IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering

IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
Title	IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
Discipline	Automation, Robotics, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering
Abbreviation	IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng.
Publisher	IEEE
Country	United States
Frequency	Bimonthly
History	2004–present
Issn	1545-5955

IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing original research on automation, robotics, control, manufacturing, and systems engineering. Established in the early 21st century, the journal is produced by a major professional association and serves an international audience of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. It emphasizes rigorous theory, experimental validation, and applications bridging academia and industry.

History

The journal was inaugurated in the context of expanding interests in automation and robotics alongside developments at IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, IEEE Control Systems Society, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers initiatives. Its founding reflected influences from landmark events and institutions such as DARP A programs, National Science Foundation research priorities, and industrial efforts at companies like General Motors, Siemens, and ABB. Early editorial leadership included scholars associated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Berkeley, and ETH Zurich. The journal evolved through editorial transitions influenced by academic centers at Stanford University, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, and Tsinghua University, while special issues responded to workshops at conferences such as IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, American Control Conference, and IFAC World Congress. Over time the publication adapted policies aligning with standards promoted by Committee on Publication Ethics, National Institutes of Health, and modern open science movements.

Scope and Topics

The journal covers topics including automation architectures, robotic systems, intelligent manufacturing, autonomous vehicles, and cyber-physical systems, reflecting research from laboratories at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Robotics Institute, Fraunhofer Society, and A*STAR. Representative areas include planning and control informed by work at California Institute of Technology, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, and University of Oxford; perception and sensing drawing on research at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London, and Peking University; production systems and supply chain automation related to studies at Northwestern University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and human-robot interaction reflecting contributions from University of Southern California, University of British Columbia, Technical University of Munich, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Cross-cutting themes engage methods associated with Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research, Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, and IBM Research.

Editorial Board and Publication Ethics

The editorial board has historically included editors-in-chief and associate editors affiliated with institutions such as University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, and The University of Tokyo. The journal follows publication ethics and peer-review practices advocated by bodies including Committee on Publication Ethics, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and policy frameworks from Office of Research Integrity. Peer review is typically single- or double-blind depending on editorial policy, with submissions handled via manuscript systems used by publishers like IEEE Xplore and workflows influenced by standards from CrossRef and ORCID. Conflict-of-interest disclosures, data availability, and reproducibility expectations reflect norms promoted by National Institutes of Health and funding agencies such as European Research Council and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic and citation databases used by researchers, including Science Citation Index Expanded, Scopus, EI Compendex, and INSPEC. Metadata and digital object identifiers are registered with CrossRef and integrated into discovery platforms such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Microsoft Academic (archive). Library catalogs at institutions like Library of Congress, British Library, National Diet Library (Japan), and Bibliothèque nationale de France list holdings, while institutional repositories at Cornell University, University of California, and ETH Zurich provide archived author manuscripts consistent with publisher self-archiving policies.

Impact and Reception

The journal’s impact factor and citation metrics have been tracked in annual reports by Journal Citation Reports and assessed through altmetrics provided by services such as Altmetric (company) and PlumX. Its influence is evident in citations in conference proceedings from IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, and ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, and in cross-disciplinary references from research at NASA, European Space Agency, Toyota Research Institute, and Ford Motor Company. Scholars at Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, and National University of Singapore frequently cite the journal in fields spanning automation, control, and manufacturing systems. Reviews in professional outlets and awards from organizations like IEEE Robotics and Automation Society have recognized notable contributions published in the journal.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Special issues have focused on emergent themes coordinated with events and research programs such as National Robotics Initiative, Industry 4.0, Autonomous Vehicles Symposium, and workshops at IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering. Influential articles include methodological advances in planning and optimization referenced alongside landmark works from J. C. Latombe, S. Russell, R. Brooks, and P. Fiorini; applied studies adopted by industrial partners including Bosch and Honeywell; and multidisciplinary surveys cited by policy reports from European Commission and U.S. Department of Energy. The journal’s special collections have aggregated contributions from guest editors affiliated with MIT, CMU, ETH Zurich, University of Tokyo, Delft University of Technology, and Seoul National University, fostering cross-pollination among academic, governmental, and industrial research programs.

Category:IEEE academic journals