Editorial: You may feel your research is significant, but is it significant enough for us?

I do not believe I have met a scientist or engineer yet who thinks his or her research is insignificant. However, as much as you may be attached to your project idea, and think that your paper is riveting reading, you may be surprised to find that your idea of significance and that of the editors of journals you submit papers to may not agree.

The goal of the HVAC&R Research is to publish original research of lasting significance, which is usable by the research community and is relevant to the HVAC&R field (see Taylor & Francis Author Services 2014 and the journal's Web site for details about submissions: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode= uhvc&page=instructions#.UbYb8ZwRHYY. Clearly, the work should not be identical or substantially the same as work that has been previously published, either by yourself or someone else. Use the lists below as a quick reference guide in determining if the topic of your paper meet's our standard for significance (Mitchell 2007).

Significant contributions

1. New computational algorithms: If the algorithms demonstrate results in a significantly more efficient and reliable way.

2. New computational results: If those results defy intuitive expectations, stimulate laboratory or field experiments, analytical studies, or lead to new general guidelines.

3. Slight variations on previously reported experiments and new wrinkles on an old theory or simulation: If the modifications make significant differences for a large number of situations.

4. Case studies: If they lead to generalizations that can be applied to new situations.

5. New derivations of known results: Only if the initial assumptions are less restrictive or the original derivation was flawed.

Less significant contributions

1. Confirmation of accepted theory or correlation.

2. Routine solutions of new problems: Unless the solutions are counterintuitive.

3. Unrealistic problems: If the problem is of little or no interest (even if the results are novel).

4. Results that are so specific it is unlikely they would be encountered by others.

A few times each year, the journal invites authors to submit conference papers of interest for special issues. These papers must be expanded upon by least 50% to meet both the originality criteria and level of substantiality required by the journal. When submitting these papers, it is important to consider any further testing or research completed, and to expand or modify conclusions based on these revisions. If there is something new to say about the topic, make this the main focus of the paper (for details on avoiding plagiarism, see Collins Baugher 2013). Rewriting a previously published work by adding additional results, refined conclusions, at least 50% new or revised text, an improved presentation, and a fresh title and abstract may be changes substantial enough to ensure that it has enough original content to be considered a new, original paper and be eligible for publishing in the HVAC&R Research. One rule of thumb is to access whether it is changed enough to warrant a copyright on its own merit.

If you would like to submit a paper for consideration for publishing in an upcoming issue of HVAC&R Research, please visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ashrae and click on Instructions and Forms.