Chemical Engineering Journal Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

CEJ's abstract is straightforward compared to journals that require structured abstracts with labeled sections.

• Word limit: 200 words maximum
• Structure: Unstructured (single paragraph)
• Citations: Not permitted in the abstract
• Graphical abstract: Optional but strongly recommended (see below)

The 200-word abstract should cover the purpose of the study, the experimental or computational approach, the primary results with quantitative data, and the broader significance. Don't waste the first sentence on generic background. Start with what you did or why it matters.

CEJ's graphical abstract is separate from the text abstract. It's optional, but papers with graphical abstracts receive higher visibility in ScienceDirect and tend to get more downloads. The graphical abstract should be a single image (no multi-panel composites) at 531 x 1328 pixels, saved as TIFF, EPS, or high-resolution JPEG. Keep text within the image minimal and use a font size of at least 14 pt.

One detail authors miss: the text abstract and the graphical abstract should not simply repeat each other. The graphical abstract is meant to convey the key concept visually, not serve as a figure version of your written summary.

CEJ allows up to 10 figures per research article. Tables don't have a formal count limit, but the editorial office will push back if you're submitting more tables than the content justifies.

Figure specifications:

Table formatting: Tables should be editable (Word table or LaTeX tabular environment), not images. Each table needs a title above it and explanatory footnotes below. Use horizontal rules only at the top, below the header row, and at the bottom. No vertical rules. Every column must have a header.

Color figures: CEJ publishes in full color online at no charge. Print color is also free. This is a change from older Elsevier policies, and it's worth knowing because some authors still convert their figures to grayscale unnecessarily.

Multi-panel figures should label panels as (a), (b), (c) in the top-left corner of each panel. Use consistent axis labels and font sizes across all panels within a figure.

CEJ uses the standard Elsevier numbered reference style, which is one of the most common formats in engineering journals.

In-text citations: Square brackets with numbers, e.g., [1], [2,3], [4-7]. Numbers are assigned sequentially based on order of first appearance.

Reference list format:

[1] A.B. Author, C.D. Author, Title of article, Journal Name Abbreviation Volume (Year) Pages.

Key formatting details:

• Author names: Initials first, then last name (e.g., A.B. Smith).
• Journal titles are abbreviated per ISO 4. "Chemical Engineering Journal" becomes "Chem. Eng. J."
• Volume numbers are in bold.
• Include DOI at the end of each reference when available.
• For books: A.B. Author, Title of Book, Publisher, City, Year.
• Web references need the URL and access date.

There's no formal reference cap for research articles, but most published CEJ papers cite between 40 and 70 references. Review articles often exceed 150. If your reference list is significantly longer than comparable papers in CEJ, consider whether every citation is pulling its weight.

CEJ supports reference management tools well. The Elsevier style files for EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley are readily available and produce correctly formatted output.

CEJ uses Elsevier's standard supplementary material system. Supplementary content is hosted on ScienceDirect alongside the main article and is accessible to all readers.

What belongs in supplementary material:

• Additional experimental details (extended methods, calibration curves, raw spectra)
• Extra figures and tables that support but don't drive the main narrative
• Video files showing experimental processes or simulations
• Datasets in Excel or CSV format
• Code or computational input files

File requirements:

• Each supplementary file should be self-explanatory with its own captions and legends
• Maximum file size: 50 MB per file (contact the editorial office for larger files)
• Acceptable formats: PDF, Word, Excel, TIFF, JPEG, MP4, AVI
• Label files as "Supplementary Material" followed by a descriptor (e.g., "Supplementary Material: Additional characterization data")

The supplementary material goes through peer review at CEJ. Reviewers have access to all supplementary files, so don't treat this section as a dumping ground for low-quality data. Everything in the supplement should be at the same standard as the main manuscript.

One common mistake: placing content in the supplement that reviewers or readers need to understand your main arguments. If a figure is referenced more than twice in the main text, it probably belongs in the main manuscript, not the supplement.

CEJ requires a cover letter with every submission. The cover letter should be uploaded as a separate file in the Editorial Manager system.

Cover letter content:

• State the article type you're submitting (Research Article, Short Communication, etc.)
• Briefly describe the novelty and significance of the work (3-4 sentences)
• Confirm that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere
• Suggest 3-5 potential reviewers with their email addresses and affiliations
• Disclose any conflicts of interest

Highlights: CEJ requires highlights for research articles. These are 3-5 bullet points, each no longer than 85 characters including spaces, that summarize the key findings. Highlights appear on ScienceDirect alongside the abstract and significantly affect whether readers click through to the full paper.

The 85-character limit per highlight is strictly enforced by the system. This is tighter than it sounds. "We developed a novel photocatalyst with 99% degradation efficiency under visible light" is already 85 characters. Plan your highlights carefully.

Keywords: 4-6 keywords, avoiding terms already in the title. Keywords should be specific to your work, not generic terms like "chemical engineering" or "catalysis."

These are the details that regular CEJ authors know but that aren't obvious from a quick read of the guidelines:

Highlights are required, not optional. Many Elsevier journals list highlights as optional. CEJ treats them as mandatory for research articles. If you don't include them, the submission system will let you proceed, but the editorial assistant will send them back.

Nomenclature section. If your paper uses more than a few specialized symbols or abbreviations, CEJ expects a Nomenclature section immediately after the abstract. This is a formatted list of all symbols, Greek letters, subscripts, and abbreviations with their definitions. Use the Elsevier nomenclature format with categories (Roman symbols, Greek symbols, Abbreviations).

Section numbering. CEJ uses numbered sections (1. Introduction, 2. Experimental, 3. Results and Discussion, etc.). Don't use unnumbered sections or non-standard section titles. The standard structure is: Introduction, Experimental/Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion (or separate Results and Discussion sections), Conclusions.

CRediT author statement. CEJ requires a CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) author statement. This is a structured list of each author's contributions using the 14 CRediT roles (Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, etc.). It's submitted as a separate item during the submission process.

Data availability statement. Required since 2023. You must select one of Elsevier's standard data availability templates or write a custom statement describing how readers can access the underlying data.

Declaration of competing interests. Mandatory. Even if there are no conflicts, you must include the statement "The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper."

These trip up even experienced CEJ authors:

1. Line numbers are required. Submit with continuous line numbers for the review version. Without them, reviewers can't reference specific text, and the editorial office may return the manuscript.

1. Double spacing. The review manuscript must be double-spaced. Single-spaced submissions will be sent back.

1. Figure placement. For initial submission, embed figures at the end of the manuscript or within the text. Don't submit figures as separate files unless the system specifically asks for them at the revision stage.

1. SI units. CEJ requires SI units throughout. If you use non-SI units (e.g., psi, Fahrenheit), provide SI equivalents in parentheses.

1. Chemical nomenclature. Follow IUPAC naming conventions. For common chemicals, the standard name is acceptable (e.g., "acetic acid" rather than "ethanoic acid"), but be consistent throughout.