Announcements

  • New Issue: Vol. 39, No. 1 of JotNAFE

    2022-07-20

    Thank you for all the contributions.  We have published a 6-paper edition of the Journal (Vol. 39, No. 1), which is now live on our website at journal.nafe.org. The Journal is actively contributing to expanding the body of knowledge for forensic engineering, as evidenced by the continuous searching and downloading of our papers. We hope NAFE members will have new papers in mind for the San Antonio meeting in January. The call for papers is now open, so please register/log in to journal.nafe.org to submit new abstracts.

    Bart Kemper, PE, DFE, F.ASME
    Editor-In-Chief, JotNAFE

    Read more about New Issue: Vol. 39, No. 1 of JotNAFE

  • CALL FOR PAPERS (Toronto, 22-24 July)

    2022-01-18

    KEY DATES

    4-01: Abstracts due from authors in OJS
    4-10: Abstracts reviewed and rated by AEs (Editorial Board)
    4-15: Abstracts (up to 8 papers and 2 backups) selected for conference by Editorial Board and authors notified. Anything selected as a backup *will* be slated for the following conference. Selection as “backup” is to be more about redundancy for a conference than quality. There is no “theme” schedule for this event, unlike prior “marine” or “fire” themed conferences.
    4-16: AEs are assigned to papers in OJS
    5-15: 90% draft papers to AE, who provides feedback to author and makes sure all issues resolved by 7-1
    6-1: Powerpoint drafts with 2 “learning questions” and at least 5 “prompting” questions due to AE, who provides feedback to author and makes sure they’ve resolved any issues by 7-15
    7-22 to 7-24: Conference presentations given in Toronto

    Read more about CALL FOR PAPERS (Toronto, 22-24 July)

  • Tuscon and introducing "rolling submission" for abstracts

    2022-01-12

    The Tuscon meeting went very well.  Tonja Koob (Forensic Hydrology and Environmental Assessment in Louisiana’s First Oil Field: A 100-Year Recreation of Historical Land Use) and Elizabeth Buc (Self-Loosening Sediment Traps Resulting in Gas Explosions) were voted as the best presentations for Journal presentations.  We are looking forward to publishing their paper and everyone else who presented.

    If you have an idea for a paper, please review the infomation on the Journal site and submit an abstract.  We do not require an abstract to come in at a specific time.   If it helps you to start earlier, particularly if you have time availabe early on, then we will support that by accepting the abstracts.   Please do not submit more abstracts than you are willing to be accepted for a given cycle.  The official call for abstracts along with milestone dates will be announced later.

    All abstracts for a given publication cycle will be evaluated at the same time.   Our intent is to approve "8 + 1" or possibly "8 + 2" -- that we select the best 9 or 10 *qualified* abstracts for development.   Everyone selected commits to submitting the pre-conference draft paper and developing a presentation.  The "+1" or "+2" will move up if one from the initial 8 drops out or requires too much revision to stay on the initial schedule.  If all 8 initial selectees are presented, the the others will be automatically in the next conference cycle.   All papers will be of acceptable quality, so what makes a paper a "+1 or +2" will be subject redundancy or other content-related issues.  

    As always, I am willing to review an abstract and provide feedback prior to submission. Abstract selection is done by the committee without author names.  My email is "eic@nafe.org".  

    If you wish to be a peer reviewer or join the Technical Review Committee as an Associate Editor (AE), please email me.  The Journal's Managing Editor (Ellen Parsons) assigns the AE's while the Senior Associate Editor (Jim Green) assigns peer reviewers.  Authors know their AE but no their peer reviewers.  

    Letters and certificates for credits for doing peer review or being Associate Editor will be released in the next few weeks.     I look forward to seeing abstracts for new papers for Toronto as well as 

    Bart Kemper, PE, DFE
    EIC, JotNAFE

    Read more about Tuscon and introducing "rolling submission" for abstracts

  • The latest Journal is up

    2022-01-04

    Vol. 38, #2 is published.   We have six papers, featuring failed resin components; a crash involving an articulated semi-trailer; an industrial electric failure; a fire investigation involving a gas log; a failure of a hot water recirculation system; and electrocution fatalities due to downed powerlines.  Thank you to all of the authors for their hard work!

    Bart Kemper, PE, DFE
    Editor In Chief, JotNAFE

    Read more about The latest Journal is up

  • Still time for Tucson papers

    2021-10-05

    We still have openings for papers for Tuscon.   This is your chance to be published.  The subject matter must be about the field of forensic engineering and be about a method, technique, or case study.  Papers have also taken other approaches, such as historical studies to show how standards changed and its impact on liability.  The critical aspect is it cannot be just a "war story," recounting a case and presenting opinions.  A Journal paper's conclusion must be supported by work shown (like a case study showing the engineering effort or disecting the opposing work) and/or by citation of showing supporting theory,  supporting facts, similar examples, etc.

    We will work with you.  If you can produce a "90% draft", as described in our Submission page, by Nov. 1 we would love to have you present it at Tuscon and publish it next summer.   If you have any questions, please contact me.

    Bart Kemper, P.E., DFE
    Editor In Chief, JotNAFE
    email: EIC@nafe.org

    Read more about Still time for Tucson papers

  • Call for Papers Winter 2022 Meeting

    2021-09-21

    Abstract submission for the NAFE Winter 2022 meeting is now open through September 30. If you have a forensic engineering "lesson learned" to share, please consider developing a paper for the Journal. We will be seeking 8 papers plus 2 "in reserve".  The ones selected for "reserve" will be based on redundancy with others (i.e., two auto accidents).  Any paper selected as "reserve" and not needed is automatically accepted for the following conference.   As a registered user, you can search the Journal archives to see if the topic has been addressed before.  As long as you have a new aspect to present, it will be considered. You can find the requirements and guidance by using the "Make a submission" button, and you can review papers from the last few years to get a better feel for what a successful paper is. I look forward to reviewing your abstract.

    Read more about Call for Papers Winter 2022 Meeting

  • New Issue: Vol. 38, No. 1 of JotNAFE

    2021-07-25

    Thank you for all the contributions.  We have published a 16-paper edition of the Journal.  It's live on our website at journal.nafe.org.  We are steadily working through the backlog of papers as well as bringing 6 new papers to be presented at this week's NAFE Summer Conference in Providence, RI.  The Journal is actively contributing to expanding the body of knowledge for forensic engineering, as evidenced by the continuous searching and downloading of our papers.   We hope NAFE members will  have new papers in mind we we do our next call for abstracts in a few months.

    Bart Kemper, P.E., DFE
    Editor-In-Chief, JotNAFE

    Read more about New Issue: Vol. 38, No. 1 of JotNAFE

  • Peer Reviewers

    2021-05-18

    Emails have gone out for the Peer Reviewers for the last two editions of the Journal. Going forward, we will not wait until a paper is published. By the end of August all peer review work for remaining unpublished papers will be documented and emailed, regardless of when the review was conducted. In the future we will be issuing out credit for Peer Review work every June and December. This will give Reviewers timely documentation for their work for the Journal.

    If you worked on a paper published in the last two editions of JotNAFE and have not received an email, please contact me at eic@nafe.org. Some of the emails have bounced.

    Peer reviewers are vital to our Journal. They conduct the detailed review of a paper's methods and citation. Many jurisdictions and organizations, including NAFE, give PDH credit for peer review work. If anyone wishes to be a peer reviewer, or has been a peer reviewer in the past but has not been active, please contact me and I'll update the roster.

    Bart Kemper
    Editor In Charge, JotNAFE

    Read more about Peer Reviewers

  • Call for Papers for Summer 2021

    2021-04-07

    Abstract submissions for the NAFE Summer 2021 meeting is now open through April 15. If you have a forensic engineering "lesson learned" to share, please consider developing a paper for the Journal. We will be seeking 8 papers plus 2 "in reserve".  The ones selected for "reserve" will be based on redundancy with others (ie, two auto accidents).  Any paper selected as "reserve" and not needed is automatically accepted for the following conference.   As a registered user you can search the Journal archives to see if the topic has been addressed before.  As long as you have a new aspect to present, it will be considered. You can find the requirements and guidance by using the "Make a submission" button and you can review papers from the last few years to get a better feel for what a successful paper is. I look forward to reviewing your abstract.

    Read more about Call for Papers for Summer 2021

  • Call for Papers for July 2021 Meeting

    2021-03-01

    Abstract submissions for the NAFE Summer 2021 meeting is now open through April 15.   If you have a forensic engineering "lesson learned" to share, please consider developing a paper for the Journal.  As a registered user you can search the Journal archives to see if the topic has been addressed the same way you plan.  You can find the requirements and guidance by using the "Make a submission" button and you can review papers from the last few years to get a better feel for what a successful paper is.  I look forward to reviewing your abstract.

    Bart Kemper, PE, DFE
    Editor In Chief

    Read more about Call for Papers for July 2021 Meeting