Review Procedures
Manuscript Submissions and Editor Assignments
Authors must submit manuscripts to SIAM/ASA Journal on Uncertainty Quantification (JUQ) in electronic form at http://juq.siam.org. Authors should submit both the manuscript and a cover letter in PDF format. Figures, if any, must be embedded “inline” in the manuscript.
Following are specifics of how the journal’s peer review will operate.
After the submission has entered SIAM's tracking system the authors receive an e-mail acknowledging receipt and providing the manuscript number. Authors are asked to include the manuscript number in all correspondence regarding the paper.
After checking the files the author submitted and running the paper’s content through anti-plagiarism software, the SIAM office lets the Editors-in-Chief know there is a new manuscript. These editors will make all final decisions. Contact with the editors and the SIAM office regarding the manuscript should be done via e-mail. The editors review each submission to determine whether it is appropriate for the journal and, if so, who will assume responsibility and handle communication. The Editor will consider which Associate Editor (AE) can best handle the review. In making this decision, the Editor takes into account both the areas of expertise and current AE workloads. At the time the AE accepts the assignment the paper is considered in review (status R). Note that the editors can reject papers that are clearly inappropriate for JUQ without assigning them to an AE. The AE can recommend rejection to the editor without referee reports if he or she deems the paper inappropriate for the journal.
Direct Submissions: Members of the Editorial Board occasionally receive submissions directly from authors. In such cases the editor will ask the author to resubmit the paper through the Journal Submission & Tracking System at http://juq.siam.org. This procedure ensures that the SIAM office will have the opportunity to access the manuscript for proper processing and tracking throughout the review process. Editors should not review a new submission without the approval of the EICs, who assign the Review Editor for each paper.
Papers authored by Editorial Board members: Papers authored by Editorial Board members are subject to the same anonymous peer-review process as other papers. Submissions to the journal authored by the Editors-in-Chief will be directed to the Vice President for Publications, who will oversee the review process.
Status Changes
Once the Review Editor has obtained referee reports and made a recommendation, the reports go to the Editor for decision. The corresponding author receives e-mail informing him/her of the decision. The anonymous reports are generally included.
The various status designations used by SIAM are discussed below.
- Accepted (A). The Editor emails an acceptance letter to the corresponding author. follow-up step, SIAM staff contacts the author for TeX files to launch the production process.
- In Revision (V, V1, V2, V3). When an author is asked to revise a paper there is no guarantee that the revised version will be accepted for publication. Such revised papers are usually again refereed. The author receives referee reports along with the e-mailed decision letter requesting revisions. The e-mail contains a link that the author may use to submit the revised version directly into SIAM's web-based system. As a rule, a deadline of no longer than three months for the revision is stated.
- Minor Revision (PA, PA1, PA2, PA3). The status PA designates provisionally accepted, but though the revisions asked of the author are minor there is no guarantee the paper will be accepted for publication. The author must revise the manuscript, and the editors will decide if another round of review is necessary. A decision letter from the Editor asking for a minor revision may state whether the Editor intends that the revised paper will be sent back to the Review Editor and referees or not. As a rule, a deadline of no longer than a month for a minor revision is stated.
- Rejection (RJ). A paper that is of poor quality should never be transferred to another SIAM journal. The decision letter should leave no doubt as to the status of the paper. The author receives a rejection letter and may also get reports.
- In review (R, R1, R2, R3). The paper is with the EIC, or with the AE who is handling the review process. Referees are usually contacted and asked to send reports.
- In Review; re-routed from one editor to another (RR). This status change can be effected by the EICs. It occurs in one of two situations:
- An AE can’t handle a given paper due to heavy workload or other considerations and requests that the paper be re-routed to another editor. The Editor informs the SIAM office of the change in AEs.
- An AE has not handled a paper in a timely or responsible fashion and the Editor determines that the paper must be re-routed to another Review Editor.
- Reports Sent (RS, RS1, RS2, RS3). The Associate Editor has made a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief who is handling the correspondence and he or she considers the recommendation and referee reports before making a decision.
- Withdrawn (W). An author can withdraw a paper. The SIAM office and the Editor must be notified. Also, the SIAM office will inform the Review Editor (and referees, if they are working on the paper). A paper is also considered withdrawn when an author fails to revise a paper within a reasonable length of time. SIAM asks authors to complete major revisions within three months. The decision to close a file out is made jointly by the SIAM office and the Editor, often after consulting with the Review Editor. Files are never closed without first giving the author ample opportunity to submit a revision.
Transfer
Papers that are of high quality but are inappropriate for the journal to which they have been submitted can be transferred to another SIAM journal for consideration. The EICs from both journals and the author(s) must approve the transfer. The editors must agree before the author(s) is consulted. If the author agrees to the transfer, the original paper is marked rejected and a new file is opened with a different manuscript number. The submission then goes through the system to the EIC of the second journal. SIAM staff will include a "General Note" on the electronic file indicating its history as a transferred paper.
Reports
Various reports can be run by SIAM staff. Selected reports are run and distributed to journal editors on a monthly and quarterly basis. One report shows all papers in process, while others emphasize papers that have remained in one status for an unusually long time.
