions, and process-of-care changes.
· Health outcomes include any biomedical or health-related measures obtained in patients or participants, including pharmacokinetic measures and adverse events.
Results
Authors are required to disclose all posting in registries of results of the same or closely related work. Editors will not consider results to be a prior publication if they have already been posted in the same clinical trials registry in which primary registration resides, as long as the results are presented in the form of a brief structured abstract (fewer than 500 words) or table.
Disclosing results in other circumstances, such as in an investors’ meeting, for example, is discouraged and may jeopardize consideration of your manuscript by this journal.
Reporting
Authors are encouraged to follow CONSORT guidelines when presenting randomized controlled trials, and provide the CONSORT checklist at manuscript submission, with an accompanying flow diagram illustrating the progress of patients through the trial - including recruitment, enrolment, randomization, withdrawal, completion and a description of the randomization procedure.
· Read the CONSORT guidelines.
· Follow the CONSORT checklist.
Sensory studies
Sensory evaluation by trained or naive panellists and other sensory-consumer research requires an ethical statement. If ethical approval is not required by national laws, authors must state that an exemption from ethics committee approval was obtained. If no human ethics committee or formal documentation process is available, the statement should explain this and confirm that the appropriate protocols for protecting the rights and privacy of all participants were utilized during the execution of the research, e.g. no coercion to participate, full disclosure of study requirements and risks, written or verbal consent of participants, no release of participant data without their knowledge, ability to withdraw from the study at any time. If vulnerable populations (e.g. children, individuals with diminished physical or intellectual capacity, the socially or economically vulnerable or institutionalized individuals) are used in the research, evidence of permission for them to participate from parents or guardians must be obtained.
Delayed publication
If you need to delay the publication of your article for any reason, please contact the editorial office of the journal.
Authors will be asked to complete a publishing agreement after acceptance. The corresponding author will receive a link to the online agreement by email.
Open Access and Copyright Policy
ENGINEERING Foods is an open access journal. All articles published in this journal are made immediately and permanently available free of charge to all readers, under the terms of the CC BY license (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). This license permits any party to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original source.
Authors retain the copyright of their articles. Upon acceptance of a manuscript, authors are required to sign a Copyright Statement, confirming that the article will be published under the aforementioned CC BY license. The signed Copyright Statement should be returned via email to the Editorial Office at: engf@pub.hep.cn.
Proofs will be sent to the authors and should be returned within 48 hours of receipt. Authors should clarify any questions of the proof in a query file. No new information can be inserted at the time of proofreading. Please note that authors are urged to check their proofs carefully before responding with a single e-mail; no subsequent corrections will be accepted.
We encourage you to share and promote your article to give additional visibility to your work, enabling your paper to contribute to scientific progress and foster the exchange of scientific developments within your field.
We recommend that you write in American or British English but not a combination of both.
Please email us at engf@pub.hep.cn for assistance.