Elements of a Paper

The main elements of a paper are listed below in the order in which they should appear:

• Conference header
• Paper number
• Paper title
• Author names with affiliations (includes city and state/country)
• Body of the paper
• References

Conference Header

The conference header should appear in the top-right corner of the first page only and should be right-aligned. It will look like this:

Proceedings of the [Full name of conference]
[Conference abbreviation or code]
Conference dates [month, days, year] and location [city, state (spelled out), country]

The font should be Arial size 10 and bolded (see templates for more information). For the exact conference header, review the author resources on the specific conference website.

Paper Number

A unique paper number is given to you for each paper (ex. IMECE2020-12345). It is important that this number be included in full on the paper itself; it should be placed directly below the conference header in Arial size 16 (see template for more information).

To ensure that the paper is indexed correctly and to avoid confusion, it is imperative that the paper number be correct on the paper. In addition, authors contacting ASME staff should include the paper number (ex. IMECE2020-12345) in the subject line. This will help resolve any issues faster.

Paper Title

Format the paper title in bold Arial size 11 font. Be sure all characters are UPPERCASE with the exception of units of measure or any technical terms requiring lowercase characters (e.g. chemical formulas or equations).

Papers With Subtitles

Subtitles are preceded by a colon. If a paper has more than one subtitle, the second title is preceded by an em-dash.
Follow the same model for papers that are part of a series. Close the preliminary title with a colon. After the colon write Part X followed by an em-dash before the subtitle. Note there is a space on either side of the em-dash.

Numbering Parts

Parts should be numbered consistently; either use Arabic or Roman numerals, but not both.
Part numbers should be consecutive, i.e., Do not submit a paper titled Part 3 and Part 4, if you have not submitted Part 1 and 2. Do not submit Part 3 and Part IV.
Use the word “Part” with the number.’

PLACE TITLE HERE: PART 1 — SUBTITLE HERE

Note that a space is used before and after the em-dash. Authors should double-check the titles for any typos as word processors do not spell-check text written in all uppercase.

Author Names With Affiliations

It is important that the author name on the paper matches the author name provided in the Toolbox account. Names should come in first name-last (family) name order. Every author on the paper must be included in the Toolbox account. Under no circumstance can authors be added after acceptance of the draft.

The main institution (affiliation) of the author must be included. This should match what is provided in the Toolbox account. Authors who have changed affiliation during the publication process should indicate their previous affiliation in a footnote on the first page: “*Previously affiliated with [name of institution].”

It is also important for the author information section to take up a small portion of the first page. Please try to consolidate this information as best as you can. Authors with the same affiliation and who come next to each other in author order should be listed together on the same line with their names separated by commas.

Ensure the correct city/country information is included. Authors inside the US should list only the city and the state. Authors in Canada should list only city, province, and country. Authors everywhere else should include only the city and the country. Please do not add extraneous information.
See templates for more information.

Body of the Paper

Abstract

This section is a short summary (200 words or fewer) of the paper indicating its objectives, scope, and results. Key words and phrases can be included here. The abstract is not a summary of the whole subject matter.

Nomenclature

This section is optional. The nomenclature list should be in alphabetical order. See templates for more information.

Organization

For clarity, the text should be organized into logical parts or sections. The purpose of the paper should be stated in an introduction section and can include a description of the problem, the means of solution, any other information necessary to properly quality the results presented, and the conclusion. Headings and subheadings should appear throughout the paper to divide the subject matter into logical parts and to emphasize the major elements and considerations. These headings assist the reader in following the trend of thought and in forming a mental picture of the points of chief importance. Parts or sections may be numbered, if desired, but paragraphs should not be numbered.

Style

The chief purpose of the work is to convey information to others, many of whom may be less familiar with the general subject than the author. Care should be taken, therefore, to use simple terms and expressions and to make statements as concise as possible. If highly technical terms or phraseology are necessary, they should be adequately explained and defined. The use of the first person and reference to individuals should be made in such a manner as to avoid personal bias. Company names should be mentioned only in the acknowledgments.
All papers should be concise regardless of length. Long quotations should be avoided by referring to sources. Illustrations and tables—where they help clarify the meaning or are necessary to demonstrate results properly—are desirable; however, these should be kept to a practicable minimum. Detailed drawings, lengthy test data and calculations, and photographs that may be interesting, but which are not integral to the understanding of the subject, should be omitted. Equations should be kept to a reasonable minimum, and built-up fractions within sentences should be avoided whenever possible to enhance readability. Papers that fail to conform to these requirements may be returned for revision and/or condensation.

Originality

Only original contributions to the engineering literature are accepted for publication. In most cases, this means that the work should incorporate substantial information not previously published. Under certain circumstances, reviews, collations, or analyses of information previously published may be acceptable.

Accuracy

It is of the greatest importance that all technical, scientific, and mathematical information contained in the paper be checked with the utmost care. A slight error may result in a serious error on the part of anyone who may later use that information.

Acknowledgments

This section is optional. Authors who were not added to the paper, but whose contributions you would like to mention, can be noted here. Here you would also include any government acknowledgement or grant/scholarship information.