Instructions to Authors
About the Journal
Oxford Open Energy is a fully open access peer-reviewed journal. All papers published in Oxford Open Energy are made freely available online under an open access licence, with applicable charges. Please refer to the open access section below.
Please read these instructions carefully and follow them closely. The Editors may return manuscripts that do not follow these instructions.
Scope of the Journal
Oxford Open Energy publishes broad-scope research across the entire spectrum of the energy field, ranging from the physical to the social sciences. The main aims of Oxford Open Energy are to identify key topical challenges, help to provide relevant solutions for decarbonizing energy systems as part of the global energy transition, and to deliver content with wide societal impact. Interdisciplinary submissions that span more than one energy discipline are therefore strongly encouraged.
The journal welcomes research from fundamental to applied, covering energy science and technology, energy economics and markets, social aspects and socio-economics, policies and transition, and sustainability. Examples of areas of contemporary interest include:
- Clean energy technologies and storage
- Energy systems
- Social and policy aspects
- Economics and markets
Oxford Open Energy endorses the UN Sustainable Development Goals; in particular Goal 7, “Affordable and Clean Energy”, but also indirectly to Goals 9, 11, 12 and 13 which have close links to energy. The journal welcomes SDG-linked contributions.
Editorial Policies
For full details of Oxford University Press’s editorial policies, please see the page here.
Peer Review
This journal uses single blind peer review. For full details about the peer review process, see the page here.
Publication Ethics
Authors should observe high standards with respect to publication best practice. Falsification or fabrication of data, plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the authors’ own work without proper citation, and misappropriation of work are all unacceptable practices. Any cases of ethical or publication malpractice are treated very seriously and will be managed in accordance with the Commission on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Further information about OUP’s ethical policies is available on the Oxford ethics page.
Plagiarism
Manuscripts submitted may be screened with iThenticate anti-plagiarism software in an attempt to detect and prevent plagiarism. Any manuscript may be screened, especially if there is reason to suppose part or all of the text has been previously published. Prior to final acceptance any manuscript that has not already been screened may be put through iThenticate. More information about iThenticate is available here.
ORCID
Oxford Open Energy requires all submitting authors to provide an ORCID ID at submission to the journal. You can find out more about ORCID, and the benefits of using an ORCID ID here. If you do not already have an ORCID ID, you can register for free via the ORCID website.
Data Policy
Availability of Data and Materials
Oxford Open Energy strongly encourages all authors, where ethically possible, to publicly release all data and software code underlying any published paper as a condition of publication. Authors are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their article.
We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. Information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by subject area, is available here.
Data Availability Statement
The inclusion of a Data Availability Statement is a requirement for articles published in Oxford Open Energy. Data Availability Statements provide a standardised format for readers to understand the availability of data underlying the research results described in the article. The statement may refer to original data generated in the course of the study or to third-party data analysed in the article. The statement should describe and provide means of access, where possible, by linking to the data or providing the required unique identifier.
The Data Availability Statement should be included in the endmatter of your article under the heading ‘Data availability’.
More information and example Data Availability Statements can be found here .
Data Citation
Oxford Open Energy supports the Force 11 Data Citation Principles and requires that all publicly available datasets be fully referenced in the reference list with an accession number or unique identifier such as a digital object identifier (DOI). Data citations should include the minimum information recommended by DataCite:
[dataset] Authors, Year, Title, Publisher (repository or archive name), Identifier.
*The inclusion of the [dataset] tag at the beginning of the citation helps us to correctly identify and tag the citation. This tag will be removed from the citation published in the reference list.
Preprint Policy
Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiving policy page.
Self-Archiving Policy
You may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. If you want more information about the reuse rights you retain if you publish with us, please visit our Author Self-Archiving Policy page.
Conflict of Interest
When submitting a paper, you and your co-authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest. You must do this by including a Conflict of Interest statement in your submitted manuscript.
You can find a detailed definition of conflicts of interest here.
Editors and editorial board members
At initial submission, the corresponding author must declare if an editor or an Editorial Board Member of the Journal is an author of or contributor to the manuscript. Another editor without a conflict of interest will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. If accepted, a statement will be published in the paper describing how the manuscript was handled. The statement will read “[Author name] holds the position of [role] for Oxford Open Energy and has not peer reviewed or made any editorial decisions for this paper.”
Submission
We will consider your manuscript as long as
- it is your own original work and does not duplicate any previously published work, including your own;
- it is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any journal other than Oxford Open Energy;
- it has not been published in any other journal; and
- it contains nothing abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.
Authors should observe high ethical standards and obey publication best practices. The following are all unacceptable:
- data falsification or fabrication
- plagiarism, including duplicate publication of your own work without proper citation
- misappropriation of work
We treat any case of ethical or publication malpractice very seriously. We will address them in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Further information about OUP’s ethical policies is available here.
How to Submit
You must submit your paper via our web-based submission system, which may be found here. If you have not published with Oxford Open Energy before, you will need to create an account. For more information, please click here. Questions about submitting can be sent to the editorial office at [email protected].
Pre-submission enquiries
Oxford Open Energy welcomes pre-submission enquiries from prospective authors who wish to discuss the suitability of their work before sending a formal submission. Please send all enquiries to [email protected].
Article Type
This journal publishes several different article types:
Research Article: A full paper containing original scientific work of high relevance and quality that has not been published previously. The article must contain new scientific information with broad interest. A typical length would be 4,000-6,000 words and have 4-8 Figures.
Review Article: An authoritative state-of-the-art analysis of a selected topic or field. It should be timely and add to the existing literature, through new insights and syntheses of familiar themes. Reviews should not include original research and should avoid only referencing authors’ own work. A typical length would be 8,000-12,000 words and have 10-15 Figures.
Short Communication: A report on a more specific theme than a Research Article. It must contain original research with significance meriting rapid publication. It could include preliminary results, but still demonstrating high scientific quality. A typical length would be 2,000 words, 2-4 Figures and 15-20 references.
Commentary: Gives an overview of a recent publication in the journal, e.g., by providing an analysis or view from another scientific discipline. Commentaries are intended in particular to stimulate a multidisciplinary dialogue in the scientific community. The authors of the original articles will be invited to provide a reply, if the Commentary includes critical comments to the original article. The Editors will determine the suitability of Commentaries for publication. The length is limited to 2,000 words, 1-3 Figures and 10-20 references.
Opinion: A personal perspective from leading scientists and thinkers on a topical research or policy question of current interest to the scientific community. It could also include a critical or a future-orientated view to a subject. Opinions are invited by the Editors. An Opinion can cite literature without needing to be comprehensive. A typical length would be 1,500-2,000 words, 1-3 Figures and up to 10 references.
Perspective: A personal analysis of an important theme or topical issue in energy without rigorous original research. The perspective should provide a judgement of the topic based on a well-reasoned analysis. Perspectives should reach conclusions, provide future insight, and encourage further discussion. The Editors will determine the suitability of a perspective. A typical length would be up 2,000-6,000 words, 3-5 Figures and 15-30 references.
Vignette: By invitation only. A vignette paper is a multi-authored perspective or review article on compelling, topical issues in energy. These papers will be coordinated by the Oxford Open Energy editor who will invite and assemble contributions to the paper in the form of several sections. Please see the guidance on how to submit your vignette paper.
Third-Party Permissions
If you wish to reproduce any material for which you do not own the copyright—including quotations, tables, or images—you must obtain permission from the copyright holder. The permissions agreement must include the following documents:
- nonexclusive rights to reproduce the material in your article in Oxford Open Energy
- both print and electronic rights, preferably for use in any form or medium
- lifetime rights to use the material
- worldwide English-language rights
Further information on obtaining permissions is available here.
Manuscript Preparation: Format, Structure, and Style
This journal offers format-free submission. At first submission, it is not necessary to apply formatting to match house style. Instead, simply ask: would I enjoy reading and reviewing a manuscript formatted in this way. Manuscripts can be submitted in any common document format that can be easily opened and read by others. A single PDF or Word file is usually reliable. We do require continuous line numbers to be included in all submissions, regardless of the file type or formatting.
After initial review, you may be asked to supply editable files that match journal formatting requirements and high-resolution figures.
Presubmission Language Editing
If you are not confident in the quality of your English, you may wish to use a language-editing service to ensure that editors and reviewers understand your paper. Oxford University Press partners with Enago, a leading provider of author services. Prospective authors are entitled to a discount of 30% for editing services at Enago, via the Specialist English Editing Services for Oxford University Press Authors page.
Enago is an independent service provider, who will handle all aspects of this service, including payment. As an author you are under no obligation to take up this offer. Language editing is optional and does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will still undergo peer review by the journal.
Title Page
Please include the following:
- the title of your paper
- all author affiliations, using this format: department, institution, city, state, country, mailing address and email address of one corresponding author
- a short running head of 50 characters or less
- Up to six keywords
Abstract
Abstracts have a maximum length of 250 words for Research and Review Articles, and 150 words for Short Communications. They must not contain reference citations or abbreviations.
Graphical Abstracts
Authors of Research and Review articles are encouraged to submit a graphical abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The graphical abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF. The graphical abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff. See Preparing and submitting your manuscript for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics.
Lay Summaries
Authors of Research and Review articles are encouraged to submit a lay summary as part of the article, in addition to the main text abstract. The lay summary should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article for non-expert readers and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF. The lay summary should be submitted for peer review as part of the main manuscript file, under the heading ‘Lay summary’, before the article’s main text. The lay summary should be no longer than 100 words. As with a main abstract, avoid citations and define any abbreviations.
Style
The journal follows Oxford SCIMED style. Please refer to these requirements when preparing your manuscript after initial review. More information is available here. UK or US spelling should be used throughout, except in quotations and in references. Please ensure consistency in spelling used.
Abbreviations
Please define nonstandard abbreviations at the first occurrence.
Tables
You must number all tables (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3) and reference them in the text. You must place all tables at the end of the main text. Tables should be in an editable format, and not embedded as an image file.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements should be included at the end of your manuscript.
Author Contributions
Please list all author contributions upon submission of the manuscript.
CRediT
The Journal uses the contributor roles taxonomy (CRediT), which allows authors to describe the contributor roles in a standardized, transparent, and accurate way. Authors should choose from the contributor roles outlined on the CRediT website and supply this information upon submission. You may choose multiple contributor roles per author. Any other individuals who do not meet authorship criteria and made less substantive contributions should be listed in your manuscript as non-author contributors with their contributions clearly described.
Study Funding
Please fully declare all funding information relevant to the study, including specific grant numbers, under a separate subheading following the acknowledgements.
APC Funding
Please include full details of source(s) of funding provided for the Author Processing Charge under a separate subheading following the acknowledgements.
References
You may format references in any readable style at submission. You are responsible for the accuracy of reference information. Oxford Open Energy does not allow the citation of preprints in thier articles.
LaTeX
Information on LaTeX files and formatting can be found here.
Figures
You must include figure titles and legends within the manuscript file—they should not be included in the image file.
You must submit each figure as an individual image file, and “Figure #” should be included in the image for reviewer convenience. Submit all panels of a multipanel figure on a single page as one file. For example, if the figure has 3 panels, the figure should be submitted as one file. Each panel should be labeled as a letter (A, B, C, D, etc.) in the upper-left corner of each panel.
Images of photographs or paintings can be provided as raster images. Common examples of raster images are .tif/.tiff, .raw, .gif, and .bmp file types. The resolution of raster files is measured by the number of dots or pixels in a given area, referred to as “dpi” or “ppi.”
- minimum resolution required for printed images or pictures: 350dpi
- minimum resolution for printed line art: 600dpi (complex or finely drawn line art should be 1200dpi)
- minimum resolution for electronic images (i.e., for on-screen viewing): 72dpi
Images of maps, charts, graphs, and diagrams are best rendered digitally as geometric forms called vector graphics. Common file types are .eps, .ai, and .pdf. Vector images use mathematical relationships between points and the lines connecting them to describe an image. These file types do not use pixels; therefore resolution does not apply to vector images.
Figures prepared as .doc/.docx or .jpeg/.jpg files will not be accepted.
Figure accessibility and alt text
Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.
Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs.
Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article.
Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text.
Supplementary Material
You must submit supplementary data or supplementary material at the same time as the main manuscript.
Supplementary material must be cited in the text of the main manuscript.
Supplementary material will be available online only and will not be copyedited or typeset.
Style and formatting of supplementary material should be consistent with that of the manuscript.
Supplementary material should be formatted to function on any internet browser.
Supplementary material files should be no larger than 2MB each.
Production
Licence to Publish and Open Access Options
Oxford Open Energy is a fully open access journal, and all articles are published in the journal under an open access licence immediately upon publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence.
Corresponding authors based in countries and regions, that are part of the developing countries initiative are eligible for a full waiver of publishing fees in our fully open access journals. For further details, please see our APC Waiver Policy.
OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which provide funding for open access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating.
Manuscript Charges
Author Portal
You will be required to arrange payment of open access charges on the same Author Portal you use to sign your licence to publish. You may refer the charges to an institutional prepayment account. Any applicable discounts will be applied prior to payment.
OA Licence Charges
Charges for the open access licence options offered by Oxford Open Energy are listed below.
Charges for CC BY: $2,249
Click here for generic author FAQs.
