International Journal of Plasticity Submission Guide

Source: International Journal of Plasticity on Elsevier, Clarivate JCR 2024, accessed April 2026.

Three operational signals govern editorial assessment:

1. Plasticity substance. The journal requires substantive plasticity theory or applications contribution.

2. Theoretical or computational rigor. Continuum or crystal plasticity formulations must be rigorous.

3. Application or experimental validation. Plasticity theory paired with experimental or computational validation is favored.

Recent issues span:

• Crystal plasticity (CP) modeling
• Dislocation dynamics and gradient plasticity
• Plasticity of additive-manufactured (AM) metals
• Plasticity of high-entropy alloys (HEAs)
• Multiscale plasticity (atomistic to continuum)
• Damage-coupled plasticity
• Strain-rate-sensitive plasticity
• AI/ML in plasticity modeling

For specific recent papers and DOIs, see International Journal of Plasticity on Elsevier. Representative recent papers:

• 10.1016/j.ijplas.2023.103789
• 10.1016/j.ijplas.2024.103923
• 10.1016/j.ijplas.2024.104056

• Initial decision: typically 4-8 weeks
• First decision after review: typically 8-14 weeks
• Revision rounds: typically 1-2 major revisions to acceptance
• Time to publication after acceptance: weeks (online first available)

Official sources set the requirements, but the remaining question is manuscript fit. The review tells you whether YOUR paper passes the International Journal of Plasticity fit screen before upload, especially around pure-experimental work without plasticity-theory contribution, wrong solid-mechanics venue chosen, and theoretical rigor doesn't clear top-tier bar. Paid Manusights reviews include a 60-day money-back guarantee, and we do not train models on submitted manuscripts.

Three patterns generate the most consistent rejections.

Pure-experimental work without plasticity-theory contribution

International Journal of Plasticity values plasticity theory. The fix is to articulate theoretical contribution.

Check whether your International Journal of Plasticity manuscript passes the pure-experimental work without plasticity-theory contribution screen →

Wrong solid-mechanics venue chosen

International Journal of Plasticity competes with JMPS, IJSS, Acta Materialia, CMAME, and Mechanics of Materials. The fix is informed routing.

Check whether your International Journal of Plasticity manuscript passes the wrong solid-mechanics venue chosen screen →

Theoretical rigor doesn't clear top-tier bar

The fix is rigorous formulation. A International Journal of Plasticity manuscript readiness check can identify whether plasticity framing, theoretical rigor, and venue alignment align before submission.

Check whether your International Journal of Plasticity manuscript passes the theoretical rigor doesn't clear top-tier bar screen →

International Journal of Plasticity requires these at first submission:

• editable manuscript source file (.docx or.tex, not PDF) with numbered section structure per Elsevier convention
• cover letter establishing the plasticity-theory contribution (new constitutive law, multiscale framework, novel deformation mechanism explanation, or experimentally validated plasticity model)
• structured abstract per Elsevier convention
• highlights file (3-5 bullet points, 85 characters each)
• graphical abstract as separate file with dimensions 531 x 1328 pixels (h x w) or proportionally more, readable at 5 x 13 cm (TIFF, EPS, PDF, or MS Office files)
• author byline locked at submission (definitive list and order; changes after submission require Editor approval)
• CRediT author contribution statement
• declaration of competing interests (corresponding author discloses any financial and personal relationships that could inappropriately influence the work)
• ethics statement (where applicable)
• data availability statement covering stress-strain raw data, microstructural evolution data, multiscale-simulation source files (DFT, MD, CPFEM, FE), and experimental-validation datasets
• suggested reviewers with institutional affiliations and email addresses
• $4,400 USD APC for the Elsevier gold open-access option (2026; subscription publication has no APC; many institutional Elsevier transformative agreements cover the fee)
• declaration of generative AI use in the writing process per Elsevier policy
• for revised submissions, point-by-point reviewer response and marked-up manuscript

In our pre-submission review work for International Journal of Plasticity, the most common artifact-related issue is constitutive-model submissions without experimental validation at the relevant deformation regime. The journal's editorial culture treats theory-experiment validation as a substantive editorial filter; submissions reporting new plasticity models calibrated on one experimental dataset without out-of-range or out-of-sample validation face routine major-revision requests on predictive scope before the theory critique begins.

Run an International Journal of Plasticity pre-submission readiness check before clicking submit to verify the package meets the journal's plasticity-theory-with-experimental-validation bar.

In our pre-submission review work for International Journal of Plasticity, manuscripts move through a four-stage editorial timeline. The editorial triage pattern at Elsevier solid-mechanics journals favors submissions where the cover letter names a specific failure pattern in current plasticity-theory practice that the manuscript addresses. Editors routinely reject pure-experimental submissions without plasticity-theory contribution and consistently screen for cover letters that demonstrate awareness of the journal's recent editorial culture around theory-with-experimental-validation integration.

Day 0 to 5: Editorial Manager intake and technical check

The platform performs automated checks (source-file format, numbered-section structure, graphical-abstract dimensions, declarations, locked author byline). Editorial staff verify the cover letter and the article-type assignment.

Day 5 to 21: Editor-in-Chief or Associate Editor desk-screen

An Associate Editor (matched to crystal plasticity and texture, damage and failure, multiscale modeling, additive-manufacturing plasticity, high-strain-rate plasticity, machine-learning-for-plasticity, or biomechanics plasticity) reviews scope fit, the plasticity-theory contribution, and the experimental-validation strength. Pure-experimental submissions without theory framing are routinely transferred to JMPS, IJSS, or Acta Materialia.

Week 4 to 10: External peer review

Manuscripts that pass desk-screen go to 2-3 reviewers selected for both the plasticity subfield and any computational methods used.

Week 10 to 18: Decision and revision rounds

First decisions arrive at the 6-10 week median, typically as major or minor revision. Revision cycles add 4-10 weeks. Authors may file a formal appeal per Elsevier's Appeal Policy (one appeal per submission, decision final).

• Is International Journal of Plasticity a good journal?
• Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids Submission Guide
• Acta Materialia Submission Guide

Before the reviewer-invitation stage, read the International Journal of Plasticity package against the same risks this guide flags in the Manusights section. The practical question is whether the abstract, cover letter, figures or tables, methods, reporting statements, supplementary files, and references all make the journal choice obvious.

• If the abstract still points toward pure-experimental work without plasticity-theory contribution, revise the central claim before upload.
• If the evidence package leaves wrong solid-mechanics venue chosen, strengthen the methods, controls, figures, or supplementary material rather than expecting reviewers to infer it.
• If the cover letter cannot resolve theoretical rigor doesn't clear top-tier bar, compare the target journal against the adjacent venues named above before submitting.

Last verified: April 2026 against International Journal of Plasticity editorial pages.