Journal Guide

Optimization publishes refereed, theoretical and applied papers on the latest developments in fields such as linear, nonlinear, stochastic, parametric, discrete and dynamic programming, control theory and game theory. A special section is devoted to review papers on theory and methods in interesting areas of mathematical programming and optimization techniques. The journal also publishes conference proceedings, book reviews and announcements. All published research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by independent expert referees. Disclaimer Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the 'Content') contained in its publications. However, Taylor & Francis and its agents and licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness or suitability for any purpose of the Content and disclaim all such representations and warranties whether express or implied to the maximum extent permitted by law. Any views expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and are not the views of Taylor & Francis.

Personal and Ubiquitous Computing publishes peer-reviewed international research on handheld, wearable and mobile information devices and the pervasive communications infrastructure that supports them to enable the seamless integration of technology and people in their everyday lives. The journal carries compellingly-written, timely and accessible contributions that illuminate the technological, social and design challenges of personal and ubiquitous computing technologies. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing is an essential resource for researchers and educators who wish to understand the implications of ubiquitous computing.

To publish papers produced by the Operational Research (OR) scientific community in order to promote its integration and to disseminate the scientific knowledge generated within it.

Published eight times a year, Production Planning & Control is an international journal that brings together research papers on all aspects of production planning and control and the management of operations in all industries. The journal focuses on research that stems from an industrial need and can guide the activities of managers, consultants, software developers and researchers. It publishes accessible articles on research and industrial applications, new techniques and development trends.Production Planning & Control publishes keynote papers (by invitation), research papers with an applied bias, state-of-the-art reviews, tutorial reviews, case studies, reports on applications, conference reports and book reviews.To be published in Production Planning & Control, a paper will have been reviewed and accepted by at least two competent experts in the field. Reviewers are drawn from the Editorial Board and a list of occasional reviewers who have been nominated for their expertise. Reviewers' comments are based on relevance to the field, particularly applicability in industry, besides originality and scientific rigour.

The mission of Production and Operations Management is to serve as the flagship research journal in operations management in manufacturing and services. The journal publishes scientific research into the problems, interest, and concerns of managers who manage product and process design, operations, and supply chains. It covers all topics in product and process design, operations, and supply chain management and welcomes papers using any research paradigm.

Peer Review Policy
All peer review is single blind and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.

Quality and Reliability Engineering International is a journal devoted to practical engineering aspects of quality and reliability. A refereed bimonthly technical journal, it covers the development and practical application of existing theoretical methods, research and industrial practices. Articles in the journal will be concerned with case studies, tutorial-type reviews and also with applications of new or well-known theory to the solution of actual quality and reliability problems in engineering.Papers describing the use of mathematical and statistical tools to solve real life industrial problems are encouraged, provided that the emphasis is placed on practical applications and demonstrated case studies.The scope of the journal is intended to include components, physics of failure, equipment and systems from the fields of electronic, electrical, mechanical and systems engineering. The areas of communications, aerospace, automotive, railways, shipboard equipment, control engineering and consumer products are all covered by the journal.Quality and reliability of hardware as well as software are covered. Papers on software engineering and its impact on product quality and reliability are encouraged. The journal will also cover the management of quality and reliability in the engineering industry.Special issues on a variety of key topics are published every year and contribute to the enhancement of Quality and Reliability Engineering International as a major reference in its field.

Queueing Systems: Theory and Applications (QUES) is a well-established journal focusing on the theory of resource sharing in a wide sense, particularly withina network context. The journal is primarily interested in probabilistic and statistical problems in this setting.QUES welcomes both papers addressing these issues in the context of some application and papers developing mathematical methods for their analysis. Among the latter, one would particularly quote Markov chains and processes, stationary processes, random graphs, point processes, stochastic geometry, and related fields.The prospective areas of application include, but are not restricted to production, storage and logistics, traffic and transportation, computer and communication systems.Officially cited as: Queueing Syst.The official acronym QUES is complemented by QUESTA which is popular among researchers.

RAIRO-Operations Research is an international journal devoted to high-level pure and applied research on all aspects of operations research. All papers published in RAIRO-Operations Research are critically refereed according to international standards. Any paper will either be accepted (possibly with minor revisions) either submitted to another evaluation (after a major revision) or rejected. Every effort will be made by the Editorial Board to ensure a quick turnaround to all papers submitted to the journal. Articles may be written in English or in French.

Research Policy (RP) articles examine empirically and theoretically the interaction between innovation, technology or research, on the one hand, and economic, social, political and organizational processes, on the other. All RP papers are expected to yield findings that have implications for policy or management.Aims and Scope:Research Policy (RP) is a multi-disciplinary journal devoted to analyzing, understanding and effectively responding to the economic, policy, management, organizational, environmental and other challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D and science. This includes a number of related activities concerned with the creation of knowledge (through research), the diffusion and acquisition of knowledge (e.g. through organizational learning), and its exploitation in the form of new or improved products, processes or services.RP is generally acknowledged to be the leading journal in the field of innovation studies, with its academic status and influence being reflected in a remarkably high 'Impact Factor' for a multi-disciplinary social science journal (please see below).Authors intending to submit a paper to RP should first check whether that paper is consistent with the journal's Editorial Strategy as detailed in the Guide for Authors. RP uses an online submission process, http://ees.elsevier.com/respol/ and all papers are subject to a 'double-blind' review process, details as in the Guide for Authors. Besides research articles and notes, RP also publishes a variety of other types of papers including Special Issues (or shorter Special Sections) occasional discussion papers on important topical issues, and book reviews, again further information in the Guide for Authors.Main Subjects Covered:Economics of Innovation/Technology/Science; Entrepreneurs/Entrepreneurship; Evolutionary or (neo-)Schumpeterian Economics; Geography of Innovation - e.g. industrial clusters; Indicators - science, technology, R&D, innovation etc.; Innovation and Sustainability; Innovation Management/Organization/Policy/Strategy; Innovation Systems - national, regional, sectoral, technological; Knowledge - creation/production, diffusion/transfer/exchange, adoption/exploitation etc.; Learning (e.g. organizational) and Experimentation; Product and Process Development; Networks - e.g. research/ R&D collaboration, university-industry links, regional clusters, supply chains; Research and Development (R&D) Management/Policy/Strategy; Research Policy; Resource-Based View of the Firm - competence/capability (e.g. absorptive, core, dynamic); Science Policy; Sociotechnical Paradigms/Regimes; Technological Paradigms/Trajectories; Technological problem-solving; Technology Management/Policy/Strategy.Impact factor:Research Policy's impact factor has increased appreciably over recent years, rising from 1.078 in 2000 to 1.536 in 2004 and 2.655 in 2008. (There was a slight drop to 2.261 in 2009 following an expansion in the number of RP articles published in 2008.) In 2008, the journal ranked 11th among the world's top journals in "Management" and 1st in the "Planning & Development" category as ranked by Thompson Reuters, Social Sciences Citation Index Index® (© Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports, 2008).RP's Impact factor compares extremely well with that of leading journals in the neighbouring fields of Economics (where its 2008 impact factor would place it in 10th position, up from 29th position in 2000), Political Science (where it would currently rank 2nd), Sociology (3rd), Environmental Sciences (3rd) and other interdisciplinary social science journals.

Research in Transportation Business & Management (RTBM) will publish research on international aspects of transport management such as business strategy, communication, sustainability, finance, human resource management, law, logistics, marketing, franchising, privatisation and commercialisation.Research in Transportation Business & Management welcomes proposals for themed volumes from scholars in management, in relation to all modes of transport. Issues should be cross-disciplinary for one mode or single-disciplinary for all modes. We are keen to receive proposals that combine and integrate theories and concepts that are taken from or can be traced to origins in different disciplines or lessons learned from different modes and approaches to the topic. By facilitating the development of interdisciplinary or intermodal concepts, theories and ideas, and by synthesizing these for the journal's audience, we seek to contribute to both scholarly advancement of knowledge and the state of managerial practice.Potential volume themes include:Sustainability and Transportation ManagementTransport Management and the Reduction of Transport's Carbon FootprintMarketing Transport/Branding TransportationBenchmarking, Performance Measurement and Best Practices in Transport OperationsFranchising, Concessions and Alternate Governance Mechanisms for Transport OrganisationsLogistics and the Integration of Transportation into Freight Supply ChainsRisk Management (or Asset Management or Transportation Finance or ...): Lessons from Multiple ModesEngaging the Stakeholder in Transportation GovernanceReliability in the Freight SectorTo submit a volume proposal, please contact the Journal Editors: Stephen Ison, Loughborough University (s.g.ison@lboro.ac.uk) and Mary R. Brooks, Dalhousie University (m.brooks@dal.ca).Unsolicited submission of individual articles will not be accepted.

Socio-Economic Planning Sciences is an international journal devoted exclusively to research in this important, but under-represented area. It provides a medium for research that might not appear in more specialized journals, either because of the interdisciplinary or applied character of the study, or the mathematical/quantitative nature of the research. The journal thus serves as a focus for investigations that have hitherto appeared in widely-scattered sources and/or less-than-appropriate sources.

Socio-Economic Planning Sciences strongly encourages contributions dealing with applications of quantitative models and techniques to important decision problems in the service and public sectors. Of particular interest are accounts of such studies carried out in developing countries and economically emerging regions of the world. Review articles in important methodological and substantive areas are also of interest.

The principal criterion used in evaluating a manuscript submitted to the journal is: uniqueness or innovation of the work in terms of the methodology being developed, and/or its application to a problem of particular importance in the public or service sector and/or the setting within which the effort is being made, e.g. an emerging region of the world. That is to say, of the model/methodology itself, the application, and the problem context, at least one of these must be unique and important.

Additional criteria considered in reviewing a submitted paper are its accuracy, the organization/presentation (i.e. logical flow), and writing quality.

Representative of the topic areas included in the journal are the following:

Studies directed toward the more effective utilization of existing resources, e.g. mathematical programming models of health care delivery systems with relevance to more effective program design; systems analysis of fire outbreaks and its relevance to the location of fire stations; statistical analysis of the efficiency of a developing country economy or industry.

Studies relating to the interaction of various segments of society and technology, e.g. the effects of government health policies on the utilization and design of hospital facilities; the relationship between housing density and the demands on public transportation or other service facilities: patterns and implications of urban development and air or water pollution.

Studies devoted to the anticipations of and response to future needs for social, health and other human services, e.g. the relationship between industrial growth and the development of educational resources in affected areas; investigation of future demands for material and child health resources in a developing country; design of effective recycling in an urban setting.

Sport Management Review is published as a service to sport industries worldwide. It is a multidisciplinary journal concerned with the management, marketing, and governance of sport at all levels and in all its manifestations -- whether as an entertainment, a recreation, or an occupation. The journal encourages collaboration between scholars and practitioners. It welcomes submissions reporting research, new applications, advances in theory, and case studies. The language of publication is English. Submissions are peer reviewed.Benefits to authorsWe also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our support pages: http://support.elsevier.com

Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal (SCFIJ) is a peer reviewed periodical providing a broad international coverage of subjects relating to the management of the supply chain. It focuses on the integration of supply, production, distribution and sales. It is concerned with the management of the global supply chain from primary supplier to final customer. It provides in-depth research articles and company case studies that enrich both the knowledge of the discipline and the practices of supply chain management.

SCFIJ is designed to appeal to managers and researchers concerned with supply chain management, inter-firm relationship and organization and new technologies. Its aims are:
·       to present the latest thinking, research and emerging
concepts of supply chain management
·        to explore the overall philosophy of supply chain
management
·        to further first class supply chain practices 

It includes original material concerned with all facets of supply chain management in the form of:
·        articles with a fundamental basis and research papers presenting results and practical applications
·        papers providing experiences and practical features of supply chain management
·        commented case studies illustrating international application problems

Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal welcomes research papers based on new and innovative supply chain management practices. Any appropriate research methods may be used and each paper should justify the method applied. Case studies are also welcome where they illustrate international application problems and generate discussion about supply chain policies, practices and methods. 2-3 managers or researchers, experts in the field, are invited to comment the case studies. Authors should relate their work to the existing knowledge in the field, and have impact on the SC operations in companies, setting the agenda for future research.

Contents of Supply Chain Forum: an International Journal are targeted to academics (professors, researchers), students and practitioners (supply chain managers, consultants). It is not the appropriate journal for theoretical papers without any managerial implications. 

All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by at least two independent, anonymous expert referees. Reviewers are drawn from the Editorial Board and a list of occasional reviewers who have been nominated for their expertise. Reviewers’ comments are based on relevance to the field, particularly applicability in industry, besides originality and scientific rigor. All peer review is double blind and submission is online via ScholarOne.

Subjects covered by SCIJ include:

Supply chain management, Supply chain strategies, collaboration, logistics pooling, purchasing, outsourcing, risk analysis, innovations, logistics services, service provider, global supply chain, sustainable supply chain, reverse supply chain, healthcare supply chain, supply chain performance, supply chain finance, supply chain control, performance measurement, knowledge management, sourcing strategies, decision-making, e-commerce, traceability, process modelling, inventory planning, city supply chain, supply chain risk management, humanitarian supply chain, information systems, new technologies, service provider, networks, physical internet, big data.

Surveys in Operations Research and Management Science is published twice a year in journal format, following on from the renowned Handbooks in Operations Research and Management Science series.The journal provides state-of-the-art surveys in operations research and management science. These surveys enable educators, researchers and students to obtain an overview of subjects of current interest as well as important recent developments in established areas.What makes a good survey?The following is a list of characteristics we feel that an ideal SORMSsubmission should satisfy.1. Choice of topic:A survey topic can be both on theory and applications of OR/MS and can be of several types. For example, a survey can focus on• Results that are considered standards by experts in the community but which not have been documented in textbooks. • Standard results which have been, in some way, streamlined; for example new proof techniques leading to more elegant derivations of known results. • New developments in methodology or new application areas (hot topics).Accepted SORMS submissions should be of significant interest to the OR/MS community. The associated literature should be of sufficient significance and, from an OR perspective, originality to warrant a survey in our journal. In particular, a topic should be sufficiently broad. Surveys focusing on the work of a single author or single group of authors may be possible, but will be considered with extra care.2. Choice of audience and writing: The readership of SORMS will be broad, ranging from graduate students to senior researchers, and from OR/MS professionals to applied mathematicians. An ideal SORMS survey should be appealing to a wide enough subset of this audience.A survey paper is not written in the same way as a research paper. Technical details that are not crucial should be addressed on a sufficiently high level, readers interested in these can be referred to particular papers. Examples of good survey papers can be found in the Handbook series. Other relevant guidelines are:• A good survey does not only focus on the work of the author but provides an appropriate broader context. • It takes more effort to write a short survey than a long survey. • A good survey should have intrinsic added value, in the sense that the sum should be stronger than its parts. For example, it may provide new structure, point out connections not noticed before, or a new context for old results. • It helps if a survey is written by an expert that masters the subject enough to provide newcomers a well guided tour through a new area.