Instructions for Authors

SIAM Review (SIREV) consists of five sections: Survey and Review, Expository Research Papers, SIGEST, Education, and Book Reviews. Each section has its own editorial board. The SIREV editor-in-chief and section editorial boards work together to achieve the desired impact of the entire journal. Specific details on submissions and peer review are given below.

Section 1: Survey and Review

Editorial Board
Fadil Santosa, Section Editor; Andrea Bertozzi, Lenore Cowen, Rachel Kuske, Mark Lewis, Anders Lindquist, Michael Overton, L. Ridway Scott, Members of the Editorial Board.

Content
The Survey and Review section features one or two papers, typically between 30 and 80 pages in length, that provide readers with a comprehensive and up-to-date perspective on a major topic of broad interest to SIAM members.

Integrative papers that provide an overview of a body of research and connections to other fields or techniques are particularly desirable. Papers that focus primarily on the authors' own research are generally not suitable.

Papers must be well written, in an expository style that facilitates understanding by as broad an audience as is feasible for the topic. Authors should start out with a sufficiently general discussion of the problem area that all readers will gain some appreciation and knowledge of the area, and then progress to more detailed discussion of the issues. Papers should include substantial applied mathematics content, not purely descriptive overview.

Figures are encouraged to help explain concepts and to exhibit results, including photographs as well as graphics. Authors are encouraged to provide color figures wherever appropriate.

Submission and Peer Review
Many papers appearing in Section 1 are written at the invitation of the editorial board. Authors who wish to write a paper for this section are strongly encouraged to send an informal proposal to the editorial board in advance of preparing and submitting a full paper. Proposals may be communicated to the Section Editor (santosa@math.umn.edu) or other members of the Editorial Board for feedback on the potential suitability of the proposed paper. Full manuscripts should be submitted directly to SIAM. Submission must be electronic (PDF format) via the web-based system at http://sirev.siam.org. A cover letter should be submitted with the manuscript. Note: Figures, if any, must be embedded "inline" in the manuscript.

Papers submitted to Section 1 are reviewed in detail by the section editor, members of the section editorial board, and outside reviewers, with final review by the SIREV editor-in-chief. This rigorous peer review is intended to ensure the highest standards of accuracy, completeness, exposition, and clarity. Author inquiries into the status of Section 1 papers may be sent to the SIAM office (sirev@siam.org).

Section 2: Expository Research Papers

Editorial Board
Ilse C. F. Ipsen, Section Editor; L. Pamela Cook, Mark Embree, Martin Gander, Desmond Higham, Alex Pothen, Deborah Sulsky, Stephen J. Wright, Members of the Editorial Board.

Content
The papers in the Expository Research Papers (ERP) section are research papers of interest to the many SIREV readers, which include applied mathematicians, computer scientists, and engineers, as well as physical and biological scientists.  Papers should be written with this broad target audience in mind.  Originality of research and quality of exposition are the two most important criteria for papers in the ERP Section, as are breadth of topic and appeal to a wide SIAM audience.

The papers in the ERP section distinguish themselves from those published in specialized SIAM journals in that they present new mathematical techniques, computational tools, applications and interdisciplinary problems that are of broad interest and impact, and that ideally are relevant to several areas of applied mathematics.  In addition to offering a substantial research contribution, papers suitable for the ERP section should provide a clear presentation of the contribution, so that it can be understood and appreciated by non-experts. Papers should contain an understandable description of the state of the art of the subject, with the research contribution placed in this context. The motivation for the research contribution should be convincing, and preferably given in terms of practical applications. Technical jargon and formalism should be kept to a minimum.  Papers are expected to range in length from 7 to 15 pages, but longer papers also may be suitable.

Note:The Expository Research Papers section was previously known as Problems and Techniques

Submissions and Peer Review
http://sirev.siam.org. A cover letter should be submitted with the manuscript. Figures, if any, must be embedded "inline" in the manuscript.

A submission is representation by the author that the manuscript has not been published or submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere. If the paper appeared in a preliminary form in a conference proceedings, this must be clearly indicated in both your cover letter and a footnote on the title page. If your paper contains materials (for example, tables or figures) from another published source, the previously published material must be accompanied by written permission from the author and publisher.

The cover letter must indicate that the paper is being submitted to the Expository Research Papers section of SIREV. To assist referees, two copies of unpublished references should also be submitted with an indication of whether they have been accepted for publication. If the SIAM office does not acknowledge receipt of your submission within two weeks, please contact SIAM at journals@siam.org to verify its receipt.

All ERP submissions are subject to peer review, in which a member of the editorial board solicits reports from at least two referees who are experts in the particular area. Author inquiries into the status of papers should be sent to the SIAM office (sirev@siam.org).

Note: Submissions intended for Problems and Solutions, which exists in electronic form only, should be sent directly to Cecil C. Rousseau, Department of Mathematical Sciences, the University of Memphis, Campus Box 526429, Memphis, TN 38152-6429. Fax: (901) 678-2480. ccrouse@memphis.edu.

Section 3: SIGEST

Content
SIGEST contains digested versions of selected papers from SIAM's research journals. This section provides a rare opportunity for readers from all segments of the SIAM community to keep up with important research from outside their areas of specialization. The papers in SIGEST are chosen on the basis of exceptional quality and potential significance to the entire SIAM community; authors of these papers will achieve a wider readership than could be reached by a specialized research journal alone.

Submission and Peer Review
Papers for the SIGEST section are chosen from papers accepted and published in SIAM's specialized research journals. Editors of these journals may nominate potential SIGEST papers to their editors-in-chief. The SIREV editor-in-chief, in consultation with the SIREV section editors, selects SIGEST papers from among those nominated. Authors often condense or otherwise revise SIGEST papers to make them accessible to the SIAM community at large.

Section 4: Education

Editorial Board
Andrew J. Bernoff, Section Editor; Elizabeth R. Jessup, Dianne P. O'Leary, Catherine A. Roberts, Louis F. Rossi, Members of the Editorial Board.

Orientation of Articles
In the large majority of cases, articles should be written to students, not to faculty. In addition, articles should:

• usually be a module, typically a one- to three-class session, largely self-contained, supplementary topic to a course in applied mathematics or scientific computing (a possible exception is a module about a tool-for example, a software package-that can be used throughout much of a course);
• be written more in the style of a textbook section than a journal research article.

In a minority of cases, articles may be written to faculty. Such articles should:

• discuss a technique, topic, or tool that faculty may use broadly in a course or set of courses;
• be written more as a teaching guide than as a journal research article, and in a style that directly or indirectly can also be used by students.

Content
Articles should be written on a topic that is of sufficient interest that it might reasonably be expected to be incorporated by a good number of faculty into their courses in applied mathematics or scientific computation and algorithms, yet is not standard fare in textbooks. Articles should provide descriptions, illustrations, and insights regarding established or recent knowledge, as opposed to new research results. The topic may be in any, or a combination, of the following areas:

• supplemental topics in applied mathematics or scientific computation that are of broad interest but are more recent, specialized, or multidisciplinary than topics covered in standard textbooks;
• applications of applied mathematics or scientific computation, including both descriptions of the application area and the mathematical and/or computational techniques that are applied to it;
• applied mathematics or scientific computation history, including informal biographies of prominent contributors or descriptions of the development and/or use of applied mathematics or scientific computing in certain eras or events;
• software tools that can be used in applied mathematics or scientific computation courses, concentrating on descriptions and illustrations of their use.

Style of Articles
The following characteristics are encouraged:

• An informal, colloquial style should be used whenever appropriate.
• Motivation and context for the topic should be well provided.
• Papers should not be primarily theorem/proof oriented, although theorems and proofs are welcome where appropriate.
• Use of graphics (including color), computer images, and other visual elements is strongly encouraged, as are URLs to web sites that provide further references, visual support, and multimedia supplements.
• Examples should be heavily used in most articles.
• Abstracts may not necessarily be appropriate, but a summary at the beginning of the paper may be given.
• The most common article length should be 10-15 pages, but shorter articles that fit these guidelines are welcome, and longer articles may be considered if appropriate.

Submission and Peer Review
Submissions to Education are organized as for SIAM's specialized journals. Submissions are accepted in electronic format via the web0based system at http://sirev.siam.org. See the instructions under Survey and Review (above). All submissions undergo traditional peer review, in which a member of the editorial board solicits reports from at least two referees who are experts in the particular area. Author inquiries into the status of Section 4 papers may be sent to the SIAM office at sirev@siam.org.

Section 5: Book Reviews

Editorial Board
Robert E. O'Malley, Jr., Section Editor; J. David Logan, Member of the Editorial Board.

Book reviews have been a long-time mainstay of SIAM Review.

Publishers should send review copies to the section editor.

Robert E. O'Malley, Jr.
Department of Applied Mathematics
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-2420
Email: omalley@amath.wasington.edu

GENERAL INFORMATION

Parts of a Paper

Submissions to Sections 1 and 2 should contain the following elements: title, author names and affiliations, abstract, AMS subject classifications, key words, text, and references.

AMS subject classifications are listed in the Annual Index of Mathematical Reviews and can be accessed or searched electronically through the American Mathematical Society.

The format for papers in Section 4, Education, is described earlier in these Guidelines.

TeX Files
SIREV is produced from author-supplied TeX files, and authors of accepted papers will be contacted for their files. (SIAM cannot accept electronic files for papers produced on any other typesetting or word processing system.) More detailed information on SIAM's TeX-typesetting procedures is sent to authors upon receipt of manuscripts and can be obtained from SIAM's World Wide Web server.

Accessing SIAM's Macros
Although the design of SIREV differs from the other SIAM journals, authors should still prepare papers using our standard journal macros. Macro packages and documentation are available in LaTeX (preferred), Plain TeX, and AMSTeX and can be obtained from SIAM's World Wide Web server or via anonymous FTP (ftp.siam.org; the macros are in directory/pub/macros), or e-mail tex@siam.org.

Illustrations
All illustrations must be of professional quality. Illustrations must be numbered consecutively and cited in the text. If your article is accepted for publication, SIAM will accept electronic (PostScript, TeX) figure files. Hand-drawn artwork will not be accepted. SIAM will not redraw figures. PostScript figures must use lines that are 1 point or larger; thinner lines may break up or disappear when printed. When choosing line width and character size, keep in mind that illustrations may be reduced.

Color Illustrations
SIREV welcomes the inclusion of color art when the use of color enhances the content of the figure. If at all possible, SIAM prefers to receive color PostScript files for color art. Also, in order to produce the print edition of the journal, SIAM requires that color PostScript files be prepared in CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) mode, not in RGB (red, green, blue) mode. Files prepared in RGB mode may be returned to the author for conversion to CMYK.