The construction of a world-class submission and review system is essential for developing top-tier scientific and technical journals. We examine the functional requirements of authors, editors, review experts, and editorial board members regarding submission and review systems. This investigation aims to provide a foundational reference for optimizing these systems and to facilitate the advancement of scientific and technical journals. On the basis of the user interviews, we design functional optimization indices for the systems, catering to authors, editors, review experts, and editorial board members. A questionnaire survey is conducted to analyse the performance of these four roles in scoring and evaluating the relevant indices, as well as to assess the necessity and importance of optimizing the functions of the systems. The survey collects 705 valid questionnaires, including 276, 250, 123, and 56 questionnaires from authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members, respectively. The chi-square (χ²) statistic is used to compare the rates among different groups, revealing significant differences in age, professional title, and discipline among the samples of different roles. The sample data exhibit good representativeness and authenticity. More than half of the interviewees, namely, authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial board members, score 90%, 60%, 84%, and 90% of the optimization functions, respectively, with a score of 6 or above (the score ranges from 1 to 7, with a high score indicating a strong demand for the optimization functions from the respondents). These feedbacks indicate that the functional optimization indices of the project are designed to align closely with the needs of the roles involved. According to the demands of functional optimization emphasized by the four roles, four distinct optimization directions emerge, namely, convenience, functionality, real-time capabilities, and integration. Specifically, convenience pertains to user-friendly interfaces and straightforward operations, such as quick template access and one-click actions. Functionality emphasizes personalized workflow customization and robust reporting tools. Real-time capabilities focus on instant tracking of manuscript status, online proofreading, and immediate publishing. Finally, integration involves the intelligent and precise recommendation of review experts. This study proposes two optimization strategies for submission and review systems as follows. Guided by user needs, optimizing the systems ensures precise matching and offers high-quality user experiences. The four methods for understanding user needs and developing optimization plans that more closely align with these needs include researching users, crafting user-friendly interfaces, refining interaction processes, and deploying user test versions. Driven by advanced technology, system optimization promotes in-depth integration and facilitates the digital transformation of scientific and technical journals. To achieve full-chain digital transformation and upgrading involving topic selection and planning, editing and processing, and publication and dissemination, the five essential tools for enhancing the applications of advanced technology include workflow automation, real-time collaboration and communication, precision management, real-time monitoring and response, and platform integration and application.