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Welcome to the ECS Publishing Journey

A critical part of ECS’s mission is to be recognized as the steward of electrochemical and solid state science and technology. For over 120 years, ECS has promoted the advancement of science and its applications through its publication programs. The Institute of Physics’ publishing arm, IOPP, has hosted the ECS Digital Library since January 2020. By choosing to start your publishing journey with ECS and our partner IOPP, you join us in our mission and vision to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation via the scholarly record.

We encourage all who decide to pursue publishing with ECS to review and fully digest these step-by-step guidelines and policies before writing and submitting articles. A working understanding of these elements can save valuable time.

ECS publishing criteria

ECS is open to manuscript submissions that meet these criteria:

Original work that adds significantly to the scholarly record;
Aligns with the ECS community’s topical interests;
Scientifically rigorous;
Sound motivation and impactful purpose;
Not published previously in peer-reviewed literature;
Not under consideration for publication in any other publication medium;
Not posted as a preprint under copyright restriction and exclusive license;
Complies with the ethics standards of ECS, its partners, and aligned standards groups;
Free from errors and omissions;
Written in English.

Four steps to publishing success

Step 1: Build your best manuscript

1.1 Manuscript submission types
1.2 Article format
1.3 Article structure
1.4 Preparing the manuscript source file
1.5 Preparing the graphical abstract
1.6 Preparing highlights
1.7 Choosing keywords
1.8 Self-review and proofing prior to submission
1.9 Editing services

Step 2: Choose your path

2.1 Choose a publishing model: Subscription or open access
2.2 Choose a copyright license
2.3 Choose the “Accepted Manuscript” option
2.4 Choose the most appropriate journal

Step 3: Follow your path

3.1 Submitting the journal manuscript
3.2 Submission package quality check
3.3 Pre-refereeing
3.4 Refereeing/peer review
3.5 Article publication decisions

Step 4: Promote your work

4.1 Spread the word/work
4.2 Update your ORCID ID

Complying with ECS publications policies

Refer to the ECS Policy on AuthorshipECS publications policies

AI chatbots or large language models (LLMs)
Copyright
Post-production changes
Ethics
Handling alleged misconduct

Questions?

For more information about publishing with ECS, contact publications@electrochem.org.

Welcome to the ECS Publishing Journey

Step 1: Build your best manuscript

1.1 Manuscript submission types

Research article

A Research article is a primary source reporting the methods and results of an original study performed by the author(s), where the author(s) collected and analyzed the data and have drawn conclusions from the results of that analysis. Research articles use a standard format in which the author(s) present the research in an orderly, logical manner.

Download .doc Word template | Download .docx Word template

Communication article

Communication papers are brief articles or reports describing impactful research where dissemination before a study/paper is complete substantially benefits the electrochemical or solid state community. When submitting the manuscript, author(s) concisely describe the research’s high impact and why early dissemination is desirable.

Download .doc Communication Article Template | Download .docx Communication Article Template

NOTE: To ensure that Communication articles are publishable upon acceptance, limit manuscript length to no more than 2,500 words (excluding references), and one to four (1-4) single-column-width figure parts. Articles exceeding these limits are returned for editing before peer review is initiated. Additional formatting and presentation requirements apply.

Perspective article

A Perspective article is a brief, insightful assessment of—and direction for—new, developing, or established fields. It suggests alternative interpretations of results or describes new directions for ECS journal readers’ topic interest areas. Perspective articles are intended to stimulate discussion that substantially benefits the field. Although data may or may not be included, these articles are not intended to announce new results. Submit this information in Communication articles. Perspective articles present thought-provoking perspectives and novel assimilation of scientific information indicating potential trends or innovative applications in current or emerging fields.

Download .doc Perspective Article Template | Download .docx Perspective Article Template

NOTE: Papers submitted as Perspective articles are brief (4,000 total words or less, excluding a limited list of references). Papers exceeding these limits are returned for editing before initiating peer review. Additional formatting and presentation requirements apply. If included, a maximum of three (3) figures or tables are permitted. These count for 250 words each; 3.25 inches typeset page space. (For example, a Perspective submission with one (1) figure and one (1) table should not exceed 3500 words, excluding references.) Additional formatting and presentation requirements apply.

Author(s) must use the Perspective article template. Perspective articles do not support supplementary material.

Methods article

Methods articles focus on the intricacies of experimental measurements and/or theories. They discuss the methods and limitations of analysis in order to encourage in-depth discussion of how experiments are conducted to ensure reproducibility at a high standard; and how results are analyzed to provide consistency and comprehension in the literature over time.

NOTE: General formatting requirements are the same as those for Research papers. While no specific template is required, the Research article template can be used. Heading and section requirements do not apply so that author(s) can tailor their presentation to the given subject.

Review article

Review articles sum up the current state of understanding on a particular topic, as opposed to Research articles which report on original research. Author(s) search for everything relevant to the topic and organize the results into a coherent view. Review articles cover main researchers in the field; recent advances and discoveries; current debates; significant research gaps; and provide indications of likely future directions for the field.

NOTE: No specific template is required for Review article manuscripts. Author(s) may use the Research article template.

CRES³T article

CRES³T (Critical Reviews in Electrochemistry and Solid State Science and Technology) articles go beyond Review articles to provide authoritative status reports on areas experiencing rapid development in electrochemistry and solid state science and technology. CRES³T articles analyze opportunities and challenges to advancing knowledge in the area; thoroughly survey the most relevant literature in the field; and clearly identify each of the experimental and theoretical areas regarded as key to the scientific understanding and technological demands in the field. CRES³T articles project future work and approaches that might be needed to resolve conflicts and fill missing knowledge gaps. Author(s) are experts in the field with broad experience. CRES³T articles differ from other article types because, with their consent, reviewers’ names and email addresses may be published.

Erratum

An Erratum is a document published to provide notification of an error made by the publisher in an article previously disseminated in the scholarly record. Learn more.

Corrigendum

A Corrigendum is a document published to provide notification of an error made by the author(s) in an article previously disseminated in the scholarly record. Learn more.

Comment and/or reply

These publications are comments or critiques of work previously published in the journal.

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1.2 Article format

Author(s) must prepare all manuscripts in single-column format.

All submissions accepted for publication are typeset as part of the publication production process.

If the author(s) prefer to use a template to create the manuscript, download the best applicable template available for the manuscript.

Manuscript files only include the Title, Authors List, Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgments, Ethics Statement (if applicable), and References.

Manuscript files do not include cover letters, highlights, comments, graphical abstracts, or ORCID IDs.

Improperly formatted manuscript files are returned to the author(s) for correction. If an article does not align with formatting requirements, it will not progress to the review/referee stage.

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1.3 Article structure

It is in the author(s)’ best interests to consider the optimal way to structure the article before commencing the writing process.

ECS requires the following structural standards.

NOTE: Do not number sections within the manuscript or refer to section titles within the text. Refrain from using undefined acronyms/abbreviations.

Title

Select a title that is unique and concise, 15 words or less, and meaningful and informative for readers. Avoid the use of long systemic names and non-standard or obscure abbreviations, acronyms, or symbols.

Authors

List all authors’ full names and primary institutions.

Listed authors meet and comply with the ECS Authorship Authorship title Policy.

List authors by first name or initial, followed by last name, and separated by commas (e.g., Author one, Author two, Author three).

Denote the Corresponding Author with superscript “z” (e.g., First Name Surname z).

Denote affiliation(s) using superscript numbers if more than one affiliation applies; organize in numerical order.

The Corresponding Author’s email address is included. Where the Corresponding Author has multiple email addresses, separate these by a semicolon (;).

Utilize [ * ] to denote ECS Membership status.

Utilize [ † ] to denote if an author is deceased.

Utilize [ r ] to denote if an author is retired.

When providing current or present addresses, use lower case letters starting with the letter “a”.

Abstract

The Abstract gives readers a brief summary of the article. It describes the article’s contents concisely and includes key terms (especially in the first two sentences in order to increase search engine discoverability). It is informative, accessible, and not only indicates the general aims and scope of the article, but also states the methodology used, main results obtained, and conclusions drawn. The Abstract is complete in itself; it does not contain undefined acronyms/abbreviations; do not refer to table numbers, figure numbers, references, or equations. Quote the trial registration number at the end of the Abstract for articles relying on clinical trials. The Abstract should be no longer than 200 words and suitable for direct inclusion in abstracting services.

NOTE: Communication, Perspective, and Method Paper Abstracts should not exceed 100 words.

Introduction

The Introduction is concise and describes the nature of the research. It sets the work in the context of previous research, citing relevant references, and is accessible to readers. ECS Style allows for the use of main section headings and two levels of section subheads. Section and subsection numbering is not accepted and is eliminated at the page proof stage.

Methods/experimental

Describe the materials and equipment used and provide sufficient detail about the methods to enable other researchers to repeat the work and obtain comparable results. When using standard methods, refer to the relevant literature and provide details only as needed.

NOTE: Do not enter equations or tables as image files. Use a MathType feature, equations tool, or plain text for equations. Enter any tables as plain text.

Results/findings

Summarize the results and data obtained and describe any statistical analyses applied. Provide enough detail to justify the conclusions. Limit the use of equations, tables, and figures except when necessary for clarity. Utilize tables only to improve conciseness or where the information cannot be given satisfactorily in other ways such as histograms or graphs. Number tables serially; refer to them in the text by number (table 1, etc.). Accompany each table with an explanatory caption which is as concise as possible.

NOTE: Do not enter equations or tables as image files. Use a MathType feature, equations tool, or plain text for equations. Enter tables as plain text. Write mathematical equations on a single line if possible, using parentheses, brackets, negative exponents, and the like.

Figures, tables, graphs, drawings, and images

Figures, tables, graphs, drawings, and images are unique elements that author(s) may use in their manuscripts.
- Figures, graphs, drawings, and images are carefully chosen and well-prepared diagrams or photographs relevant to the article.
- Tables are rows and columns of text or numerical data.
Figure file names indicate the numbers of figures they contain; for example, figure1.eps, figure2.tif, figure2a.gif, etc. Submit a single composite file.
EPS, TIFF, or JPEG formats are preferred for figures, graphs, drawings, and images.
- Size at one-column width (3.25 inches) wherever possible.
300 dpi resolution is required.
Bode and Nyquist plots of the same data are prohibited; only one format may be used. (For a complete description of ECS Journals’ Style for EIS Plots, click here.)
Use of figures, graphs, drawings, and image files as tables is prohibited. Include all tables in the article file as text.
Generate all tables using the table tool.
Use of color and/or sharing graphical elements in tables is prohibited.
All figures submitted in color are published in color in the online article and print-on-demand issue, at no cost to the author(s).
Consider both the subject matter and provenance of images included in the manuscript carefully before submitting to the journal. If the submitted images could potentially offend journal readership, ECS and its publishing partner, the Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP), reserve the right to request that author(s) seek alternative images or other means to express the same results before the final version is published.
Reduce drawings and graphs to column width (3 1/4 inches or 8.2 cm). Use lettering of letter-grade quality, at least 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) high. When several curves are shown, letter and identify each one in the caption. When a figure contains numerous parts (i.e., several micrographs or graphs), use a lowercase letter (“a”, “b”, etc.) in the body of each part. Then use the letter in the figure caption to identify each corresponding part.
Author(s) are responsible for obtaining permission from the copyright holder to reproduce all previously published results, data, and figures. Author(s) are prepared to show proof of permission upon request. Note and properly cite such permission in the figure caption.
Author(s) may submit ONLY ONE set of figure files.
For initial manuscript submissions only: Submit a single PDF file of the manuscript in which the figures and tables appear where referenced in the text, for use during the initial peer-review process. Source files for the manuscript and figures can be submitted prior to formal publication acceptance. Submitting separate figure files is not required for the initial peer review process.

Discussion

Explain the interpretation of the results and compare them to existing knowledge in the field. Note any important advances in understanding and the logical implications of the work. ECS supports combining the Results and Discussion sections where it serves the presentation of the work.

Conclusion

This summary text highlights the novelty and significance of the work, and any plans for future relevant work.

Acknowledgments

Use this section to make specific attributions to supporters of the research, for example:

Disclose any potential conflict(s) of interest when submitting an article (e.g., employment, consulting fees, research contracts, stock ownership, patent licenses, honoraria, advisory affiliations, etc.);
All sources of project financial support;
Funding agency name(s) and grant number(s);
Attributions of author(s)’ contributions and responsibilities.

Ethics Statement – human subjects

Work that includes research involving humans or animals must include a certifying statement regarding the ethics practices upheld. This declarative statement affirms that the research upheld the basic tenets of ethical principles related to human and/or animal subjects.

Learn more about the ECS Publications Ethics Policy

References

List references at the end of the paper in the order that they are cited in the text. Be sure to cite all relevant work properly. Use each author’s first and middle initials and last name. Cite one text or source per reference number; references are distinct. The full titles of referenced journal articles need not be included. Use CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) abbreviations for journal names. If possible, avoid citing anything other than generally available literature. Do not format references as hot links to internet sources. For example:

Journals/magazines

E. P. Able and A. T. Baker, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 4, A101 (2001).

Books by the author(s) referenced

E. P. Able and A. T. Baker, Diamond Films, p. 37, John Wiley& Sons, New York (1991).

Author(s) referenced in an edited volume

E. P. Able and A. T. Baker, in Electrosynthesis, 2nd ed., J. Carter, Editor, p. 40, Wiley Interscience, New York (1991).

Author(s) referenced from an ECS Transactions volume

E. Gaura and R. M. Newman, ECS Trans., 4(1), 3 (2006).

Author(s) referenced from an ECS Proceedings volume

E. P. Able and A. T. Baker, in Plasma Processing, G.S. Mathad and D.W. Hess, Editors, PV 94-20, p. 123, The Electrochemical Society Proceedings Series, Pennington, NJ (1994).

Author(s) referenced from an ECSarXiv publication

W. Hollerman, R. S. Fontenot, P. Darby, N. Pugh, and J. Miller, “Using Exotic Materials Like EuD4TEA and MgD4TEA to Monitor Damage and Radiation Exposure in Extreme Environments,” ECSarXiv (2018), doi:10.1149/osf.io/94ujn

Authors using EndNotes software can download a zipped ECS Reference Style by clicking here.

As the article abstract is self-contained and published as a stand-alone text, references cannot be cited by number. All references mentioned in the abstract must be cited in line with the text and styled as follows: “…with published data [J. S. Yi and T. V. Nguyen, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 146, 38 (1999)], but an error has been detected…”

Supplementary material

ECS hosts supplementary material when the material is pertinent to, and supports the work to which it relates, but is not essential for comprehension of the main body of the work.

ECS permits the submission of supplementary material only where the material is intended for publication in online editions.

Label these files clearly, providing a descriptive caption for each file. Supplementary material must be cited within the manuscript text (e.g., see Fig. S2 or see supplementary material).

Submitted supplementary material must be in separate files and not text within the article file. This includes descriptive paragraphs and figure/table/scheme captions.

Supplementary material is published online exactly as submitted; files are not reviewed or typeset. Author(s) do not receive page proofs of supplementary materials. Changes to supplementary material are made at the revision stage of the manuscript submission process. Do not use highlighting or MS Word Track Changes when submitting revisions.

In submitting supplementary material considered relevant to the work, author(s) agree to the following:

License to Publish. The author(s) give ECS a nonexclusive license to publish the supplementary material by hosting it online in the ECS Digital Library.
Rights of ECS. ECS reserves the right to take down supplementary material at any time if in its sole judgment ECS believes that the supplementary material is not suitable.
Warranties. The author(s) warrant sole authorship of the supplementary material, or if not, the author(s) warrant the complete and unencumbered right to grant ECS the license stated above. The author(s) warrant that the supplementary material does not libel anyone, invade anyone’s copyright, or otherwise violate anyone’s statutory or common law rights.
Indemnification. The author(s) agree to indemnify ECS against any claim or action alleging facts which, if true, constitute a breach of any of the foregoing warranties.

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1.4 Preparing the manuscript source file

Submissions must include the Word (doc.) or LaTex/RevTex file that was used to create the manuscript PDF file. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, ECS Operations and the production typesetting team use the file to organize and format the manuscript’s file-published version.

Follow these guidelines for naming all files:

Use only characters from the alphabet or numeral sets: a to z, A to Z, 0 to 9, and underscore (_);
Do not use spaces in file names;
Include an extension to indicate the file type (for example, .doc, .txt, .eps, etc.);
Do not use accented characters or diacritical marks (for example, à, ê, ñ, ö, ý, ç, etc.). These can cause difficulties when processing files.

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1.5 Preparing the graphical abstract

A graphical abstract is a single image intended to assist readers with a quick summary of a scholarly article. These images assist in online searches and aid researchers in discerning the article’s relevance to their interests. The image appears on the landing page of a published article as a visual aid. It is not a replacement for the required abstract text.

All graphical abstract files included with the submission must be in a JPEG, JPG, PNG, or TIF format, with the text “GA” as the prefix of the filename, e.g., “GA[filename].jpg”

Upload all graphical abstract files separately as source files. Do not embed graphical abstracts in manuscript source files, nor as supplementary files or information.

Graphical abstracts are mandatory for submissions to ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP) and optional for the Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES), ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS), and ECS Advances (ECSA).

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1.6 Preparing highlights

Highlights are three to five (3-5) short, bulleted sentences of a maximum of 85 characters in length including spaces. These bulleted sentences are distinct from the article abstract and keywords, and call out for the reader the novelty, significance, advances, and impact the article has on the scholarly record. Highlights provide additional support in the work’s discoverability by the online research community. Consider that highlights are the first thing seen by readers.

Include three to five (3-5) bulleted highlights; five (5) is the maximum.
Include only the article’s core results and/or specific novelty.
Avoid jargon, acronyms, or abbreviations; aim for a general audience and use keywords.
DO NOT include highlights within the manuscript.
Provide as a separate document matching the format of the main manuscript file. For clarification:
- Manuscript files submitted in Word: Highlights must be provided as separate Word documents named “Highlights”. Select “source file” from the drop-down list when uploading files.
- Manuscript files submitted in TeX: Highlights must be provided as separate TeX documents named “Highlights”. Select “source file” from the drop-down list when uploading files.

Highlights are mandatory for ECSSP but optional for ECSA, JES, and JSS.

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1.7 Choosing keywords

During the submission process, the Submitting Author is required to select a minimum of three (3) keywords related to the submitted article. Keywords are ideas and topics that define the article’s content. Using strong keywords is critical as they support the discovery of published articles by search engines and research tools. These are the words that researchers enter into search engines to find the content best suited to their purposes. They increase the opportunity impact of the work on future research. Author(s) are encouraged to select keywords mindfully and carefully.

Submitting Author(s) can select from the list of keywords populated in the submission system or select their own keywords which they believe are more relevant to the submitted article. It is strongly recommended that author(s) choosing this option use a keyword selection tool or copy keywords from other related work.

Do not include keywords in the manuscript. Keywords are selected during the submission process and are part of the submission’s meta data.

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1.8 Self-review and proofing prior to submission

Author(s) are encouraged to take the time necessary to ensure that their manuscript submission package—which includes, but is not limited to figures, supplementary information, and
all other related elements of their work—is the best representation of their work, absent of errors and omissions, and complies with all ECS Policies and Standards. Once the article is submitted, all elements are rigorously reviewed by ECS staff and editorial leadership. If published, the scientific community also scrutinizes the manuscript.

Author(s) are encouraged to seek the support of colleagues, services available via their institutions, and/or professional editing services. Language and writing/editing services are excellent tools for reviewing the work before it is presented for consideration.

1.9 Editing services

ECS offers English-language editing services in partnership with Enago, a leading global academic editing service provider with editing expertise in the fields of science and technology. Enago editors are native English speakers averaging 19.4 years of experience. ECS members choosing to polish their papers using Enago’s efficient, high-quality English editing services, receive a 15 percent discount. Not yet a member? Join ECS to receive this benefit.

Other editing service providers include Bioscience Editing Solutions; Edanz Editing; Editage; Journal Prep; Online English; ProWriting AID; Proof-Reading-Service.com; SciTech Edit; and Sibia Proofreading. ECS is not affiliated with these services. Their use does not impact final decisions regarding publishing a given manuscript.

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Welcome to The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Publishing Journey

Step 2: Choose your path

2.1 Choose a publishing model: Subscription or open access

ECS author(s) can publish via open-access or subscription models in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES) and ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS) and optional for ECS Advances (ECSA) and ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP), which are Gold Open Access journals and only offer open-access publishing models.

Choosing to publish an article via an open-access model means that the published article is freely available online to anyone who wishes to see it. The reader neither pays for it directly nor belongs to an institution that subscribes to the journal in which it appears. Author(s) selecting the open-access model are required to remit payment of the journal’s applicable Article Processing Charge (APC). Discounts and waivers of this fee may apply via our open-access program offerings.

Choosing to publish an article via a subscription model means that the published article has limited availability online, with full-text versions of the article only available to journal subscribers. Author(s) selecting the subscription model are not required to remit any payment to the journal.

Learn more about the ECS Open Access Program, pricing, and discount options.

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2.2 Choose a copyright license

All work published in a subscription model is subject to the ECS subscription publication model’s copyright agreement terms.

One of two Creative Commons licenses is applied to all works published as open access: either CC-BY or CC-BY-NC-ND. The license application varies for each journal. Author(s) have the option to select which license they prefer.

Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES): CC BY or CC BY–NC–ND
ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS): CC BY or CC BY–NC–ND
ECS Advances (ECSA): CC BY
ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP): CC BY

Consult the Creative Commons website for information about licenses and which license best fits the article.

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2.3 Choose the “Accepted Manuscript” option

ECS makes articles available online within 24 hours of being scheduled for publication. This depends on ECS receiving:

Completed assignment of copyright and publication agreement (“copyright form”);
Confirmation during the submission process that the author(s) have permission to include any third-party content (where applicable);
Confirmation that the author(s) agreed to the “Accepted Manuscript” option during the submission process.

Making the accepted manuscript available online has benefits for author(s) including:

Earlier opportunity for research to be read and cited;
The author(s)’ work can be promoted by their peers as soon as it is accepted, maintaining the publication process momentum;
For biomedical author(s), research is indexed in Medline sooner. Medline classifies these articles as “ahead of print” and updates their status when the final version of record is published;
Improved opportunities for funding approval as researchers can list their work earlier.

The accepted version of the manuscript which is posted online within 24 hours of being scheduled for publication is not language edited or typeset and is provided as a flat PDF. ECS continues working with author(s) on producing their article via the proofing process. When the proofing process is complete, the final version of record replaces the accepted manuscript version.

Any supplementary content is made available when the final version of record is published.

NOTE: “Accepted Manuscript” service is not available for submissions with long author lists (20+) or Comments, Replies, Corrigenda, or Errata article types.

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2.4 Choose the most appropriate journal

Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES)

JES is the flagship, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal of The Electrochemical Society. Published continuously from 1902 to the present, JES is a transformative journal that provides author(s) with the option of open-access or subscription-based publication models. Article processing charges may apply if an open-access publication model is chosen.

JES is open to manuscript submissions from authors on these topical interest areas:

Batteries and energy storage

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of batteries, electrochemical capacitors, redox flow batteries.
Specific topics: Design, modeling, testing; electrode structures and characterization, including charge storage materials, binders, additives, membranes, electrolytes, conductivity enhancers, and current collectors as they relate to batteries and energy storage.
Also of interest: Issues pertaining to safety such as the development and implementation of methods for its assessment.

Corrosion science and technology

Areas of interest: All experimental and theoretical aspects of corrosion.
Specific topics: Physicochemical basis of corrosion and kinetics; passivity; localized corrosion; corrosion protection including surface treatments and coatings; anode behavior; high-temperature corrosion and oxidation; methods for the study of corrosion including spectroscopy and electrochemical techniques and scanning probe microscopies; numerical simulations, computational chemistry, mathematical modeling as applied to corrosion.

Electrochemical/electroless deposition

Areas of interest: Deposition of metals, oxides, semiconductors, nanostructures, and composite materials; nanofabrication; fundamental aspects of nucleation and growth; physical and mechanical aspects of deposits, including structure and internal stress; modeling; industrial plating and plating baths; leveling, accelerating, suppressing agents.

Electrochemical engineering

Areas of interest: Industrial electrochemistry; mathematical modeling of electrochemical reactors and devices; electrochemical machining; electrochemical synthesis of compounds.
Specific topics: Kinetics, selectivity, and yields; mass, momentum, and heat transport; electrode designs and evaluation.

Fuel cells, electrolyzers, and energy conversion

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of all types of fuel cells, electrolyzers, photovoltaics, photoelectrochemistry.
Specific topics: As relates to energy conversion include design, modeling, testing, and evaluation; novel electrode structures and their characterization, including electrocatalytic materials and electrocatalysis; engineering aspects of fuel, electrochemical fuel synthesis, water, thermal management. Materials at high temperatures are included.

Organic and bioelectrochemistry

Areas of interest: All aspects related to the electrochemical properties and behavior of organic and biological materials.
Specific topics: Synthetic and mechanistic electrochemistry, electrocatalysis of organic and bioelectrochemical systems; organic and biological media; organometallics; metals in organic and biological electrode processes; asymmetric organic electrosynthesis; modified electrodes; electronically-conducting polymers.
Also of interest: Fundamentals aspects of biomolecular redox behavior of proteins and enzymes; enzymatic and microbial reactions; bioelectrocatalysis; electron transfer and computational studies; studies of organic and bioelectrochemical energy systems.

Physical and analytical electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrochemistry

Areas of interest: Fundamental aspects of interfacial science and electroanalytical chemistry.
Specific topics: Double layer theory and experiments; theoretical and experimental aspects of electrocatalysis; in situ spectroscopy; photoelectrochemical cells; scanning probe methods; x-ray and electron microscopy methods; novel electrochemical measurements and practice drawn from fundamental concepts; developments in theory.

Sensors (electrochemical sensors)

Areas of interest: Sensors for the detection and discrimination of chemical and biological species; sensor advances and new methods of measurements based on electrochemical principles.
Specific topics: Novel development, implementation, characterization, fundamentals, and applications of chemical and biological sensors, sensor arrays and sensor networks, including those based on inorganic, organic, and biological materials, and their relevant interfaces. Transduction mechanisms include, but are not limited to, electrochemical, impedance, resistive, capacitive.
Also of interest: Wearable devices, implantable devices, brain-computer interface, agricultural sensors, environmental sensors, robotic sensors, sensors for healthcare, microfluidics, nanofluidic, device fabrication, materials characterization, nanomaterials and nanostructures, sensing mechanisms, sensor arrays, miniature chemical analysis systems, lab-on-a-chip, artificial intelligence, machine learning for sensor networks.

Learn more

Return to “Choose the most appropriate journal.”

ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS)

JSS is ECS’s multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal on fundamental and applied areas of solid state science and technology, including experimental and theoretical aspects of chemistry, and physics of materials and devices. JSS is a transformative journal that allows authors the option of open-access or subscription-based publication models. Article processing charges may apply if an open-access publication model is chosen.

JSS is open to manuscript submissions from authors on these topical interest areas:

Carbon nanostructures and devices

Areas of interest: Design and growth of conducting, semiconducting, and insulating carbon nanostructures including nanocarbons, nanotubes, graphene, fullerenes.
Specific topics: Theoretical and experimental studies on nanotubes, graphene, and fullerenes for use in energy, catalytic, and sensor applications; electronic, photonic, electrochemical, mechanical devices; functional materials, chemical and physical functionalization of carbon nanostructures; supramolecular assemblies; biomedical devices; environmental remediation.

Dielectric science and materials

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of inorganic and organic dielectric materials, including electrical, physical, optical, chemical properties.
Specific topics: Growth processes; reliability; modeling and property measurements; polarizability; bulk and interfacial properties; interphases; reaction kinetics; phase transformations; thermodynamics; electric and ionic transport; polymers; high k, low k, and embedded dielectrics; porous dielectrics; thin and ultra-thin films.

Electronic materials and processing

Areas of interest: Processing science and technology for electronic, optoelectronic, optical materials, films, interfaces, devices.
Specific topics: Bulk crystal growth; thin film, surface, and interface growth and interface modification to establish physical, chemical, and electrical properties of materials and structures; optical, e-beam, x-ray, ion-beam, soft lithography; atomic layer and chemical vapor deposition for films and nanoscale materials; chemical mechanical polishing; liquid, vapor, ion-beam, plasma etching and deposition; sputtering; anodization; evaporation; spin, dip, spray coating; rapid thermal processing; surface modification, functionalization, cleaning; 3D interconnects; process integration and microfabricated systems.

Electronic and photonic devices and systems

Areas of interest: Fundamental properties and measurements of device fabrication and characteristics for electronic and photonic applications.
Specific topics: Thin film transistors; MOSFETs; bipolar devices; quantum devices; silicon, germanium, related microelectronic and photonic devices; micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS); solid state sensors; wide bandgap semiconductor materials and devices; photovoltaic energy conversion devices; memories; graphene-based devices; plasmonics; power devices; silicon-on-insulator devices, bioelectronics.

Luminescence and display materials, devices, and processing

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental science and technology of inorganic and organic luminescent materials, devices, displays.
Specific topics: Photoluminescent, cathodoluminescent, electroluminescent materials; scintillators; phosphors; lasers and light emitting diodes; organic LEDs and solid state lighting and liquid crystal, plasma, field emission displays.

Sensors (solid state)

Areas of interest: Sensors or devices based on physical and quantum transduction principles, and sensor advances focused on solid state principles.
Specific topics: Novel development, characterization, implementation, fundamentals, and applications of physical and quantum sensors; transduction mechanisms of interest include, but are not limited to, quantum, mechanical, mass sensitive, optoelectronic, optical, radiation, thermal, acoustic, piezoelectric, resistive, microwave, magnetic; wearable devices, implantable devices, brain-computer interface, agricultural sensors, environmental sensors, robotic sensors, sensors for healthcare, microfluidics, nanofluidic, device fabrication, materials characterization, nanomaterials and nanostructures, sensing mechanisms, sensor arrays, wireless sensors; internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning for sensor networks.
Also of interest: Applications of 3D and 4D printing, microelectromechanical or nanoelectromechanical system technologies including micro/nanomachining, fabrication processes, nanocomposites, hybrid materials, packaging; the use of these structures and processes for the miniaturization of physical sensors and other devices.

Return to “Choose the most appropriate journal.”

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ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP)

ECSSP is a one-stop shop journal for sensors. This multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal covers materials, structures, properties, performance, and characterization of sensing and detection devices and systems, including sensor arrays and networks. As ECSSP is a Gold Open Access journal, all manuscripts accepted for publication are published in an open-access model. If the open-access publication model is chosen, article processing charges may apply.

ECSSP is open to manuscript submissions from authors on these sensor-related topics:

3D/4D printed sensors, sensor systems and actuators
Affinity sensors – nucleic acids
Affinity sensors – antibodies and other
AI-enabled sensors – AI in multimodal sensing, novel AI sensing techniques, AI and materials discovery
Bio/health and point-of-care sensors
Biocatalytic sensors – enzymes, biomolecule-based catalytic conversion, other cell sensors and imaging
Energy harvesting and storage for sensors
Integrated sensor systems
Intelligent sensors for smart cities and remote communities
Microfluidic devices
Micro-nano sensor systems
Novel sensing materials – hybrid materials, nanocomposites for sensing, olfactory sensors, all aspects of physical and chemical sensors, soft sensors and soft robotics
Novel sensing mechanisms – CRISPER, gene circuits, other novel sensor fabrication techniques
Point-of-need sensors
Power and data transmission for sensors
Quantum sensors
Sensor arrays
Sensors for batteries, hydrogen and fuel cell systems
Sensors for impurities detection in fuel and water – hydrogen, electrolytes, other smart sensors for industry 4.0
Soft actuators
Stochastic or single-molecule sensors
Wearable and implantable sensors

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ECS Advances (ECSA)

ECSA is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal. ECSA is a one-stop-shop journal for all ECS topics. ECSA is a Gold Open Access journal; all manuscripts accepted for publication in ECSA are published in an open-access model. Article processing charges may apply if an open-access publication model is chosen.

ECSA is open to manuscript submissions from author(s) on these topics:

Batteries and energy storage

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of batteries, electrochemical capacitors, redox flow batteries.
Specific topics: Design, modeling, testing; electrode structures and characterization, including charge storage materials, binders, additives, membranes, electrolytes, conductivity enhancers, current collectors as they relate to batteries and energy storage.
Also of interest: Issues that pertain to safety, such as development and implementation of methods for its assessment.

Corrosion science and technology

Areas of interest: All experimental and theoretical aspects of corrosion.
Specific topics: Physicochemical basis of corrosion and kinetics; passivity; localized corrosion; corrosion protection including surface treatments and coatings; anode behavior; high temperature corrosion and oxidation; methods for the study of corrosion including spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques, scanning probe microscopies; numerical simulations, computational chemistry, mathematical modeling as applied to corrosion.

Electrochemical/electroless deposition

Areas of interest: Deposition of metals, oxides, semiconductors, nanostructures, composite materials; nanofabrication; fundamental aspects of nucleation and growth; physical and mechanical aspects of deposits, including structure and internal stress; modeling; industrial plating and plating baths; leveling, accelerating, suppressing agents.

Electrochemical engineering

Areas of interest: Industrial electrochemistry; mathematical modeling of electrochemical reactors and devices; electrochemical machining; electrochemical synthesis of compounds.
Specific topics: Kinetics, selectivity, yields; mass, momentum, heat transport; electrode designs and evaluation.

Fuel cells, electrolyzers, and energy conversion

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of all types of fuel cells, electrolyzers, photovoltaics, photoelectrochemistry.
Specific topics: Topics related to energy conversion including design, modeling, testing, evaluation; novel electrode structures and their characterization including electrocatalytic materials and electrocatalysis; engineering aspects of fuel, electrochemical fuel synthesis, water, thermal management; materials at high temperatures.

Organic and bioelectrochemistry

Areas of interest: All aspects related to the electrochemical properties and behavior of organic and biological materials.
Specific topics: Synthetic and mechanistic electrochemistry, electrocatalysis of organic and bioelectrochemical systems; organic and biological media; organometallics; metals in organic and biological electrode processes; asymmetric organic electrosynthesis; modified electrodes and electronically-conducting polymers; fundamentals aspects of biomolecular redox behavior of proteins and enzymes; enzymatic and microbial reactions; bioelectrocatalysis; electron transfer; computational studies.
Also of interest: Studies of organic and bioelectrochemical energy systems.

Physical and analytical electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrochemistry

Areas of interest: Fundamental aspects of interfacial science and electroanalytical chemistry.
Specific topics: Double-layer theory and experiments; theoretical and experimental aspects of electrocatalysis; in situ spectroscopy; photoelectrochemical cells; scanning probe methods; x-ray and electron microscopy methods; novel electrochemical measurements and practice drawn from fundamental concepts; developments in theory.

Sensors (electrochemical)

Areas of interest: Sensors for the detection and discrimination of chemical and biological species, and sensor advances and new methods of measurements based on electrochemical principles.
Specific topics: Novel development, implementation, characterization, fundamentals, applications of chemical and biological sensors; sensor arrays and sensor networks, including those based on inorganic, organic, and biological materials, and their relevant interfaces. Transduction mechanisms include, but are not limited to electrochemical, impedance, resistive, and capacitive; wearable devices, implantable devices, brain-computer interface; agricultural, environmental, and robotic sensors; sensors for healthcare, microfluidics, nanofluidics; device fabrication, materials characterization; nanomaterials and nanostructures; sensing mechanisms, sensor arrays, miniature chemical analysis systems; lab-on-a-chip, artificial intelligence, machine learning for sensor networks.

Carbon nanostructures and devices

Areas of interest: Design and growth of conducting, semiconducting, and insulating carbon nanostructures including nanocarbons, nanotubes, graphene, fullerenes.
Specific topics: Theoretical and experimental studies on nanotubes, graphene, and fullerenes for use in energy, catalytic, and sensor applications; electronic, photonic, electrochemical, and mechanical devices; functional materials, chemical and physical functionalization of carbon nanostructures; supramolecular assemblies; biomedical devices; environmental remediation.

Dielectric science and materials

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental aspects of inorganic and organic dielectric materials, including electrical, physical, optical, chemical properties.
Specific topics: Growth processes; reliability; modeling and property measurements; polarizability; bulk and interfacial properties; interphases; reaction kinetics; phase transformations; thermodynamics; electric and ionic transport; polymers; high k, low k, and embedded dielectrics; porous dielectrics; thin and ultra-thin films.

Electronic materials and processing

Areas of interest: Processing science and technology for electronic, optoelectronic, optical materials, films, interfaces, devices.
Specific topics: Bulk crystal growth; thin film, surface, and interface growth and interface modification to establish physical, chemical, electrical properties of materials and structures; optical, e-beam, x-ray, ion-beam, soft lithography; atomic layer and chemical vapor deposition for films and nanoscale materials; chemical mechanical polishing; liquid, vapor, ion-beam, plasma etching and deposition; sputtering; anodization; evaporation; spin, dip, spray coating; rapid thermal processing; surface modification, functionalization, cleaning; 3D interconnects; process integration; microfabricated systems.

Electronic and photonic devices and systems

Areas of interest: Fundamental properties and measurements of device fabrication and characteristics for electronic and photonic applications.
Specific topics: Thin film transistors; MOSFETs; bipolar devices; quantum devices; silicon, germanium, related microelectronic and photonic devices; micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS); solid state sensors; wide bandgap semiconductor materials and devices; photovoltaic energy conversion devices; memories; graphene-based devices; plasmonics; power devices; silicon-on-insulator devices; bioelectronics.

Luminescence and display materials, devices, and processing

Areas of interest: Theoretical and experimental science and technology of inorganic and organic luminescent materials, devices, displays.
Specific topics: Photoluminescent, cathodoluminescent, electroluminescent materials; scintillators; phosphors; lasers and light emitting diodes; organic LEDs and solid state lighting and liquid crystal, plasma, field emission displays.

Sensors (solid state)

Areas of interest: Sensors or devices based on physical and quantum transduction principles, and sensor advances focused on solid state principles.
Specific topics: Novel development, characterization, implementation, fundamentals, applications of physical and quantum sensors; transduction mechanisms including, but not limited to quantum, mechanical, mass sensitive, optoelectronic, optical, radiation, thermal, acoustic, piezoelectric, resistive, microwave, magnetic; wearable devices, implantable devices, brain-computer interface, agricultural sensors, environmental sensors, robotic sensors, sensors for healthcare, microfluidics, nanofluidic, device fabrication, materials characterization, nanomaterials and nanostructures, sensing mechanisms, sensor arrays, wireless sensors; internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning for sensor networks.
Also of interest: Applications of 3D and 4D printing, microelectromechanical or nanoelectromechanical system technologies including micro/nanomachining, fabrication processes, nanocomposites, hybrid materials, packaging, use of these structures and processes for the miniaturization of physical sensors and other devices.
Return to “Choose the most appropriate journal.”

Return to “Choose the most appropriate journal.”

Welcome to The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Publishing Journey

Step 3: Follow your path

3.1 Submitting the journal manuscript

Author(s) are strongly encouraged to begin the submission process only when they are prepared to complete the process. Submissions left in “draft” status may be deleted within seven (7) days of creation.

Before submitting manuscripts for consideration, fully review the author instructions, ECS Publications Policies, and thoroughly proof and review all elements of submission packages.

To be considered for publication, all items must be submitted through the author(s)’ chosen journal submission management system.

Refrain from emailing files to members of the operations staff or editorial teams.

Submission sites

There are four (4) submission sites, one for each of our peer-reviewed journals: Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES), ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS), ECS Advances (ECSA), and ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP). If author(s) have an account in one, they have an account in the others. Once logged in, author(s) can toggle back and forth easily between the journal sites.

If author(s) already have accounts as author(s) or reviewer(s), apply any necessary edits or updates to the profile prior to submission. Do not create new accounts unnecessarily.
Review the text and instructions provided in the submission system thoroughly and provide all required and accurate information and data. Incomplete submissions or submissions with errors are returned to author(s) for correction and do not proceed to review/referee.

Submission checklist

The submission package is ready for submission (whether initial or revised), when the Submitting Author have met these criteria:

My article meets the aims and scope of the journal to which I am submitting.
I am fully aware of the article type I am submitting for consideration.
I have prepared a PDF of the complete manuscript.
I am aware that my paper undergoes a single, anonymous peer review. (Reviewers are anonymous to author(s). Author(s)’ identities are visible to reviewers.)
The article abstract is cleared for assessment by editors and reviewers.
The article is clearly written, concise, free of errors, and aligns with the submission requirements of the journal to which I am submitting.
I have the names, contact information, and affiliations of all manuscript author(s) including myself, and can attest to each author(s) relationship and submission approval, and that their contribution to the paper complies with ECS authorship policy.
All required citations and references are included and properly formatted including those of any reproduced materials, figures, or tables.
I have organized and included all relevant supplementary data and material.
I clearly understand the ethics policy of the journal to which I am submitting.
I clearly understand the research data policy of the journal to which I am submitting.

Submit the article.

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3.2 Submission package quality check

The ECS Operations staff reviews the submission package. This step ensures that our editors’ and reviewers’ valuable time is only engaged when all required elements have been submitted.

Incomplete submissions or submissions with errors are returned to the author(s) for correction and do not proceed to pre-refereeing.

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3.3 Pre-refereeing

ECS journal articles are required to be of exceptionally high interest and quality. During “pre-refereeing,” an Editorial Board member conducts a quality assessment for scientific rigor, novelty, significance to the field, and presentation. At this step, author(s) may receive one of the following editorial decisions:

Rejection
Transfer to another ECS journal for consideration
Request for revision(s)

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3.4 Refereeing/peer review

Articles that passed through the pre-refereeing stage successfully are considered for formal review.

The Editorial Board member then searches our reviewer database for potential reviewers. The goal is to identify and reach agreement to review each paper by the referee with the best combination of scientific expertise and experience.

If a reviewer is unable to complete their report, an alternative referee is sought as quickly as possible. However, referees’ reasonable requests for short extensions of their report submission deadlines are usually granted. The goal is to strike a balance between the author(s)’ needs (usually for the review to be completed as quickly as possible) and referees’ preferences (to have more time to thoroughly study the paper and compose their report).

In rare cases where an article’s review process has been delayed due to unexpected difficulties in obtaining reports, ECS may use its Editorial Board members’ expertise to conclude the process swiftly. In exceptional cases, ECS reserves the right to withdraw manuscripts from consideration if unable to identify sufficient reviewers.

ECS is committed to publishing high-quality material in its journals, most of which have significant rejection rates (typically above 50 percent). Papers deemed by referees to be technically sound but of limited interest are usually rejected. Decisions are based not only on the content of written reports; each reviewer’s quality assessment feedback is also taken into consideration.

An Editorial Board member communicates one (1) of three (3) decisions regarding a paper:

Accepted in its current form
Rejected
Opportunity to submit a revised manuscript; author(s) can choose to apply reviewers’ or Editorial Board members’ recommendations and resubmit.

Decisions are at the full discretion of the ECS Editorial Board.

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3.5 Article publication decisions

Articles are either accepted for publication; rejected; or the author(s) are given the opportunity to submit a revised article.

Acceptance

After the Editorial Board accepts the article for publication, the ECS operations staff reviews the article package and documents for all necessary provisions. Following this, staff review of the article enters the final stage of production: typesetting using the supplied source files.

Author(s) are contacted by email when the article proof is ready for their review.

The ultimate responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of the published article rests with the author(s). When checking the proof, author(s) take particular care to check the mathematics, tables, and references. Only essential corrections are made at this stage.

Learn more about the proofing process.

Once the proof is returned to ECS, the paper is published online as quickly as possible—typically around a week (7 days) after the proofing process is completed.

Submit a revised article

ECS editors often ask author(s) to revise their articles. In this case, author(s) are notified and given a deadline by which the revised article must be submitted.

ECS reserves the right to decline requests to extend revision submission deadlines.

When revising an article, carefully review each referee, reviewer, and/or editor report and address all comments and requests.

It is important that author(s) apply the same standards to the revised article as to an initial submission, ensuring that all elements and documents are included and properly formatted.

The following files are required when submitting revised articles:

1. Rebuttal Letter. A document containing a list of all the changes made and a point-by-point response to each of the referee’s comments. Ensure that this is uploaded ONLY in the rebuttal letter section of the submission form.
2. Revised File. The version of the manuscript with applied changes highlighted.
3. The latest set of source files, e.g., TeX/LaTeX files or a single Word file (which includes figure/table captions), and individual figure files.

NOTE: For TeX/LaTeX users, the ECS editorial staff require a PDF of the complete revised manuscript (designated “Complete document for review [PDF only]”), containing the author(s)’ names and institutions, and figures and tables embedded within the text (both a clean version of the revised manuscript, and a version with changes highlighted).

4. Any supplementary material. Reference the guidelines on Supplementary Material.
5. Any permissions already obtained at this stage.

Submit revised articles via:

Link included in the email informing the Submitting Author of the decision;
Or link available to the Submitting Author via their author workspace in the submission management system.

The revised article and response to comments are shared with the Editorial Board and referees/reviewers. They respond to the author(s) with acceptance, request for further revisions, or rejection if the editors are not satisfied with the changes made.

Rejection

Articles must be of high quality, high scientific interest, and recognized as important contributions to the scientific literature.

When the decision to reject a paper has been recorded, the paper has not met all these criteria and thus will not be published in the journal. Typically, revised submissions of rejected papers are not considered.

Welcome to The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Publishing Journey

Step 4: Promote your work

4.1 Spread the word/work

Publication launches the next important step in communicating the research: Promoting the article. Promotion can greatly enhance the paper’s true value and impact. The more people who read, cite, and benefit from the research, the more valuable the paper becomes and the greater the author(s)’ esteem. This is more important than ever as funders and institutions increasingly scrutinize research papers’ impact. As a learned society publisher, ECS is committed to working closely with author(s) to ensure that their articles reach as wide an audience as possible.

Every author has a network of colleagues and key people in their field who they would like to have read their work. To help papers be found, read, and cited by peers, ECS recommends:

Email people referenced in the paper and other key colleagues in the field ; include a link to the paper;
Use social media to tell people about the work; tag all the author(s)’ professional societies and groups;
Update the author(s)’ profile on professional and academic networking sites (i.e., LinkedIn, ResearchGate, and Mendeley) with a link to the published article (do not post the actual published article);
Update the author(s)’ institutional/departmental homepage and research group websites with a link to the paper;
Contact the author(s)’ institutions’ press offices with a summary of the paper; ask for advice about promoting it to the media;
Write a lay summary of the paper (with a link to the full version) and send to subject area blogs;
Produce a video abstract giving an accessible introduction to the article (this helps encourage people to read the paper);
Use a service like Kudos to help more people find and understand the work;
Mention the publication at conferences when giving presentations; have copies on hand to distribute to colleagues;
Check major abstracting and indexing services (e.g., Web of Science and Scopus) to ensure that the published paper is listed with correct details;
Upload the Accepted Manuscript to institutional or subject-based repositories, in line with institutional/funder requirements and the publisher embargo period (usually 12 months). This does not apply to the final published version for non-open access articles.

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4.2 Update your ORCID ID

To improve content discoverability and citations, ORCID IDs are included on all accepted papers and in article metadata.

All Submitting Author(s) are required to have an active ORCID ID that is connected to the submission system account.

To register an ORCID ID to an existing submission system account:

Log in to the submission system; click on name at the top of the screen; select “Email/Name.”
At the top of this page, the option is provided to create a new ORCID ID or connect to an existing ORCID ID.
Both cases link to the ORCID website, either to log in or create an account.
After following these steps, the ORCID ID is automatically linked to the submission system account.
After adding an ORCID ID, be sure to save updates to the account.

Registering for or linking an existing ORCID ID to a submission system account can also take place during the account creation process.

The Submitting Author is the designated Corresponding Author for the peer-review process and is required to have an ORCID ID to submit the article. The Submitting/Corresponding Author encourages all coauthors to have ORCID IDs that are up to date PRIOR to beginning the manuscript submission process.

NOTE: Refer to the ECS Policy on Authorship for complete details on the Submitting/Corresponding Author’s responsibility.

For information about ORCID IDs and how they make research discoverable across multiple search engines, click here.

ECS Publications Policies

ECS Publications partners with the Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP) to disseminate a digital library of published work for the scholarly record. The policies below are subject to change without notice and aim to ensure that ECS policies, IOPP policies, and related industry standards align.

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AI chatbots or large language models (LLMs)

AI Chatbots or LLMs do not meet the minimum authorship criteria and are not listed as author(s).

Author(s) using LLMs to assist in generating ideas and/or aiding in drafting the paper declare this fact and provide full transparency of the LLM used (name, version, model, and source) within the paper they are submitting. The use of an LLM is properly documented in the manuscript’s Methods and/or Acknowledgments sections. Author(s) using these tools to create any part of their work are expected to check for accuracy and are reminded that they, as named author(s) on the work, take full responsibility for the full content of the work.

Others who have contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship are acknowledged, provided the contributor has provided consent. Examples of non-author contributors are translators or supporting experts.

Authorship

By authoring a manuscript and submitting the manuscript for publication consideration, manuscript author(s) uphold the standard that the author(s) team is responsible and accountable for the work.

Therefore, the following criteria set by the International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICJE) must be met to be considered a manuscript’s author:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Any individual who does not meet all four (4) criteria is not considered an author. The individual may be considered as a non-author contributor and included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript.

Corresponding Author responsibilities

The Corresponding Author is responsible for:

Representing the author’s team in communications with the publisher;
Ensuring that all named authors have consented to submitting to the journal, approving the submitted version of the article, and all further revisions;
Ensuring that the paper is not under consideration by any other journal at the time of submission (see the ECS Policy on Parallel Submission).
Ensuring that all the co-authors’ contact details are correctly entered into the submission system and are correct at the time of submission.

All author(s) included in a given manuscript are able to identify the contributions of all listed author(s) and have confidence in their co-author(s) integrity.

NOTE: Acquisition of funding, collection of data, and general supervision are not factors that constitute authorship.

Prior to submission, there must be an established agreement among all manuscript authors of the order in which authors’ names are listed.

Learn more about author management and responsibilities and roles.

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Copyright

Content published in ECS journals is protected by copyright. Copyright protection applies automatically to any original work as soon as it is written down or put into permanent or fixed form. Copyright protects pictures, photos, figures, text, graphs, and videos. The absence of a ‘©’ symbol next to the work does not give license to use without permission or imply that the work is not protected by copyright.

Copyright generally lasts for 70 years after the death of the work’s author(s). The work’s age does not imply that it is not protected by copyright.

During the submission process, author(s) are asked to complete a copyright form. ECS and IOPP requires a copyright form to be signed for all articles, whether the article will be published under the subscription model or under the Gold Open Access model. The copyright form must be filled in correctly, signed, dated, and submitted to ECS and IOPP before an article can be accepted.

The copyright form details vary depending on how the article is being published.

Learn more about copyright, author(s)’ rights, and permissions.

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Post-production changes

Following the article proofing process, the final version of record is made available for readership. This version is considered final and cannot be changed. It is the ultimate responsibility of the Corresponding Author to assure the accuracy of the article during the proofing process. If an error is located in the article of record, review the IOPP post publication correction guidlines. Contact publications@electrochem.org for guidance.

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Ethics

ECS and its publishing partner, IOPP, take publishing ethics very seriously and accept responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scientific record as much as possible. Review these guidelines to review publishers’ and manuscript author(s)’ ethical standards.

Publications ethics policy

ECS and its partner IOPP are members of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and apply the principles of publication ethics outlined in COPE Core Practices.

Unbiased consideration is given to all manuscripts offered for publication regardless of the author(s)’ race, gender, religious belief, ethnicity, citizenship, political philosophy, sexual orientation, age, or reputation.

ECS and IOPP apply the necessary due diligence to ensure that applicable international sanctions and sanctions lists are complied with legally. If that author and/or institution is on one or more of those lists, ECS asks for the paper to be withdrawn. In addition, to meet financial sanctions, ECS is unable to manage payments from certain countries with banking restrictions. Where this applies, ECS notifies the Corresponding Author of the implications.

ECS and IOPP adhere to COPE’s Guidelines regarding misconduct and retractions, including the processes set out in COPE’s flowcharts.

Ethics standards

Discrimination

Discrimination against any person is not tolerated, including, but not limited to, discrimination on the grounds of race, age, gender, location, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, religion/belief, human rights, social/economic status, political philosophy, reputation and/or scientific viewpoint. In addition, any form of behavior which ECS or IOPP considers to be threatening, bullying and/or harassment and/or the cause of another person’s distress or discomfort is unacceptable. ECS and IOPP reserve the right to refuse to interact further with any person whose behavior it considered to have contravened any of the above. ECS and IOPP reserve the right to refuse to publish any content that, in their opinion, could be deemed distasteful or illegal including, but not limited to, libelous, defamatory, offensive, or hate speech.

Authorship

If an unresolvable authorship dispute arises, the institution(s) where the work was undertaken are asked to investigate. Neither ECS nor its partner IOPP arbitrates in cases where there is disagreement over authorship. ECS and IOPP have the right to remove the article from the review process until a resolution can be agreed or issue an expression of concern to the work while the investigation is ongoing (refer to Authorship Policy and IOPP Author roles and responsibilities).

Identity fraud and impersonation

Any attempt to impersonate another person is a serious breach of ethics. ECS and IOPP have the right to request proof of identity in cases where identity fraud or impersonation is alleged or suspected.

Author(s) do not share their login details with any journal’s submission system, nor do they ask or allow anyone to submit on their behalf. This practice is considered a serious breach of this policy.
Only the author assigned the role of Submitting Author submits the work themself for consideration. ECS and IOPP reserve the right to immediately reject a manuscript found to have been submitted on an author(s)’ behalf.

Parallel submission

It is unethical to submit the same, or essentially the same, article to a second primary research journal while it remains under active consideration by another.

It is the Corresponding Author’s responsibility to ensure the paper is not under consideration by any other journal at the time of submission to ECS, and to disclose any prior considerations by previous journals.

Failure to acknowledge and/disclose prior submissions activates the ECS Policy on Alleged Misconduct.

Research results

Author(s) must not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data or results. They strive to be objective, unbiased, and truthful in all aspects of their work.

Author(s) must be honest in making claims for the results and conclusions of their research. Making inflated claims for a project interferes with the objective evaluation of its results and applications and can lead to an unfair and wasteful distribution of resources.

Author(s) strive to avoid mistakes in research and exercise due diligence in presenting high quality work for publication. They critically assess the likelihood of experimental, methodological, and human errors, and avoid self-deception and bias. Where possible, they conduct an internal review to assess the validity of their work before publication.

If an error occurs
It is, of course, recognized that errors occur occasionally. When an error is discovered in published or submitted work, admit the mistake, and publish a Corrigendum, Erratum, or Retraction. All the original article’s author(s) approve the corrections unless there is a particular reason this is not possible. In these cases, any dissent among the author(s) is noted in the published correction.

Source materials
ECS and IOPP do not require the raw data from an experiment to be submitted for publication. However, we expect that all author(s) follow established best scientific practices and record (and retain) source material of experiments and research results, in an auditable manner that allows for scrutiny and verification by other scientists. Exceptions may be appropriate to preserve privacy or patent protection. The author(s)’ funding agencies or universities may also have specific instructions.

Research reporting guidelines
ECS and IOPP expect complete and accurate reporting of research to enable readers to fully understand and evaluate the work. Author(s) are encouraged to include information about their research design to further enhance the reproducibility of their research.

Many fields of research have established common reporting guidelines. ECS and IOPP encourage the use of whichever guidelines are most appropriate to the study and encourage peer reviewers to consider and comment on whether the most appropriate guidelines have been followed.

Inappropriate images

ECS and IOPP ask author(s) to carefully consider both the subject matter and the provenance of images included in their work before submitting to the journal. If the submitted images could potentially offend the journal’s readership or violate copyright, ECS and IOPP reserve the right to request that author(s) seek alternative images or other means to express the same results before the final version is published.

NOTE: ECS and IOPP does not consider submissions which feature the Lena/Lenna image (a crop of an image of Lena Söderberg from a 1972 issue of Playboy magazine), as the image and its history conflict with our commitment to inclusivity in science. Alternatives to the Lena image are widely available (see examples).

Research involving human or animal subjects

If the work involves live subjects (human or animal) the author(s) must include an appropriate ethics statement within the manuscript. The most suitable location for this is normally in the manuscript’s Methods section.

Ethics Statements are most notably in alignment with The Belmont Report and/or the World Medical Associated Helsinki Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.

The ECS editorial team checks that all ethics statements are appropriate for the study being reported. Any manuscript submitted without a suitable ethics statement is returned to the author(s) and not considered further until an appropriate and explicit statement is included.

Author(s) include the following points in the ethics statement (if applicable) when submitting a paper:

The institutional or national research ethics committee/review board that approved the research must be named. Include the approval number/ID if one was given. If the research received a waiver of approval from the ethics committee/review board or did not require approval for another reason, state this, and explain why.
For investigations involving animal experimentation, state which institutional and/or national animal care and use guidelines were followed.
For investigations involving human participants:
- State that the research was conducted in accordance with the principles embodied in the Declaration of Helsinki and in accordance with local statutory requirements.
- State that all participants (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 18 years of age) gave written informed consent to participate in the study.
- For research that involves identifiable human subjects (including donors of cells or tissues), include a statement confirming that consent was given for publication by all participants (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 18 years of age). To protect participant anonymity, author(s) do not need to send proof of this consent to ECS or IOPP.
- In the event of a donor’s decease prior to the research and inability to grant consent—but the donor is still identifiable (e.g., HeLa cells)—their origin and lack of consent are acknowledged.
- For articles relying on clinical trials, quote the trial registration number at the end of the abstract. ECS and IOPP also encourage the registration of such studies in a public trials registry prior to participants being enrolled.

The free IOPP Ethics Generator Tool helps author(s) provide correctly worded ethics statements to match the statement criteria of the author(s)’ journal of choice.

Participant consent to publish

Generally, researchers do not publish or share identifiable individual data collected during research without specific consent from the individual (or their representative).

Obtain informed consent to publish from participants in studies (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 18 years of age) for all research involving identifiable human subjects. This requirement also applies for deceased persons, in which case consent is given by the next of kin.

Author(s) are required to attest that consent has been obtained and that any identifiable individuals are aware of the intended publication. Examples of identifying information are descriptions of individual case histories, photos, video, x-rays, or genetic pedigrees.

To protect participant anonymity, author(s) do not need to send proof of this consent to ECS or IOPP. A statement confirming that consent was obtained for all identifiable individuals appears in the manuscript.

Source: Barbour V on behalf of COPE Council, Journals’ Best Practices for Ensuring Consent for Publishing Medical Case Reports: Guidance from COPE, December 2016 www.publicationethics.org.

Vulnerable populations

ECS and IOPP follow COPE guidelines on studies involving vulnerable populations as set out in COPE Core Principles.

Funding declarations

ECS and IOPP require that all author(s) declare any funding received related to the Research article they are submitting for publication.

When submitting a paper, author(s) are asked to provide information in the Policies and Information section on all funders associated with the work. It is important to enter this information to comply with funder publication policies and enable ECS editors to assess any conflicts of interest.

The funding information provided in the online submission system must match any funders the author(s) intend to list in the article’s Acknowledgments section.

When asked about funding in the online submission system, start typing the funder’s name and then select the relevant funder from the list that opens. Only type the funder’s full name manually if it is not included in the list. Provide grant numbers for all the funders acknowledged.

Author(s) must obtain any necessary permissions from funder(s) before submitting their article.

Referencing

ECS and IOPP are members of the Committee for Publication Ethics (COPE) and apply the principles of publication ethics outlined in the COPE Core Practices.

Author(s) have a responsibility to fully acknowledge the work of others (whether published or unpublished) that is used in their research and to cite publications that have influenced the direction and course of their study. Information obtained in private correspondence or conversation isonly used with the explicit permission of the individuals involved. Information obtained while providing confidential services, such as refereeing Research articles or grant applications, are not used without the permission of the original author(s).

All sources for the article must be clearly disclosed and permissions obtained from the original author(s) (and original publishers if they hold the copyright) for any figures or significant extracts that are to be reproduced or quoted. The author(s) are responsible for collecting such permissions.

As references are helpful to the reader and advance the article, author(s) ensure that they are relevant, recent, and easy to find.

Citation manipulation

Author(s) ensure that citations add value and are not unfairly biased towards an individual, group, or organization. Only sources drawn upon in the work are referenced, and citations support the points that they reference.

The practice of including superfluous references to the author(s)’ own work, or the works of others, merely to promote and inflate citation scores is unethical. ECS and IOPP regularly screen submissions for this practice. Any author(s) under pressure to include irrelevant citations should report this to publications@electrochem.org and/or ResearchIntegrity@ioppublishing.org.

Plagiarism

Submitted articles must be the author(s)’ work, expressed in their own words. Plagiarism constitutes unethical scientific behavior and is never acceptable. Plagiarism ranges from the unreferenced use of others’ ideas and replication of sections of text from other sources without sufficient attribution or use of quotation marks, to submission of a complete paper under “new” authorship. ECS and IOPP routinely screen submissions for originality via iThenticate, industry standard plagiarism detection software.

Duplicate publication

Duplicate publication is the production of multiple papers with the same, or essentially the same, content. Submitted Research articles must be novel and original.

Limited exceptions to this rule may apply in the case of articles that expand upon previously published conference proceedings, or conference write-ups that discuss work already published in an earlier paper. However, in these cases, author(s) consult with the journal staff before submission. In all instances, articles must cite their sources and present some new contribution to the published literature otherwise such articles are rejected.

Multiple publications arising from a single research project are clearly identified as such and the primary publication is referenced. Translations and adaptations for different audiences are clearly identified as such, acknowledge the original source, and respect relevant copyright conventions and permission requirements. If in doubt, author(s) seek permission from the original publisher before republishing any work.

Text recycling

Text recycling occurs when author(s) publish sections of the same text in more than one of their publications. Author(s) are always clear and cite any re-used text in the manuscript, respecting relevant copyright conventions and permission requirements. We acknowledge there are instances where text recycling may be acceptable, and others where it is unacceptable. Our editors investigate and consider all text recycling on an individual basis.

Conflicts of interest

Author(s)

All author(s) and co-author(s) are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest when submitting their article. Any conflicts of interest are included in an Acknowledgements section.

Examples of financial interests to disclose:

Any direct sources of funds (employment, grants, patents, stock ownership, sponsorships, etc.) or indirect sources of funds (consulting fees, honoraria, equipment supplies, etc.) where the funding organization stands to gain/lose from the publication of the article or could be seen to have influenced the submitted work.
Examples of personal relationships/academic competitions to disclose:
Any unpaid roles held by author(s) that could influence the publication process. These would include unpaid advisory affiliations and professional organization memberships.
Any personal relationships/beliefs that could be seen as a conflict is also disclosed. This would include having a relative who works for an organization funding the work.

Declaring conflicts of Interest

Declare any potential conflicts of interest in the Acknowledgments section.

Reviewers

To uphold impartiality, reviewers consider any potential conflict of interest before agreeing to review and decline in the following instances:

When in direct competition with the author(s).
The reviewer is a co-worker or collaborator or has a personal relationship with one of the authors.
The reviewer is affiliated with the same institution as one of the authors.
The reviewer is in a position to exploit the author(s)’ work (commercially or otherwise).
The reviewer is in a position which prevents giving an objective opinion of the work.

Reviewers are expected to act within the spirit of the Nolan Principles of Public Life.

If someone cannot serve as a reviewer due to a conflict of interest, ECS selects an alternative reviewer.

Ethics for reviewers

Reviewers are expected to review the work themselves unless they are participating in a co-review. Submitting a review in the name of another person (real or fictional) is misconduct. ECS and IOPP have the right to request proof of identity in cases where identity fraud or impersonation is alleged or suspected.

Anonymity and confidentiality

Reviewers’ names are strictly confidential. Reviewers’ identities may only be disclosed to journal Editorial Board members who are instructed to maintain confidentiality. Reviewers do not disclose their identity to author(s), including sending reports directly to author(s).

Information and ideas obtained while acting as a reviewer must be kept confidential and not used for competitive advantage.

Reviewers do not discuss with other colleagues the papers they reviewed until they have been published.

Objectivity

Reviewers objectively judge the quality of the research reported; give fair, frank, and constructive criticism; and refrain from personal criticism of the author(s). Reviewers explain and support their judgments so author(s) can understand the basis of the comments and judgments.

Timeliness

Reviewers inform the journal if they are unable to review a paper or can only do so with some delay. Reviewers should not delay the peer review process unnecessarily, either deliberately or inadvertently.

Citations

Reviewers are expected to point out relevant work that has not been cited and use citations to explain where elements of the work have been previously reported. When writing a report, reviewers justify any literature references suggested for inclusion in the work.

Citations add value and are not unfairly biased toward an individual, group, or organization.

NOTE: The Editor reserves the right to challenge excessive citation suggestions, especially to the reviewer’s work. The practice of including superfluous references, including to the reviewer’s work, to promote and inflate citation scores is unethical. The Editor reserves the right to exclude citation suggestions from reports if these are considered potential acts of citation manipulation, and/or to protect reviewers’ anonymity.

Generative AI (including ChatGPT)

ECS and IOPP do not accept or condone the use of generative AI, including large language models and AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, to write peer review reports, either fully or partially. By accepting a review invitation, a reviewer agrees to adhere to the ethics standards of ECS and IOPP, including reporting any conflicts of interest, ensuring the manuscript under review remains confidential, and retaining their anonymity as a reviewer. Generative AI models are not subject experts as they lack the ability or comprehension to assume responsibility for work that they helped create. Therefore, they are unable to adhere to the ethics standards set out by ECS and IOPP. Furthermore, generative AI models do not have the legal personality to sign publishing agreements or licenses.

NOTE: Uploading any part of a submitted manuscript to a generative AI model may breach the author(s)’ right to confidentiality. If a manuscript contains personally identifiable information, it may also breach data protection rights.

Suspected author(s) misconduct

Reviewers report any suspicions of misconduct to the journal staff for investigation. This includes, but is not limited to, suspicions of:

Plagiarism
Duplicate publication
Parallel submission
Data fabrication/falsification
Image manipulation
Incorrect authorship
Author(s) conflict of interest
Unethical research practices
Content that could be considered offensive

We follow the COPE guidelines on responding to whistleblowers, which include protecting reviewers’ anonymity.

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Handling alleged misconduct

ECS takes ethics allegations very seriously and believes it is the Society’s responsibility to maintain the integrity of the scientific record as far as possible.

ECS seeks the support of relevant individuals and may obtain advice from the journal’s Editorial Board. In certain instances, the team may escalate an investigation to the author(s)’ institution(s) for further support or information. The team ensures to take a balanced and objective approach, as well as reaching out to the accused individuals in every instance to provide them with the opportunity to comment on the matter before committing to a particular course of action.

The team decides the most appropriate approach to take according to industry guidelines and advises on any corrections (including Retractions) that may be required to the published record, following the STM Guideline for the Preservation of the Objective Record of Science. All relevant parties are informed of the outcome of the case.

NOTE:

Patience is appreciated as investigations can take time.
Timelines for resolutions cannot be provided for investigations given the nature of the investigation.
ECS and its partner IOPP has the right to and may contact the institution regarding allegations of misconduct.
ECS and IOPP have the right to and may share manuscripts and related information with other publishers and editors during an investigation, according to COPE Guidelines.
ECS has the right to and may request proof of identity in cases where identity theft is alleged or suspected.
ECS has the right to and may request access to the raw data related to any manuscript, either under consideration or published, at any time.
ECS reserves the right to issue an editorial expression of concern (EEOC) to a paper which is the subject of an ongoing investigation, such as when we are unable to resolve a case swiftly or when a third party is involved.
Subject to a full investigation, ECS and its partner IOPP reserve the right to retract an accepted or published article that is found to have breached our license to publish and/or meet the COPE criteria for retractions.
In instances where a breach of ethics is suspected with an unpublished work (a submitted manuscript or accepted manuscript that has not yet been made available on ECS and its partner IOPP), ECS and IOPP reserve the right to reject or rescind the acceptance of the paper.
ECS and IOPP reserve the right not to work with anyone who is abusive to our staff, authors, reviewers, or editors.
To report any concerns relating to potential misconduct, contact the editorial office at publications@electrochem.org.

To report any concerns relating to potential misconduct, contact the editorial office at publications@electrochem.org.

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Welcome to the ECS Publishing Journey

ECS publishing criteria

Four steps to publishing success

Complying with ECS publications policies

Questions?

Welcome to the ECS Publishing Journey

Step 1: Build your best manuscript

1.1 Manuscript submission types

Research article

Communication article

Perspective article

Methods article

Review article

CRES3T article

Erratum

Corrigendum

Comment and/or reply

1.2 Article format

1.3 Article structure

Title

Authors

Abstract

Introduction

Methods/experimental

Results/findings

Figures, tables, graphs, drawings, and images

Discussion

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Ethics Statement – human subjects

References

Supplementary material

1.4 Preparing the manuscript source file

1.5 Preparing the graphical abstract

1.6 Preparing highlights

1.7 Choosing keywords

1.8 Self-review and proofing prior to submission

1.9 Editing services

Welcome to The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Publishing Journey

Step 2: Choose your path

2.1 Choose a publishing model: Subscription or open access

2.2 Choose a copyright license

2.3 Choose the “Accepted Manuscript” option

2.4 Choose the most appropriate journal

Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES)

Batteries and energy storage

Corrosion science and technology

Electrochemical/electroless deposition

Electrochemical engineering

Fuel cells, electrolyzers, and energy conversion

Organic and bioelectrochemistry

Physical and analytical electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrochemistry

Sensors (electrochemical sensors)

ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology (JSS)

Carbon nanostructures and devices

Dielectric science and materials

Electronic materials and processing

Electronic and photonic devices and systems

Luminescence and display materials, devices, and processing

Sensors (solid state)

ECS Sensors Plus (ECSSP)

ECS Advances (ECSA)

Batteries and energy storage

Corrosion science and technology

Electrochemical/electroless deposition

Electrochemical engineering

Fuel cells, electrolyzers, and energy conversion

Organic and bioelectrochemistry

Physical and analytical electrochemistry, electrocatalysis, and photoelectrochemistry

Sensors (electrochemical)

Carbon nanostructures and devices

Dielectric science and materials

Electronic materials and processing

Electronic and photonic devices and systems

Luminescence and display materials, devices, and processing

Sensors (solid state)

Welcome to The Electrochemical Society (ECS) Publishing Journey

Step 3: Follow your path

3.1 Submitting the journal manuscript

CRES³T article