Human Factors
The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics SocietyHuman Factors published its first issue in 1958. It is the flagship journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Submissions on a wide variety of topics are welcome.
Human Factors will be of particular interest to those interested in areas such as human factors/ergonomics, human systems integration, automation, robotics, human-computer interaction, transportation, health-care systems, aviation, aerospace, aging, teamwork, education and training, military systems, architecture, applied psychology, biomechanics, cognitive psychology, cognitive science, industrial engineering, neuroergonomics, and user-centered design.
Manuscript Types
Research Article. Research articles represent the most common type of contribution to Human Factors. These articles report previously unpublished original research that is experimental (field or laboratory based), methodological, or theoretical in nature. These articles report a single experiment or concept that is fully developed and includes a statistical analysis (when appropriate). This mechanism is not appropriate for the reporting of preliminary or pilot data.
Extended Multi-Phase Study. Multi-phase studies report on a sequence or series of closely related original studies that are best discussed collectively instead of through multiple original articles. Research approaches encompassed in such a series of studies could include more than one experiment or a mixture of experiments, observational studies, modeling, surveys, ethnographic studies, and so on. The series must have a theoretical underpinning that makes its inclusion in the same report a logical progression. This mechanism is not appropriate for single-experiment or single-model reporting, nor is it an appropriate mechanism for reporting pilot study results along with a single experiment. Each component (experiment) of the sequence of studies must be able to be statistically evaluated independently.
Review Article. Review articles present a synthesis of previously published work on a specific topic of interest to the human factors/ergonomics community. These articles are intended to scientifically analyze a body of literature and synthesize the information in an original manner. Review articles must provide an original perspective on the literature, not merely a summary but an extension of knowledge on a topic. Integrative literature reviews based on various methods (narrative, systematic, meta-analytic) are encouraged.
Replication Study. Authors who wish to reproduce prior research studies are invited to submit a proposal to submit a replication study. The journal intends publishing the resultant articles provided that the research follows all agreed protocols and meets the usual high standards of clarity and exposition expected by the journal. All articles will be subjected to peer review in the usual way, notwithstanding the purpose of the article, which is to attempt replication of a previously published study.
Special Issue/Section Articles. Proposals for consideration of a special section or issue should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief Robert Radwin.
Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society publishes peer-reviewed scientific studies in human factors/ergonomics that present theoretical and practical advances concerning the relationship between people and technologies, tools, environments, and systems. Papers published in Human Factors leverage fundamental knowledge of human capabilities and limitations – and the basic understanding of cognitive, physical, behavioral, physiological, social, developmental, affective, and motivational aspects of human performance – to yield design principles; enhance training, selection, and communication; and ultimately improve human-system interfaces and sociotechnical systems that lead to safer and more effective outcomes.
Articles encompass a wide range of multidisciplinary approaches, including laboratory and real-world studies; quantitative and qualitative methods; ecological, information-processing, and computational perspectives; human performance models; behavioral, physiological, and neuroscientific measures; micro- and macroergonomics; evaluative reviews of the literature; methodological analyses; and state-of-the-art reviews that cover all aspects of the human-system interface. Human Factors also publishes special issues that focus on important areas of human factors/ergonomics in an integrated manner.
Human Factors published its first issue in 1958. It is the flagship journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Submissions on a wide variety of topics are welcome.
Human Factors will be of particular interest to those interested in areas such as human factors/ergonomics, human-systems integration, automation, robotics, human-computer interaction, transportation, health-care systems, aviation and aerospace, aging, teamwork, education and training, military systems, architecture, applied psychology, biomechanics, cognitive psychology, cognitive science, industrial engineering, neuroergonomics, and user-centered design.
| Robert G. Radwin | University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA |
| Caroline Cao | University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, USA |
| Nancy J. Cooke | Arizona State University East, USA |
| Kermit G. Davis | University of Cincinnati, USA |
| Mark H. Draper | U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, USA |
| Jing Feng | North Carolina State University, USA |
| Sean Gallagher | Auburn University, USA |
| Barry P. Goettl | U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, USA |
| Eric Greenlee | Texas Tech University, USA |
| Justin G. Hollands | Defence Research and Development Canada, Canada |
| William J. Horrey | AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, USA |
| John D. Lee | University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA |
| Sara Lu Riggs | University of Virginia, USA |
| Frank E. Ritter | Pennsylvania State University, USA |
| Carolyn M. Sommerich | The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, USA |
| Yusuke Yamani | Old Dominion University, USA |
| Xudong Zhang | Texas A&M University, USA |
| Judy Edworthy | Plymouth University, UK |
| Robert G. Radwin | University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA |
| William S. Marras | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Patricia R. DeLucia | Rice University, USA |
| Thomas J. Armstrong | University of Michigan, USA |
| Herbert H. Bell | Discerning Technologies, USA |
| Dennis B. Beringer | FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, USA |
| Ann M. Bisantz | University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA |
| Linda Ng Boyle | University of Washington, Seatle, USA |
| Gloria L. Calhoun | U.S. Air Force (retired), USA |
| Karen B. Chen | North Carolina State University, NC, USA |
| Sara J. Czaja | University of Miami, USA |
| Joost de Winter | Delft University of Technology, Netherlands |
| Frank A. Drews | University of Utah, USA |
| Gregory J. Funke | Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, USA |
| Jamie Gorman | Georgia Institute of Technology, USA |
| Robert S. Gutzwiller | Arizona State University, USA |
| William S. Helton | George Mason University, USA |
| Edmond Israelski | AbbVie, Chicago, USA |
| Michael J. Jorgensen | Wichita State University, USA |
| Alexander Kirlik | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA |
| Lila F. Laux | Human Factors Consulting, USA |
| Steven A. Lavender | The Ohio State University, USA |
| Joseph Lyons | Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, USA |
| Jenna Marquard | University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA |
| Bernard Martin | University of Michigan, USA |
| Christopher B. Mayhorn | North Carolina State University, NC, USA |
| Jason McCarley | Oregon State University, USA |
| Nathan J. McNeese | Clemson University, USA |
| Sherry E. Mead | Oracle Corporation, USA |
| Joachim Meyer | Tel Aviv University, Israel |
| Gary A. Mirka | Iowa State University, USA |
| Woojin Park | Seoul National University, Korea |
| Avi Parush | Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Israel |
| Brandon Pitts | Purdue University, USA |
| Esa M. Rantanen | Rochester Institute of Technology, USA |
| Emilie M. Roth | Roth Cognitive Engineering, USA |
| Eduardo Salas | Rice University, USA |
| Penelope Sanderson | The University of Queensland, Australia |
| Mark Schall | Auburn University, USA |
| Frank Schieber | University of South Dakota, USA |
| Mark F. St. John | Pacific Science & Engineering Group, Inc., USA |
| Kim-Phuong L. Vu | California State University, Long Beach, USA |
| Christopher D. Wickens | Alion Science and Technology MA&D Operation, USA |
| Douglas A. Wiegmann | University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA |
| Glenn F. Wilson | Physiometrex, Inc. |
| Yan Xiao | University of Texas Arlington, USA |
Manuscript Submission
Quick Reference Guide
Submission of your paper indicates your agreement to abide by the Article Submission Policies of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
Manuscripts should be submitted electronically at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/humanfactors.
Only the corresponding author will receive e-mails, which are generated by the submission system. Be sure to whitelist humanfactors@sagepub.com.
For questions about the suitability of a manuscript for Human Factors, contact Editor-in-Chief Robert G. Radwin, hfeditor@engr.wisc.edu.
For problems or questions with submission, contact HFES Publication Manager Katherine Levin, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time (202) 367-1271.
The average turnaround time from submission to first decision is 43 days.
There is no cost to submit your work or to publish it, unless you choose the open access publication option should your work be accepted. The open access fee is $1,500.
Human Factors accepts about 25% of submissions.
In the October 2009 issue of the HFES Bulletin, Past Human Factors Editor Nancy J. Cooke offered 10 tips on the best ways to get an article published in the journal.
Human Factors Prize Information: hfes.org/Publications/Human-Factors-Prize
Double-anonymize Review Option
NOTE: HF has a single-anonymized review process, but in case you prefer a double anonymized review, please make a note of it in your cover letter and upload a separate title page with author biographies included. This document will be hidden from reviewers to preserve the double anonymization of the document during the peer review process.
Open Access Publication Option
Upon final acceptance, authors may choose open access (OA) publication of their work by paying a fee of $1,500. OA papers are made available free of charge as soon as they are published online. If your work is accepted and you wish to opt for OA publication through Sage Choice, please contact HFES Publication Manager Katherine Levin at (202) 367-1271.
Data Sharing
The journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research. The journal follows the ethics code of the American Psychological Association regarding the sharing of research data (https://www.apa.org/ethics/code).
Manuscript Preparation
Human Factors manuscripts should be prepared according to editorial style and ethical guidelines of the Seventh Edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 750 First St., NE, Washington, DC 20002; 800/374-2721).
All text must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, and must contain page numbers. Other formatting instructions for text, tables, figures, and references, are included in the Publication Manual.
Exceptions to the APA Publication Manual are as follows:
- Use a structured abstract. Prepare a structured abstract of no more than 250 words, with information arranged under the following subheadings (include the subheadings in your abstract), with each subheading beginning on a new line. We recognize that these categories may be a bit awkward for review papers or papers that use nontraditional methodologies, such as modeling or naturalistic observation, but we encourage the authors to do their best to adapt to this structure.
a. Objective
b. Background
c. Method
d. Results
e. Conclusion
f. Application (non-theoretical works)—A statement that reflects the practical impact of this work to a broad audience.View examples of structured abstracts at (empirical article and review article)
- Footnotes are not permitted. Such notes should be incorporated into the text.
- Add line numbering to the entire manuscript, starting with line 1 for the title of the submission. Line numbering aids the reviewers when commenting on the manuscript.
- Place all figures and tables (with captions) within the manuscript where first mentioned in the text. If accepted, figures, tables, and captions will be placed at end of the manuscript according to the APA Publication Manual. Guidelines for figures are explained on the Sage Figure Guidelines page. Recommendations for presenting data in text, tables, and figures are available in a Human Factors article, "Guidelines for Presenting Quantitative Data in HFES Publications" (Gillan, Wickens, Carswell, & Hollands, 1998). In addition, HFES recommends you follow the guidelines in these two free articles: "The Time Has Come for Redundant Coding in Print Publications” and "Applications of Color in Design for Color-Deficient Users." Please indicate in your cover letter whether any of your figures must contain color. Authors may be responsible for paying the costs for color. HFES will notify the author of such costs.
- Each manuscript should contain the following components, in the following order:
a. Title page, which contains:
- Title (25 words maximum)
- Each author's name and affiliation (institution, city, state, country) — OMIT IF REQUESTING A DOUBLE-ANONYMIZE REVIEW
- Running head
- Manuscript type
- Exact word count of text (not including title page, abstract, biographies, and references)
- Acknowledgments (including contact information for corresponding author). If applicable, list funding sources and other pertinent disclosures. If no such acknowledgments are present in the initial submission, HFES will assume that no disclosures are necessary.
b. Abstract page, which contains:
- Structured abstract
- Up to 5 keywords (exclude words that already appear in the title). View the current list of keywords. The importance of keywords to authors finding your article, and tips for choosing keywords, can be found at Sage Publications.
- Précis: a 50-word description (in 1–3 sentences) of the manuscript, which will appear in the Table of Contents below the title and authorship information
c. Main body of paper.
Please note that all manuscripts must contain an explicit and clear discussion of the study's practical implications. (If applicable, state explicit design recommendations or principles.
When reporting results, authors should follow the guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Authors are strongly encouraged to include measures of effect size (e.g., partial eta-squared) and variability (e.g., standard of mean, confidence intervals), and include standard error bars on data plots, as applicable to the study.
d. Key points: A list of key points in bullet form, inserted prior to the References list
e. References (in APA style of hanging indent)
f. Biographies: For each author, indicate the current affiliation and highest degree obtained (field, year obtained, institution).
Authors are strongly encouraged to provide supplemental materials that would facilitate replication of the studies. Such materials would be available online at the journal's website. Examples include data, instructions, stimuli, algorithms, and questionnaires.
Permissions
- When quoting more than 150 words from another source, or using a table or figure from another source, it is necessary to obtain written permission from the copyright holder of that source. In the case of adaptations of tables and figures drawn from other sources, written permission must be obtained if more than 40% of the original material is used in the adapted table/figure. Following acceptance of your manuscript, submit permission letters to HFES when the final production-ready manuscript is ready for uploading.
- Additional guidance about reprint/reuse permission may be found here.
Manuscript Types and Length Limits (based on Microsoft Word's word-count feature)
Research Article. Research articles represent the most common type of contribution to Human Factors. These articles report previously unpublished original research that is experimental (field or laboratory based), methodological, or theoretical in nature. These articles report a single experiment or concept that is fully developed and includes a statistical analysis (when appropriate). This mechanism is not appropriate for the reporting of preliminary or pilot data. Research article submissions are limited to 4,500 words, excluding the abstract, key points, tables, and references. Figures and tables are encouraged to enhance information transfer and effective communication.
Extended Multi-Phase Study. Multi-phase studies report on a sequence or series of closely related original studies that are best discussed collectively instead of through multiple original articles. Research approaches encompassed in such a series of studies could include more than one experiment or a mixture of experiments, observational studies, modeling, surveys, ethnographic studies, and so on. The series must have a theoretical underpinning that makes its inclusion in the same report a logical progression. This mechanism is not appropriate for single-experiment or single-model reporting, nor is it an appropriate mechanism for reporting pilot study results along with a single experiment. Each component (experiment) of the sequence of studies must be able to be statistically evaluated independently. Multi-experiment series are limited to 4,500 words plus 3,000 words for each experiment (or model) beyond the first experiment, excluding the abstract, key points, tables, and references. (Thus, a two-experiment series should not exceed 7,500 words, a three-experiment series should not exceed 10,500 words, etc.) Figures and tables are encouraged when they can enhance information transfer and effective communication.
Review Article. Review articles present a synthesis of previously published work on a specific topic of interest to the human factors/ergonomics community. These articles are intended to scientifically analyze a body of literature and synthesize the information in an original manner. Review articles must provide an original perspective on the literature, not merely a summary but an extension of knowledge on a topic. Integrative literature reviews based on various methods (narrative, systematic, meta-analytic) are encouraged.
Reviews are not intended to simply describe what is already known about a given topic, but rather to extract new knowledge from the body of literature. This is an essential requirement and should be the main focus of the review.
Reviews should provide an original perspective on the literature, not merely a summary, and must significantly extend what is known about a topic through analysis, modeling, or introduction of new theories. The review should offer critical, constructive analyses of scientific publications, by combing the literature and summarizing the current state of knowledge in a cogent review that is suitable for a top-tier peer-reviewed journal. But it must also reveal new knowledge, or advance the science through a thorough systematic analysis of the literature and published findings. Merely concluding that there is a research gap or that more research is needed, is insufficient.
Review articles in Human Factors must utilize various types of review methodologies, including narrative, systematic, or meta-analytic reviews. The paper must clearly define and describe the methodology used for inclusion and exclusion of articles contained in the review. Regardless of the methodology, reviews shall offer critical, constructive examination of scientific publications, in a comprehensive analysis. These criteria will also be considered in the peer review of the article.
Replication Study. Authors who wish to reproduce prior research studies are invited to submit a proposal to submit a replication study. This is a two-stage process. Initial submissions should be a brief (1–2-page) summary of the study to be replicated and include the following information:
Name and author(s) of the study that has been selected for replication. The study can have been published in any reputable journal, and is not confined to Human Factors
Why the study is worthy of replication. The reasons should be one or more of the following:
The study forms the basis of an important theory, model, intervention or other significant finding in the HFES literature
The study is controversial in some way
The study is highly cited or often viewed (please provide numbers)
Who will do the replication, and whether the researchers will be from a single lab or multiple labs (multiple labs encouraged)
Whether the original author will be included in the research group (encouraged)
Anticipated number of participants and power calculations/expectations (large numbers of participants encouraged)
This should be submitted directly to Replications Associate Editor, Judy Edworthy.
If the initial proposal is accepted, authors will be invited to submit a more lengthy and detailed proposal including details of the methodology and statistical analysis to be used. Further details on what will be required will be provided on acceptance of the outline proposal. If these are accepted after preliminary peer review, the accepted documents will be pre-registered in open access (the Open Science Framework) and authors will be invited to carry out their replication in the manner indicated.
The journal intends publishing the resultant articles provided that the research follows all agreed protocols (as retained in the OSF documents) and meets the usual high standards of clarity and exposition expected by the journal. All articles will be subject to peer review in the usual way, notwithstanding the purpose of the article, which is to attempt replication of a previously published study.
Special Issue/Section Articles. Papers for consideration in a special section or issue should be submitted to Editor-in-Chief Robert Radwin.
Manuscripts Based on Proceedings Papers
FAQ: Publication of Accepted Work in the Proceedings
May I publish the research in my HFES Annual Meeting Proceedings paper in Human Factors and the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making?
Suitably revised papers printed in the HFES Annual Meeting Proceedings may be submitted for consideration in Human Factors and the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making.
What does "suitably revised" mean?
Human Factors and the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making publish original, previously unpublished work that represents theoretical and practical advances. Papers published in these journals must adhere to the ethical guidelines regarding duplicate publication as described in the code of conduct of the American Psychological Association (the Publication Manual of the APA has a detailed discussion).
Although duplicate publication of data is generally prohibited (in part because of issues raised for meta-analyses), the ethical standards allow for some exceptions when the data that were previously published are presented in a different way that represents a significant advance of theory or practice, and there is proper acknowledgement that the data were previously published elsewhere. Solely adding length to a proceedings paper typically is not sufficient to warrant publication in the journals. The key consideration is whether the publication represents a significant advance beyond what has been published previously, such as introducing new data or reanalyzing or reframing previous data in light of current theory and practice. Authors who are uncertain about whether their paper is suitably revised may contact the journal's editor in chief.
For the HFES Proceedings, can I publish a summary of the Annual Meeting proposal I submitted for review?
Yes. Once a proposal for a conference presentation is accepted for the HFES Annual Meeting, authors have the option to publish a five-page proceedings paper, or up to a one-page abstract of the proposal (view an example). Regardless of the eventual publication option chosen by the authors, a full proposal must be submitted for consideration by the peer reviewers recruited by Technical Program Chairs so that they have sufficient information to determine the quality of the work for presentation at the HFES Annual Meeting. These strategies may help mitigate future concerns about duplicate publications in Human Factors and the Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making.