Faculty of Architecture Research Unit (FARU)

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Overview

FARU Journal is a bi-annual, double-blind review journal since 2021. The journal was initiated in 2009 as part of the FARU Annual Conference bearing ISSN 2012-6301.

The aim of the FARU Journal is to provide a platform to discourse theoretical or empirical studies through discussions, debate across disciplines under the main theme ‘Dimensions of Space’. The FARU publications discuss fundamental and applied research on ‘space’ and different dimensions of it within the discipline of Built Environment, Town and Country Planning, Building Economics, Design and Facilities Management.

FARU interprets ‘space’ as ‘research space’ that support wide range original research on methodological and technical approaches including experimental, observational, monitoring and management studies and, policy analysis related to the environmental performance of the built environment ranging from cities, communities, buildings, building systems, building science, urban physics, and human interaction.

FARU Journal was revamp in 2020, published with only the high ranked papers among those selected for the FARU Conference thereafter in 2021 and it was published with an eISSN 2806-5182 to increase geographical reach of authorship and readership. 

All FARU Journal volumes can be accessed via the FARU website and Sri Lanka Journals Online (SLJOL) https://faruj.sljol.info/ 

Call for papers for Journal (Issue 1 & 2)

FARU Journal (Issue 01)

The Issue 01 of the FARU paper will be published in the month of June each year.

The Issue 01 for the FARU Journal will be a closed call based on the invited papers from FARU conference which is held in December each year. Only the invited authors can submit a substantially improved version of their conference papers to the FARU Journal Issue 01.

The call for papers for Issue 1 opens from January – March each year.

FARU Journal (Issue 02)

The Issue 02 of the FARU paper will be published in the month of December each year.

The Issue 02 for the FARU Journal will be an open call which will be widely published within and outside the University including other popular media.

The call for papers for Issue 2 opens from February – May each year.

FARU Journal Author Guidelines

The full paper should contain completed research, the description of your study and should be structured in different sections such as: Abstract, Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Results, Conclusions, Acknowledgements (if applicable) and References.

The paper should be prepared adhering to the following author guidelines.

FARU Journal Author Guidelines and Template

Items

Requirements

Format

Article file should be submitted as an MS (Microsoft) Word file

Paper size: A4

Margins: Top:2 cm, Bottom: 2cm, Left: 2cm, Right: 2cm

Headers and Footers

The contents for header and footer will be inserted later by the Journal Editors. Do not add/alter/delete it and keep it as shown.

Article length

Article length should be limited to 10-15 pages. At any case, no more than 15 pages including the tables, figures and list of references.

Article title

A suitable concise title no more than 20 words

[Cambria 12, Bold and Capital, Line spacing: 1.5 lines, Paragraph Space before: 0 pt, after:0 pt]

Author Details

Do not identify the author details such as names, affiliations in any part of the paper including in the acknowledgements to ensure anonymity with the double-blind review process. Include the names of authors, affiliations and contact emails only when submitting the paper after its acceptance. Corresponding author should be identified with an * at the end of the name.

Author Names

Format for the authors names should be exactly as ‘Surname followed by initials’ (Eg. Perera A.B.C.)

[Cambria 10, line spacing exactly 12 pt, Centre text alignment, Paragraph Space before: 24 pt, after:0 pt]

Corresponding author should be identified with an * at the end of the name.

Author Affiliations

Authors should also provide that should consist of the name of the institution, the city, the country, and the email address, preferably an institutional email.

[Cambria 8, Italics, line spacing exactly 12 pt, Centre text alignment, Paragraph Space before: 0 pt, after:0 pt]

Abstract

The abstract should be in one paragraph. It should explain the research context, problem investigated, the methodology used, and key findings discussed. The abstract should be without any citation, references and unexplained abbreviations. Abstract should not exceed 200 words.

[Cambria 08, Line spacing: Exactly 13 pt, Paragraph Space Before: 12pt, After:6 pt ]

Keywords

The abstract should include 5 keywords. The keywords are separated by semicolons and terminated with a period.

[Cambria 08, Italics, Line spacing: 1.5 lines, Paragraph Space Before: 12pt and After:6 pt]

Headings

Headings must be concise, with a clear indication of the required hierarchy. 
The preferred format for headings at different levels are provided below

[Level 1 Headings – Cambria 10, Bold, Sentence Case, Line spacing: Exactly 13 pt, Paragraph Space Before: 12pt, After:6 pt]

[Level 2 Headings – Cambria 10, All caps, Line spacing: Exactly 13 pt, Paragraph Space Before: 12pt, After:6 pt]

[Level 3 Headings – Cambria 10, Italic, Sentence Case, Line spacing: Exactly 13 pt, Paragraph Space Before: 6pt, After:6 pt]

Body Text

Body text should be presented in 2 columns, as shown in the template. It is recommended to have at least one paragraph of text underneath each heading.

No Left indent when starting a paragraph of all sections, sub sections etc.  

[Cambria 09, Line spacing: Multiples 1.15, Line Justify Text alignment, Paragraph spacing Before: 0 and After: 0, Leave 1 line spacing between paragraphs]

Bullet points

Bullet texts can be a part of the paper. They can either be separated from the text preceding or following. Same format as body text but with a left indent of 0.5cm

Figures

Figures should be described appropriately in the text after cross-referencing it in the relevant text. They should be numbered as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. and be placed in the Centre Text alignment. The Figure should have 1 line spacing before the figure and after the caption (except at the end of a section). Do not leave a space between the image and the caption. The caption for a figure should be inserted just below the Figure.

Figure and Figure caption can be aligned to either centre in one column or one page, depending on the size of Figure. If the Figures are placed in the centre of the page before and after the Figure the paper should have 2 columns. Full paper manuscripts should contain the Figures.

Full paper manuscripts should contain the Figures. In addition, they shall be separately submitted in high resolution along with the final paper.

Tables

Tables should be described appropriately in the text after cross-referencing it in the relevant text. They should be numbered as Table 1, Table 2, etc. They should have one line spacing before the caption and after the table. Do not leave a space between the table caption and table. The caption for a table should be inserted just above the Table.

Table and Table caption can be aligned to either centre in one column or in one page, depending on the size of Table. If the Tables are placed in the centre of the page before and after the Table the paper should have 2 columns.

[Cambria 9, Line spacing: Multiples 1.15, Paragraph spacing Before: 0 and After: 0]

Equations

Equations should be numbered in parentheses at the right margin (as shown below)

H2 = x2y2 + Rx2 + 3Dxy                                                                                                      (1)

Citations and References

APA Reference Style (7th edition) author-date style should be used for this purpose.

For APA Reference Style Please refer the guideline provided in the link below

APA Reference Style (7th Edition)

Acknowledgments

Any Acknowledgements to be included only when preparing the final camera-ready paper, after the paper got reviewed and accepted. This is mainly to ensure the double-blind peer review process.

Template

Please download and prepare your article using the template

FARU Journal Review Process

The full peer review process consists of two stages, through which manuscripts may progress:

1. Stage One – Initial Screening of New Submissions:
Manuscripts are initially screened based on the following key factors:

  • Scope: Appropriateness for publication in FARU.
  • Originality: Uniqueness and novelty of the manuscript material.
  • Clarity: Clarity in presenting research and findings.
  • Completeness: Accuracy and completeness of data interpretation.
  • Relevance: Significance of the manuscript to the mentioned disciplines and their fields of study. Manuscripts exhibiting exceptional quality proceed to the next stage.
  • Format: Adherence to the formatting and referencing guidelines

The manuscripts that fails the stage 1 initiate screening will either be declined or returned to authors.

2. Stage Two – Peer Review:
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening undergo blind peer review by two independent reviewers. The Editorial Board considers comments from the peer reviewers and makes decisions such as:

  • Accept
  • Minor Revision
  • Major Revision
  • Decline

Authors are informed of the decision at this stage and are expected to submit a revised version addressing the reviewer comments, if applicable.

Additionally, authors should submit a table outlining the responses to the reviewer comments.

The revised manuscript will be re-reviewed until all the reviewer comments are satisfactorily addressed by the authors and the paper gets accepted for publication.

This information is visually represented on the website and can be accessed via the provided link.

FARU Review Process Document

This structured approach ensures transparency and fairness in the review process while maintaining the quality and integrity of FARU publications. 

Readership and Publication

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit research papers that focus within the scope of FARU publications. 

FARU Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement

Faculty of Architecture Research Unit (FARU) publications is committed to publishing and widely disseminating high-quality content. It is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical, behaviour for all parties involved in the act of publishing: The author, the journal editor, the peer reviewers, and the publisher. Our expectations are that all involved have a shared understanding and acceptance on FARU publication ethics and malpractice. Our ethic statements are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors available at  https://publicationethics.org

FARU Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement
COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines
Publication Ethics Web

Duties of the Editor in Chief(EIC) OR Guest Editor (GE)

The editor in chief’s or guest editor’s responsibility is to determine which submission to the journal will be published. The EIC/GE must ensure that decisions are made on the basis of the manuscript’s merit and that the author’s race, gender, religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, or citizenship are not considered.

Confidentiality

The editor in chief and any editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers will not use unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript for their own research purpose without the author’s explicit written consent. Reviewers must recuse themselves from reviewing manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest.

Duties of Reviewers

- Purpose of Peer review

Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the quality of the submission.

- Promptness

A potential reviewer should withdraw from the review process if unqualified to assess the contribution or cannot provide an assessment in a timely manner as defined by the editor.

- Confidentiality

Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Information concerning the manuscripts should not be discussed with others without the approval of the editor.

- Standards of Objectivities

Reviewers should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Reviewers’ comments should be clearly expressed and supported by data or arguments.

- Acknowledgement of sources

Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor in chief’s attention any substantial similarities or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

- Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Unpublished information disclosed in a submitted manuscript should not be used by the editorial committee members without the prior approval of the author’s explicit written consent. reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the manuscript.

Duties of Authors

- Reporting standards

Authors of original research reports should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

- Data access and retention

Authors could be asked to provide the raw data of their study together with the paper for editorial review and should be prepared to make the data publicly available if practicable. In any event, authors should ensure accessibility of such data to other competent professionals for a reasonable time after publications (preferably via an institutional data repository or other data center).

- Authorship of the paper

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contribution should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspect of the research, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

- Originality, Plagiarism, and acknowledgement of sources

The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works and will appropriately cite or quote the work and/or words of others. Publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work should also be cited.

- Multiple, Redundant, or Con current Publication

An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Manuscripts which have been published as copyrighted material elsewhere cannot be submitted. In addition, manuscripts under review by one journal should not be submitted to other publications while the manuscript is under review.

- Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

The authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed. Readers should be informed about who has funded research and on the role of the funders in the research.

- Fundamental errors in published work

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher. If the editor or the publisher learns from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper or to provide evidence to the editor of the correctness of the original paper.

Open Access Policy, Self-archiving Policy, Copyright

FARU Publications are Open Access. All articles can be downloaded free of charge. All FARU publications are deposited in the University repository and can be accessed via FARU website. The journal does not charge any fees at submission, reviewing, and production stages.

- Self-archiving Policy

FARU Publications allows authors to deposit Publisher's version/PDF in an institutional repository and non-commercial subject-based repositories or to publish it on Author's personal website (including social networking sites, such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.) and/or departmental website, at any time after publication. Full bibliographic information (authors, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages) about the original publication must be provided and a link must be made to the article's DOI.

- Copyright

Authors retain copyright of the published papers and have the right to use the article in any subsequent book, article, or other scholarly work of which you are an author or an editor, provided that appropriate credit is given to FARU.

Articles and Issues

Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Menaha Thayaparan, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Editorial Advisor

Prof. Yasangika Sandanayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Associate Editors

Dr. Mihiri Hirudini, Department of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Plnr. Eshi Wijegunarathna, Department of Town & Country Planning, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Suranga Jayasena, Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Dilina Nawarathne, Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Pournima Sridarran, Department of Facilities Management, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama, Department of Integrated Design, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

Editorial Reveiw Board

Dr. Chethika Abenayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Dilani Abenayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
A/Prof. Hajer AL-Dahash, University of Babylon, Iraq
Dr. Belqais Allali, University of Salford, UK
Dr. Ashan Asmone, University of Cambridge, UK
Assoc. Prof. Namrata Bhattacharya-Mis, University of Chester, UK
Dr. H Chandanie, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Tilanka Chandresekera, Oklahoma State University, USA
Dr. Shaleeni Coorey, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Assoc. Prof. Subrata Das, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
Dr. Chameera De Silva, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Chathura De Silva, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Lalith De Silva, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Nayanthara De Silva, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Wasana De Silva, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
⁠Dr. Elham Delzendeh, Birmingham City University, UK
Dr. Kapila Devapriya, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Nuwan Dias, University of Manchester, UK
Dr. Biyanka Ekanayake, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Prof. Rohinton Emmanuel, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Assoc. Prof. Nirodha Fernanado, Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Dr. Wajishani Gamage, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Pavithra Ganesu, University of Salford, UK
Dr. Devindi Geekiyanage, University of Salford, UK
Dr. Kanchana Ginige, Northumbria University, UK
Prof. Zhonghua Gou, Wuhan University, China
Dr. Sachie Gunatilake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Wathsala Gunawardena, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Mayank Gupta, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, India
Dr. Kaushalya Herath, University of Dundee, UK
Dr. Malani Herath, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Anishka Hettiarachchi, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Chamali Hewawasam, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Bingunath Ingirige, University of Salford, UK
Dr. Suranga Jayasena, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Amila Jayasinghe, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Pavitra Jayasinghe, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
Dr. Nadeeka Jayaweera, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Yamuna Kaluarachchi, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Prof. Kaushal Keraminiyage, University of Salford, UK
Prof. Udayangani Kulatunga, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Xiaoxi Li, National Environment Agency, Singapore
Dr. Nandun Madhusanka, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Samitha Manawadu, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Chamindi Malalgoda, University of Huddersfield, UK
Dr. Harshini Mallawarachchi, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Anupa Manewa, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Dr. Anushika Mudiyanselage, Birmingham City University, UK
Prof. Harsha Munasinghe, George Brown College, Canada
Prof. Jagath Munasinghe, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Alex Opoku, University of Sharjah, UAE
Dr. Kelum Palipane, Melbourn school of Design, Australia
Dr. Roshani Palliyaguru, Oxford Brooks University, UK
Prof. Chaminda Pathirage, University of Wolverhampton, UK
Dr. Milinda Pathiraja, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Kanchana Perera, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Narein Perera, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Amanda Rajapakse, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Indrika Rajapaksha, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Upendra Rajapaksha, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Thanuja Ramachandra, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Tharusha Ranadewa, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Gayani Ranasinghe, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Akila Rathnasinghe, Northumbria University, UK
Dr. Rohana Rathnayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Uthpala Rathnayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Giridaran Renganathan, University of Kent, United Kingdom
Dr. NM Rizvi, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Navodana Rodrigo, The University of Adelaide, Australia
Assoc. Prof. Julie Rudner, La Trobe University, Australia
Dr. Inoka Samarasekara, University of New South Wales, Australia
Dr. Aparna Samaraweera, University of South Australia, Australia
Dr. Sumanthri Samarawickrama, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Yasangika Sandanayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Laura Santamaria, Royal College of Art, UK
Mrs. Ruwandika Senanayake, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Krisanthi Seneviratne, Western Sydney University, Australia
Dr. Priyanwada Singhapathirana, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Mohan Siriwardena, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Dr. Dumindu Soorige, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Pournima Sridarran, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Cristiano Storni, University of Limerick, Ireland
Prof. Noralfishah Sulaiman, University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
Dr. AL Susantha, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Menaha Thayaparan, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Anuradha Waidyasekara, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Emeshi Warusawitharana, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Kamal Wasala, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Dr. Nilmini Weerasinghe, RMIT University, Australia
Prof. Janaka Wijesundara, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Prof. Suzzanne Wilkinson, Auckland University, New Zealand
Prof. Horoshi Yoshino, Tohoku University, Japan