To submit a paper, please sign in (or create an account). Manuscripts must be a single Portable Document Format (PDF) file with fonts and images embedded and may be submitted with a separate (optional) cover letter. Each manuscript should include an abstract. Bibliographic references should be listed alphabetically at the end of the text. In creating an article, we recommend authors use LaTeX for typesetting: our preferred document class is amsart. You will receive an acknowledgment that your paper was received after you submit it to the Editorial Board. Authors who are unable to upload PDF files for whatever reason may send them to iumj@indiana.edu.
Submissions are accepted in English and French—English preferred. Authors should strive for expository clarity and good literary style. When evaluating a paper, emphasis is placed on significance, originality, lucidity, and expository concision. At least the introduction of each paper should be accessible to a wide range of readers.
The submission of a paper implies the author's assurance that it has not been widely circulated, copyrighted, published, or submitted for publication elsewhere.
The Editorial Board working with the Managing Editor reviews all papers. Frequently a member of the mathematics faculty will be consulted because the content of the paper is more appropriate for that faculty member. A decision is then made as to whether the paper will be sent out to an external reviewer. If not, the paper is returned to the author unrefereed.
The decision to have a paper refereed triggers a scheduler to accommodate unknowns (e.g., the referee is away on vacation). Two emails one-week apart are sent to the prospective referee asking whether he received the original refereeing request. When there is no answer, the Editor will begin searching for a different referee.
Once a referee accepts to do the job, the Editor will wait up to 8 weeks before sending a reminder. The usual limit is two reminders, sent one-month apart. However, the referee may request additional time because of a myriad reasons (e.g., the paper is very long or very technical, unforeseen personal circumstances, etc.). Editors will often grant such requests. In exceptional circumstances (e.g., the referee is the best resource person in the field, or several prospective referees were contacted before getting an acceptance from the current referee), the Editor may wait a little longer and send additional reminders.
Dynamically updated backlog data are available here. Authors may track their manuscript at every step of the editorial process by logging in.
If and when an article is accepted, a final version must be submitted in TeX format, along with figure and bibliography files, custom macros files, and any other files needed for compilation. TeX has become the de facto lingua franca within the mathematical community. Accordingly, electronic submissions in MS Word or formatters other than LaTeX or plain TeX will not be accepted.
We have prepared several guides to help prepare preprints for publication. Please consult these documents as you prepare your final version:
Diagrams should be professionally drawn and suitable for reproduction. When a LaTeX graphics package is not used, electronic graphics should be submitted as EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) files. If this is not possible, TIFF files are also acceptable as long as they can be opened within Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.
It is the publisher's desire to offer the Journal at the lowest possible subscription rates. This requires us to tap various funding resources - page and offprint charges play a non-trivial role in the Journal's income. This notwithstanding, payment is voluntary—it is not a condition for publication. Page charges are $15 per printed page. Payment of some or all of the page charges is encouraged. When neither institutional nor individual grants will pay for any portion of the page charges, authors are asked whether they can help defray the cost of the offprints: these are assessed at $2.50 per printed page.