Procedures for Handling Manuscripts

1. The Editors and Associate Editors review submitted papers to identify those that are clearly not suitable for Statistical Science. These papers can then be returned quickly to the author. For those papers that may be acceptable, a selected Associate Editor handles the evaluation of the submission.

2. Typically Associate Editors are contacted to determine willingness to handle a paper. If so, the paper is transmitted to the Associate Editor. If the paper is submitted as hardcopy, three copies of the paper are sent to the Associate Editor. If the submission is electronic, the file is transmitted. Eventually we hope to have a system that allows authors to upload manuscripts and Associate Editors and referees to download manuscripts.

3. The Associate Editor identifies appropriate referees. Potential referees are sometimes contacted by email to determine willingness to serve. Please see Guidelines for Referees (comments and suggestions would be appreciated). Associate Editors send one copy of the manuscript to each referee together with a copy of the guidelines. Associate Editors are encouraged to send this material electronically, rather than via hard copy, to the referees.

4. The length of time it should take a referee to prepare a report is dependent on several things including the length of the paper and the technical difficulty of the material. However it is expected that referees will respond to the Associate Editor within four months of the receipt of the paper.

5. The Associate Editor sends the referees' reports and an accompanying letter to the Editor (often electronically) typically containing one of the following recommendations:

   1. Accept subject to minor revisions. If the Editor concurs with this recommendation, the paper is usually not returned to the Associate Editor. If the Editor does not concur, the reasons will be given to the corresponding author in a letter with a copy going to the Associate Editor.

   2. Accept but after substantial revision. If the Editor concurs, the paper is usually retured to the Associate Editor for further review. If not, an explanation is sent to the corresponding author and the Associate Editor.

   3. Reject with the suggestion that the paper may contain ideas that might be developed into a paper suitable for Statistical Science. A new manuscript will be treated as a new submission. The Associate Editor should be as clear and specific as possible regarding the reasons for rejection and the ideas in the paper that may lead to something acceptable for Statistical Science.

   4. Reject. The Associate Editor should be as clear and as specific as possible regarding the reasons for rejection.

6. In some cases, there are long delays between the return of a paper to the corresponding author and the resubmission of a revision (particularly for papers in category 5.b. above). Authors are strongly encouraged to complete revisions and return them to The Statistical Science within eight months. Manuscripts held by authors for extended periods and then resubmitted will ordinarily be treated as new submissions.