Instructions for Referees

The SIAM Journal on Financial Mathematics (SIFIN) depends heavily on our referees, and we are greatly indebted for maintaining the quality and timeliness of our journal. Thank you for your help in assessing manuscripts.

Editorial Policy

The SIAM Journal on Financial Mathematics is a high-quality journal that brings together works on theoretical developments in financial mathematics as well as breakthroughs in the computational challenges they encompass.

By publishing papers of high quality and originality, it serves as an essential resource for academic finance researchers and practitioners alike.

The journal offers a conduit for the publication of articles in any of these branches of financial mathematics. It also provides a common platform for scholars interested in the mathematical theory of finance as well as practitioners interested in rigorous treatments of the scientific computational issues related to implementation. On the theoretical side, the journal seeks papers with demonstrable mathematical developments motivated by models of modern finance. On the computational side, it publishes works introducing new methods and algorithms representing significant (as opposed to incremental) improvements on the existing state of affairs of modern numerical implementations of applied financial mathematics.

Submission of a manuscript to a SIAM journal is representation by the author that the manuscript has not been published or submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere. In general, papers that have appeared in conference proceedings will not be considered unless significantly revised. If a paper has appeared previously, in any form, authors must clearly indicate this in both their cover letter and in a footnote on the first page of the paper.

Review Process
The manuscript submission and peer review process is broken down into the following steps:
  1. The Author submits a manuscript.
  2. The Editors-in-Chief assign an Associate Editor to act as Review Editor for the paper.
  3. The Associate Editor assigns Referees.
  4. The Referees review the manuscript and send reports.
  5. The Associate Editor makes a recommendation to the Editors-in-Chief.
  6. The Editors-in-Chief make a decision and the author is contacted.

Navigating the System
When invited to serve as a referee there are two ways to gain access to the manuscript.

(1) The "View" link in your email message automatically logs you into the system and takes you directly to the files for the pertinent paper. After you have seen the material you are asked to accept or decline the invitation.
Accept referee assignment: Clicking this link generates an e-mail that is sent to you with full review instructions.
Decline referee assignment: If you are unable to review this manuscript and must decline we appreciate any suggestions of potential referees. You can suggest other reviewers or offer any observation on the paper by e-mailing [email protected].

(2) You can alternately access your files by logging into the system through http://sifin.siam.org. Enter your user name and password. You are then taken to your "Home" page. It will have different categories of tasks. If you are required to perform a pending action item, there will be a red arrow next to a manuscript link. After clicking on this link, you will be presented with a "Manuscript" screen containing:

If you accept the referee invitation, you'll gain access to a page with links to the full manuscript and author cover letter. You'll also have links to "Check Status" and "Review Manuscript."

If there are no red arrows visible on your "Home" page, then there is no pending work.

Review Manuscript
Once in the system you will be presented with a "Manuscript" screen. At the bottom of this screen under "Manuscript Tasks" is a "Review Manuscript" link. Clicking on this link displays the "Review Manuscript" screen. This screen asks for a recommendation and for a report.*
* Note that in giving a recommendation, along with a free-form text box that allows you to copy and paste a report and /or comments, you must:

Select from a drop-down menu. This manuscript is:

Select from a drop-down menu. I recommend:

The free-form text box for your report follows, directly below.

Finally, a manuscript evaluation form is available, but the use of this is optional.

If you prefer to work offline, you may find it faster and easier to download and print the manuscript, draft your review remarks in plain text or TeX, and copy and paste into the referee remarks text area on this screen.

Again, the manuscript evaluation form is optional; the drop-down recommendations and report are required.

NOTE: As a referee, you have the option of attaching a file to deliver your report. It is recommended, however, that you instead use the text box on the Referee Recommendation Screen to type or paste plain text or TeX code. File attachments are not recommended, as referee confidentiality may be compromised. However, if you must send an attachment know that it may be forwarded to the author by the Editors-in-Chief, so please be sure to first edit the file for profile information that--if left in place-- could disclose your identity as the owner/creator.

See here for specifics on how to remove hidden identity clues from PDF and Word files.

Private Message to Editors
Referees wishing to make a point to the editor that is not meant for the author can use the text box labeled "Private Message to Editors." This is found directly below the "Detailed Comments" text box where you enter your report. The "Private Message to Editors" text box is optional, and should be used only for items not to be forwarded to the author. The Review Editor and the Editors-in-Chief will be able to read these comments, but they will be separate from the main report.

Getting Help
If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs throughout the system. A help dialog will pop up with context sensitive help. You can also e-mail [email protected] if you need assistance.

Manuscript Status
To get the status of your assigned manuscript(s):
  1. Log into the system with your password.
  2. Click on the link represented by the manuscript tracking number and abbreviated title.
  3. Click on the "Check Status" link at the bottom of the displayed page.

This procedure displays detailed tracking information on the manuscript.   

NOTE: Author rights to unpublished manuscripts:

All manuscripts are privileged documents; an author retains the right to the unpublished work. A referee should not use results or ideas obtained exclusively through the refereeing process in his or her own research.

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