ieee antennas propagation society engineers education students

antenna signal processing radio astronomy engineering space communication

wireless mobile satellite telecommunications applied optics electromagnetic waves

menu

ieee-logo-black2

Body-Friendly Antennas: Emerging Materials, Manufacturing Techniques, and Design Strategies

Download Call for Papers (PDF)

Submission Deadline: 31 May 2021

Body-Friendly Antennas: Emerging Materials, Manufacturing Techniques, and Design Strategies Aims & Scope: Driven by the growing integration and miniaturization of wearable wireless sensors, antennas for body area networks are becoming largely adopted in many different contexts, such as heath monitoring, physical wellness, sport, rehabilitation, surgery, ambient assisted living and telemedicine. For this reason, the antenna design requirements are gradually becoming complex, besides application-oriented. Indeed, in addition to the customary electromagnetic optimization, one of the challenges of the modern antenna designer is to fulfill the compatibility between antenna and human body. In this scenario, the introduction of innovative bio-compatible and bio-degradable materials or metamaterials joined to advanced realization techniques and design strategies brings to the definition of novel well-performing “body-friendly” antennas. The new concepts of conformability, flexibility, adaptability, stretchability are mixed with the classical concepts of efficiency, reliability, and robustness with the aim of designing antennas that are both “transparent” for the body and unobtrusive for the daily activities. Conductive fabrics, flexible 3D printed substrates, conductive nanoparticle silver inks, as well as copper, textile tapes and Fusion Deposition Molding (FDM) are just a few examples of innovative materials and techniques that help in realizing comfortable wearable, implantable and epidermal body-friendly antennas. Recently, nanotechnologies have also been used to design small antennas, on-chip antennas, and biodegradable structures (i.e. tattoo antennas) for body area networks.

The aim of this focused Special Section is to join experts all over the world thus stimulating a discussion about this topical scientific challenge. Authors are invited to submit new full research and/or review articles reporting recent advances on body-friendly antennas. In addition to the design, compared analyses and systematic reviews aimed at evaluating both physical and electromagnetic performance of this kind of antennas in real-life contexts are encouraged as well.

Lead Guest Editor

Dr. Riccardo Colella
National Research Council (CNR), Italy
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Guest Editors

Prof. Asimina Kiourti
The Ohio State University, USA
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Prof. Andrea Casula
University of Cagliari, Italy
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Cecilia Occhiuzzi
University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Johanna Virkki
Tampere University of Technology, Finland
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Friendly suggestion on how to write your article

Authors should write their articles by making comparisons with a sufficient number of relevant papers (i.e. closely related to what is being proposed/discussed/analyzed) that are among the most recently published. In this way, Authors should make the argument that there is novelty compared to the state of the art and thus hopefully convince the Reviewer(s) about the merits of their submitted manuscripts. In fact, it is the Authors’ responsibility to (1) clearly state what they think the novelty is; (2) provide evidence that the novelty is not incremental; and (3), add appropriate statements in the manuscript (such as in the Introduction section and/or other appropriate sections).

A Word About Keywords

Former Editor-in-Chief, L. Wilson Pearson, has provided the following insightful comments about keyword selection:

ScholarOne Manuscripts provides space for authors to enter keywords for their manuscripts directly. It also provides a picklist function so that authors can select words from the official list of IEEE keywords.

Please employ the picklist in choosing your keywords. Dreaming up keywords at one’s own discretion completely defeats the purpose of having keywords in the first place.

I have learned that authors largely misunderstand the purpose of keywords. They tend to use them to point to the uniqueness of the contribution of the paper in questions. We are all prone to a bit of self-aggrandizement, so this is understandable. The intent of keywords is to conclude a year with as small a set of keywords as possible to span all of the papers published in that year. Having more than one term to refer to a single concept defeats this purpose. The choice of keywords enables (or defeats) readers in searching out papers on a particular topic. Consider the following example.

L. W. Pearson and R. A. Whitaker, “A Transverse Aperture-Integral-Equation Solution for Edge Diffraction by Multiple Layers of Homogeneous Material,” Radio Science, Vol. 26, No. 1, January, 1991.

The late Rick Whitaker and I did this work in the late 1980s. We were proud of the concepts introduced in the paper and our pride might have dictated a choice of keywords along the line.

  • Transverse-aperture integral equation
  • Method of moments
  • Dielectric slabs
  • Electromagnetic diffraction
  • Asymptotic anticipation

The first of these hypothetical keywords reflects author vanity and nothing more. The last term is not a part of any official keyword list, though it has been used by a number of workers. The middle three are legitimate keywords.

The difficulty with “transverse-aperture integral equation” is quite evident if you reflect on it: no one would ever think of looking under this topic in an annual index to try to find this paper. It is not at all universal. The term from the list, “integral equation methods” will do just fine in place of the more pretentious term.

Of course, keyword lists cannot be static. New concepts come into our endeavors all the time. As they become commonly accepted, then the master list of keywords must be expanded. In perspective, the IEEE list contains almost 8000 entries. (Actually, the IEEE adopts a list that is maintained by INSPEC, an arm of the IEE, London.) The editor of any transactions has the prerogative to submit extensions to the list. I maintain an expansion list that grows by a few words as each issue is indexed. I have added about 150 words in 2-1/2 years as editor. Many of these reflect omissions on the part of the INSPEC list. The following are examples.

  • Dielectric slabs
  • Evanescent waves
  • Impedance boundary conditions
  • Propagators
  • Quasi optics

Some examples of terms that have recently grown common enough to add are as follows:

  • Dielectric resonator antennas
  • Fast solvers
  • Numerical dispersion
  • Urban propagation

One can clearly recognize that these terms have grown in importance to the point of common usage. The term “fast solvers” is an example worthy of note. Adding this to the index was my choice. I am sure that there is a community that would like to see “fast multipole method” indexed as a term of its own. “Fast solvers” is a broader term into which the fast multipole method fits nicely. The fact that both terms begin with the word “fast” ensures that anyone seeking the fast multipole method in an index will come upon the “fast solver” heading. My choice was simply that I elected to use the broadest possible terms.

What should an author do if he finds adequate indexing terms to be lacking for a new submission? Simply indicate the fact in the “Author Comments” field when the paper is submitted into Manuscript Central, suggesting some possibilities for a new index term.

After your paper has been accepted

Congratulations on the publication of your work. Please read the following information while preparing the submission of your final files.

Important Remarks:

  • After the submission of your final files, the Editorial Office conducts a final administrative and similarity check of your final manuscript. The Editorial Office may contact the corresponding author if revisions are required, or a document is missing. Once your manuscript is assigned to batch, it will be available in the early access section of IEEE Xplore within 10 days.
  • The authors’ list provided at submission cannot be changed, unless under very special circumstances that need to be considered and approved on a case-by-case basis by the Editorial Board.
  • If the authors’ list in the final files is different from the authors’ list of the accepted paper, there is a very high chance the manuscript will be rejected.
  • Please make minor changes to the manuscript if required. Check your final manuscript carefully for errors and consistency. Pay attention to dimensional units, standard definitions, and quantities. For example, many authors confuse return loss (usually positive) with reflection coefficient (negative).
  • If changes are required in the decision letter, please respond to the final comments in the cover letter and describe any changes to the final manuscript. Changes implemented should not be highlighted in the final files as these will be used for posting in the IEEE Xplore Early Access section before editing.
  • All final files are submitted through the ‘Awaiting Final Files’ queue in your Author Center on ScholarOne Manuscripts or IEEE Author Portal (depending on which platform was used for manuscript submission).
  • Before you commence the final submission process, please make sure all author information in the submission record is correct and complete.

Final Files Upload Checklist

  1. Source file of final manuscript. A LaTex, or Microsoft Word application file. The final manuscript should be in the IEEE two-column template with figures and captions. (This template can be downloaded from here). It should include keywords/index terms, and bios and photos if you are including them. Failure to submit a source file may result in publishing delays.
  2. Final manuscript in PDF. A pdf alone is not sufficient for publication. Please ensure the source file, as detailed in Step 1, is also submitted. Both files are essential.
  3. Cover letter. A pdf of your cover letter.
  4. Separate figure files. The acceptable formats are doc, eps, ps, tiff, ppt and xls. Png or jpeg files for figures are not accepted.
  5. Biosketch(es) and photo(s) (Not required for Communications or Comments). Biosketches (maximum 600 words per Bio) should be uploaded at the same time as the other final files. These can be included at the end of your Microsoft Word or Latex source file or submitted as a separate upload. For author photos jpeg files are accepted.
  6. E-Copyright. Submitting authors are reminded to transfer the e-copyright form under ‘Manuscripts with Decisions’ in ScholarOne Manuscripts Author Center or IEEE Author Portal.

Copyright

It is the policy of the IEEE to own the copyright to the technical contributions it publishes on behalf of the interests of the IEEE, its authors, and their employers, and to facilitate the appropriate reuse of this material by others. To comply with the U.S. Copyright Law, authors are required to submit an IEEE Electronic Copyright Form before their manuscripts can be published. This form returns to authors and their employers the full rights to reuse their material for their own purposes.
IEEE Electronic Copyright Form
IEEE Copyright Policy

Page Proofs

Page proofs are sent to each corresponding author just prior to publication of the paper. Minor and typographical errors should be noted and corrected according to the instructions enclosed with the proofs. Major changes required to correct errors in the author's manuscript will not, in general, be permitted. To avoid the need for a major change, authors should proofread their manuscript very carefully. Only minor, editorial changes are allowed when the corresponding author receives the manuscript page proof for final checking.

Page Charges

All Authors are requested to honor page charges of $110 per printed page for the first eight pages of a Paper and for the first four pages of a Communication. Payment of page charges for this IEEE TRANSACTIONS is not a necessary prerequisite for publication. A Page Charge Form must be completed and returned to IEEE (following the detailed instructions accompanying final proofs) before a manuscript can be published.

Charges for Excessive Length

A mandatory EXCESSIVE PAGE LENGTH charge of $200 per page is required for Papers longer than eight (8) printed pages and Communications longer than four (4) printed pages. If the author will not agree to pay mandatory charges, the author will be required to reduce the manuscript to eight printed pages or less (four printed pages for Communications) prior to final acceptance and scheduling for publication. The above policy has no relationship to requests by the Editor to reduce very long manuscripts prior to technical review.

A mandatory Excessive Page Length charge of $200 per page is required for Papers longer than eight (8) printed pages and Communications longer than four (4) printed pages with a possible exemption for one (1) overlength page of references.

Overlength page charges (OPC) will be computed according to the following algorithm:

  1. For Regular Papers that have at least one full page of references, and the paper totals 9+ pages, the author receives the 9th page free of OPC (fees apply beginning with the 10th page onward). For example,
    • (a) A 9-page paper with one full page of references = $0 OPC.
    • (b) A 10-page paper with one full page of references incurs $200.00 in OPC.
  2. For Regular Papers that have less than one full page of references, and the paper totals 9+ pages, OPC incur from the 9th page onward. For example,
    • (a) A 9-page paper with less than one full page of references = $200 OPC.
    • (b) A 10-page paper with less than one full page of references $400.00 in OPC.
  3. For Communications that have at least one full column of references, and the Communication exceeds 4+ pages, the author receives the 5th page free of OPC (fees apply beginning with the 6th page onward). For example,
    • (a) A 5-page paper with at least one full column references = $0 OPC.
    • (b) A 6-page paper with at least one full column incurs $200.00 in OPC.
  4. For Communications that have less than one full column and the Communication exceeds 4+ pages, the author incurs OPC beginning with the 5th page onward. For example,
    • (a) A 5-page paper with less than one full column of references = $200 OPC.
    • (b) A 6-page paper with less than one full column of references incurs $400.00 in OPC.

Illustrations

For final versions, electronic graphics must be provided as separate files. Color figures can appear in the print version of the article for an additional charge of $275 USD per printed color figure. Alternatively, figures can appear in color online and grayscale in print without incurring this additional cost. Details on this option will be provided upon manuscript acceptance. Color figures provided during review are acceptable in case they can be interpreted if printed in grayscale.

Open Access Options

IEEE TAP is a hybrid journal, allowing either traditional manuscript submission or Open Access (author-pays OA) manuscript submission. Upon submission, if you choose to have your manuscript be an Open Access article, you commit to pay a standard fee if your manuscript is accepted for publication in order to enable unrestricted public access. Any other application charges (such as over-length page charge and/or charge for the use of color in the print format) will be billed separately once the manuscript formatting is complete but prior to the publication. If you would like your manuscript to be a traditional submission, your article will be available to qualified subscribers and purchasers via IEEE Xplore. No OA payment is required for traditional submission. Corresponding authors from low-income countries are eligible for waived or reduced open access APCs.

Explore Open Access and fee details

Institutional Open Access Agreements

IEEE offers open access programs designed to make it convenient for institutions and funders to support and manage costs for authors, and simplify the publishing process. Discover if your institution has an open access agreement with IEEE and make your research freely available to all, at no cost.

Find out if your Institution has an Open Access Agreement

Spread the News: Share your published paper announcement

Share the news of your article’s publication with the community!

Stay Connected

Subscribe to TAP Newsletter! Join our community and stay updated on news and latest developments.

Join TAP channels on social media

To contact the Editorial Office: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How to prepare your revision

The goal of the revision is not only to respond to the review panel’s comments, but also to clarify the raised points through corrective actions and improvements to the manuscript. Therefore, authors should include their clarifications in the revised manuscript to enhance its quality.

If you are submitting a revised version of a manuscript, you will select the manuscript under the "Manuscripts to be Revised" section in the IEEE Author Portal. Please note that after you upload the new version of the manuscript, you will need to "view the proof," and to finally "submit" the manuscript. After submitting the revised version of the manuscript (a ".R1," or ".R2" version, for example), the manuscript will move from the "Manuscripts to be Revised" section to the "Submitted Manuscripts" section in your IEEE Author Portal. If the manuscript does not move to the "Submitted Manuscripts" section, then you have not completed the submission process, and your revised manuscript will not be available to reviewers!

For all revisions, major or minor, please follow the steps below to prepare your submission:

  1. Prepare a response letter to the decision letter. All comments from the Editorial Board should be answered one by one, i.e., in the order of comment1-response1; comment2- response2, etc. Following each comment, indicate carefully the changes made in the manuscript to address the concern or provide a rebuttal if you disagree with the comment. Upload the letter as a 'Supporting Document' in the system.
  2. Revise the manuscript taking into account all the comments/requests from the Reviewers, the Track Editor, the Associate Editor, and the Editor-in-Chief.
  3. Mark all changes made in the revised manuscript in RED for better readability
  4. If a change of manuscript type is requested by the Editorial Board, please format the manuscript into its corresponding format. More information about manuscript formats and templates are available here

Please keep in mind the following:

  • Upon creating a revision, you can change the Manuscript Title, Type of manuscript and other information in the IEEE Author Portal record by going back to the corresponding section if necessary.
  • You are reminded to honor the revision deadline and submit the required files within the time frame indicated in the decision letter (i.e., 120 days for major revisions/60 days for minor revisions).
  • All revised manuscripts will undergo the same rigorous review process as original submissions. Please kindly allow approximately 12 weeks for the review as suggested by the “Information for Author” on the back inside cover of the Transactions.

For questions, please contact the Editorial Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.