Manuscript Submission

What kind of papers are appropriate for AOAS?

We hope to publish papers that have obvious applied origins and involve relevant datasets while also being of interest beyond the specific application. Papers that include innovative methodology brought to bear on scientific/policy questions and relevant data are especially welcome. Direct subject matter collaborations are appropriate, as are methodological developments bearing directly on important areas of application. We expect that examples analyzed go well beyond numerical illustrations of calculations of proposed new methodology.

How should papers be written?

AOAS is intended to be read by all professional statisticians, as well as by other scientists who are interested in particular areas of statistical application. It is important for the abstract and introduction to say What scientific/policy question(s) the paper addresses, Why the topic is of interest, and How the data analyses will address these questions, in as non-technical a manner as possible. Click on "Guidelines for Referees" for more on the kind of papers published in AOAS.

Style

There are a few stylistic differences between AOAS and other IMS journals:

• References should be in the name/year format.
  The initial reference in each section should be full, eg:

  Smith, Jones, and Roberts (1992),

  using "et al" for more than three authors; subsequent references can be abbreviated, eg:

  Smith et al,

  without the year, if there is no ambiguity.

• Footnotes are allowed, but should not be overused.

Click HERE to see more about our editing policies.

How long should papers be?

Most published papers will not exceed 20 pages (About 500 words per page, with figures typically taking 1/3 page and displayed equations 30 words each), anything longer requiring unusually compelling subject matter. Papers fewer than 12 printed pages may receive expedited review.

What materials can be submitted along with the paper?

We encourage submission of related data sets, computer algorithms and supporting material (see instructions below.) This can help the editors and referees in the review process. We intend to archive supporting material along with the electronic versions of accepted papers.

How are papers submitted?

Papers must be submitted electronically. Access the Electronic Journal Management System (EJMS) at http://www.e-publications.org/ims/submission/. If you are a first time user complete the registration (you are only required to register once.) After registration you can submit your manuscript. Manuscripts must be submitted in pdf form.

Attached documents are allowed in EJMS, for data sets, algorithms etc. (Programs should be self-contained and run on standard platforms.)

Manuscripts should be word processed with wide margins at sides, top and bottom. (Manuscripts prepared for A4 paper should have top and bottom margins wide enough to accommodate printing on 8.5 x 11 paper, and similarly, manuscripts prepared for 8.5 x 11 paper should have wide enough side margins to accommodate printing on A4 paper.) Use of LaTeX is preferred as that will facilitate conversion of the manuscript to its final published form.

Please see the LaTeX support page for IMS publications to use the IMS recommended template.

How are papers handled?

Your paper will be assigned to the Editor of one of the three AOAS areas, Biostatistics , Physical Science, or Social Science (you get to suggest an area on the submission form, but we may change the assignment.) The area Editor has full control of your paper after that, including final decisions concerning publication. All further correspondence concerning the paper will be with the area Editor.

Data Archive for Supplementary Material

Because applied statistics is focused on substantive problems revolving around real data, most of the papers in AOAS will deal with the analysis of one or more datasets. In keeping with the principle that scientific results need to be replicable, AOAS strongly encourages authors to make the data used in papers published in AOAS available for others to analyze. The editors recognize that this is easier to do in some situations than in others. Some data sets may already be available electronically and only a pointer (url) is required. For data gathered on individuals and organizations, the preservation of confidentiality may prevent complete public access, but "privacy-protected" extracts without identifiers may be sharable, or individuals can request access to confidential files through special licensing or other agreements.

For material that is important to the paper but that may be extensive or secondary to the primary arguments, authors are encouraged to utilize web-based supplementary files. These may include data sets, software, or extensive mathematical derivations, in addition to algorithms or code for carrying out the analyses presented in a paper. Such supplements will be included in the review process and, when an article is accepted for publication, they will be placed in the special AOAS Data and Software Archive at StatLib.

Follow the instructions here if your paper/supplement has been accepted for publication.

Links to these supplements will be permanently posted with all electronically accessible versions of the journal at Project Euclid, JSTOR, and at the IMS website.