About the Journal

Focus and Scope

To meet the challenges of increasing mobility and climate change, the conservation of resources presents a central responsibility for research. Thus, large-scale manufacturing processes for lightweight construction are key technologies for the future.

Technologies for Lightweight Structures (TLS) is dedicated to the peer-reviewed, open access publication of knowledge and research in the vital area of multifunctional lightweight structures. The journal aims to transcend communication barriers between the various scientific disciplines engaged in joining and merging currently separated material-specific manufacturing processes to technologies suitable for the mass-production of lightweight structures. Given the joint resource potential of merged manufacturing technologies and lightweight structures, an integrated approach facilitates sizeable savings of energy and material. To this end, the existing gap between different approaches of manufacturing-oriented and computational engineering-oriented disciplines on the one hand and engineering and natural sciences on the other hand needs to be bridged.

Technologies for Lightweight Structures serves this purpose by fostering the interdisciplinary exchange as well as the networking of multiple actors in the areas of material science, manufacturing technology, nano- and microelectronics, system integration, the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.), mathematics, design, calculation, simulation and quality assurance.

Accordingly, the journal welcomes contributions which investigate all aspects of materials, manufacturing technologies, solution-oriented strategies and applications for the mass-production of lightweight structures from different disciplinary perspectives. Special focus is on new results in the following topics:

  • Materials, semi-finished products and composite structures based on textiles, plastics, metals and fibre-reinforced plastics;
  • Processing, systems, application and automation for the mass-production of lightweight structures;
  • New functionalities in lightweight structures through sensors, actuators and generators, Smart Systems and adaptronics;
  • Modelling, integrative simulation and optimisation of hybrid lightweight structures and their manufacturing processes;
  • Interface technologies/Interface engineering;
  • Use of renewable raw materials and recycling processes.

Scientists and researchers are invited to submit papers either in English or in German that deal with research, development and design studies, either experimental, theoretical or application-oriented in nature, as well as reviews relevant to the aforementioned topics.

Please refer to our Author Guidelines for more information.

Peer Review Process

Technologies for Lightweight Structures (TLS) takes advantage of the efficiency and faster turnaround of the e-journal system, while maintaining the high standards of excellence that characterise traditional scientific journals. An integral part of this publication system is an unbiased, independent and critical peer review process.

Initial review

After a submission has been uploaded, an editor of the journal examines whether a submission falls within the journal's subject area and complies with the formal guidelines of the journal (see Author Guidelines).

First round of review

All original submissions that are suitable for inclusion undergo a rigorous single-blind peer review by two reviewers. External specialists or subject matter experts from the Editorial Board conduct peer review at the request of the assigned editor(s). Reviewers’ identities are concealed from the author.
Once a paper has entered the peer review process, the respective author is informed of the approximate date by which the managing editors will discuss and evaluate their manuscript as well as the date of possible publication. To facilitate timely publication, reviewers are asked to complete their reviews within one month.

Four types of reviewer recommendation are possible:

  1. Accept submission

  2. Likely accept, but minor revisions required

  3. Likely accept, but major revisions required

  4. Decline submission

Second round of review

In case a reviewer requests that an article be revised, the author has the opportunity to amend the article and resubmit it for a second review.
If minor revisions were required, the assigned editor(s) decides whether the amendments the author has made have taken into account all the points raised in the initial review.
If major revisions were needed, the revised version will be reevaluated by at least one of the reviewers. The review process, including possible resubmissions, may take up to three to four months.

Final decision

Based on the reviewers' recommendations the assigned editor(s) finally approve or refuse contributions, and the author is informed of the decision and its reasons.

Ethics

Reviewers for Technologies for Lightweight Structures must confirm:

  • that all manuscripts are reviewed in fairness and honesty based on the intellectual content of the paper regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, citizenry, political affiliation and values nor paradigmatic orientation of author(s);

  • that any observed conflict of interest during the review process must be communicated to the managing editor. Such conflicts of interest can occur if the reviewer is asked to referee a paper written by a colleague of the same organization, former or current student, former advisor, frequent co-author, or closely-related person. If the conflict is severe, the reviewer should recuse himself/herself;

  • that all information pertaining to the manuscript is treated as confidential, not to be disclosed to others prior to publication;

  • that any information that may be the reason for the rejection of publication of a manuscript must be communicated to the managing editor.

  • that deadlines agreed upon are met. Reviewers are kindly asked to complete their reviews within one month. If more time is needed, reviewers should contact the assigned editor(s) promptly.

How-to Guide

For a step-by-step instruction on the review process in Open Journal Systems, please see our Review Guide.

Publication Frequency

Technologies for Lightweight Structures (TLS) is published in two regular issues and one special issue per year.

Utilizing the potential of Open Access, the journal employs a system of rapid publication. To this end, each individual accepted article is made available in an “open issue” as soon as it is ready for publication, often weeks or months before the issue is complete. When all articles for that issue are published, the issue is closed and a new open issue is started. This guarantees that the visibility and impact of authors' contribution are accelerated.

Open Access Policy

Technologies for Lightweight Structures (TLS) is an open-access gold e-journal. It provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. All content is published under a Creative Commons Licence “Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)”.