Decision Sciences

The Journal of the Decision Sciences Institute

Edited by:
Vicki Smith-Daniels Managing Editor: Jennifer Fraser

Print ISSN: 0011-7315
Online ISSN: 1540-5915
Frequency: Quarterly
Current Volume: 41 / 2010
ISI Journal Citation Reports® Ranking: 2008: 21/89 Management
Impact Factor: 2.318

TopAuthor Guidelines

All manuscript submissions for consideration for publication in Decision Sciences must be made electronically to DSJ Online. The editorial team, including Editor Vicki Smith-Daniels and Managing Editor Jennifer Fraser, can be reached most expeditiously by email at decisionsciences@asu.edu, or can be reached by mail or telephone at:

Decision Sciences Journal
Attn: Professor Vicki Smith-Daniels
W. P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University
Department of Supply Chain Management
P.O. Box 874706
Tempe, AZ 85287-4706
USA
Tel: +1 (480) 965-1152, fax: +1 (480) 965-8629

Preparing the elements for your entries before attempting to create your User Profile and submit your manuscript will make the process much easier to navigate.

1. Enter DSJ Online through your web browser.
2. From the heading tabs near the top of the screen, select Author, then Author Information. Read the sections on this page.
3. Develop a list of your co-authors' names, email addresses and institutions, as applicable.
4. Review the Preparation Guidelines here to ensure your manuscript meets the criteria, and that you are prepared to submit the Title Page, Main Body and optional Cover Letter files in unlocked PDF format.
5. Carefully read the section regarding Topic and Methodological Areas, and discuss the information with your co-authors. Collaborate to prepare the list of one to five (1-5) Topic Areas and one to three (1-3) Methodological Areas that best define your manuscript.
6. Read the section, Create User Profile, and complete and submit the form presented when clicking on the section title.
7. From the heading tabs near the top of the screen, select Authors, then Log-In Screen.
8. Enter into the boxes provided at the bottom of the screen both your email address and the password you established in creating your profile. Click on the Submit button.
9. Once you reach the Author Center page, read the information in the section, New Submission. When you are ready to submit, click on the title words of that section (New Submission), and proceed as instructed and prompted.
10. Upon complete submission, DSJ Online will acknowledge your input online and via email from decisionsciences@asu.edu.

If you have any difficulty completing the tasks described, please contact decisionsciences@asu.edu.

Submission of a manuscript certifies that none of the contents are copyrighted, published or accepted for publication in another journal, under review by another journal, or submitted to another journal while under review by Decision Sciences.

Editorial Policies

Decision Sciences distinguishes itself as a business journal with an explicit focus on decision making. While this purpose may appear to encompass a broad-based spectrum of articles, the implementation of the journal's aims will be directed towards the needs of its research community. In the past, Decision Sciences scholars have come from the operations management, information systems, technology management, and quantitative methods disciplines. In the future, articles published in the journal will continue to address the needs of these disciplines, but will devote greater attention to decision making that spans the boundaries of business disciplines and integrates theoretical perspectives across the research domains. Expanding these targeted disciplines to also include perspectives from accounting, economics, finance, marketing, organization behavior, and strategy will be encouraged by the Editorial Team in their review and decision processes.

To be responsive to the changing needs of its research community, Decision Sciences maintains a flexible keyword reviewing system that allows the addition of new keyword groups and areas. Two categories of keywords are available for identifying the research areas and expertise needed to complete a comprehensive review of a manuscript: Topic Areas and Methodological Areas. Topic Areas are organized around different themes including:

• Decision Making Type (Inter-organizational, Organizational, Collaborative, and Individual)
• Cross-Functional Processes (E-Business, Knowledge Management, International Business, Product/System/Service Development, Supply Chain Management, System/Process/Service Design, and Technology and Innovation)
• Cross-Functional Interfaces (Accounting, Information Systems, Marketing, Operations, Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Supply Chain, etc.)
• Functional Perspectives (Accounting, Finance, Information Management and Systems, Marketing, Operations, Organizational Behavior, and Strategic Management)
• Industry Areas (Airlines, Biotechnology, Financial Services, Health Care, Manufacturing, etc.)

To promote more intense interactions between the targeted disciplines, cross-functional processes with commonality in the decision problem are grouped together. For example, Product/System/Service Development share similar decision making processes and are known to be influenced by similar phenomenon.

Methodological areas embrace the diversity of methodological approaches to decision making used by scholars in the Decision Sciences research community. Major areas include:

• Algorithm Development
• Chaotic Systems
• Computer Science Methods
• Economic Methods
• Empirical Methods
• Forecasting Methods
• Game Theory
• Interpretive Studies
• Longitudinal Studies
• Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods
• Probabilistic Models
• Programming Methods
• Simulation Methods
• Statistical Methods
• Theoretical Foundations

A listing of the specific subareas within each Topic and Methodological Area can be located in the Author Information Center.

All articles must address a well-known or emerging decision problem that is of interest and concern to practicing decision makers. It is the responsibility of the authors to demonstrate the managerial relevance of the decision studied as well as to explain the managerial implications of the research results. If an article satisfies the high standards of research rigor necessary for publication, yet does not fully develop the managerial relevance and implications of the research study, the editorial decision will be to return the manuscript with encouragement to revise and submit a new manuscript for consideration to the journal.

Manuscript Policies

Decision Sciences strives to provide constructive and developmental reviews to authors within approximately two months. To accomplish this meaningful objective, the journal maintains strict policies for manuscript submissions and the reviewing process.

In order to ensure that as many worthy papers as possible appear in each issue, manuscripts submitted to Decision Sciences should not exceed more than 40 double-spaced pages excluding references, appendixes, tables, and figures. Preparation guidelines containing required style guidelines should be reviewed before submission of a manuscript. All manuscripts for publication consideration must be submitted electronically in the Author Center. As a rule, Decision Sciences does not accept resubmissions of rejected manuscripts, unless the revised manuscript represents a substantially different research contribution.

Authors submitting their manuscript to DSJ for publication consideration must certify that: (a) none of the contents of their manuscript has been copyrighted, published, or accepted for publication by another journal, or is under review by another journal; (b) authors whose manuscripts utilize data that are reported in any other manuscript, published or not, are required to inform the editor at the time of submission in a cover letter explaining the duplication; (c) this manuscript uses appropriate citations for the reproduction of someone else's original words or expression of ideas; (d) this manuscript has not been previously submitted to DSJ for review; (e) all working papers, prior drafts, and/or final version of submitted manuscripts that are posted on a website will be taken down during the review process. When a paper is accepted for publication, authors must provide an electronic copy of the final version in Word or TeX.

Review Process

Decision Sciences considers it is the highest honor to receive a manuscript for publication consideration from prospective author(s). As such, the review process is designed to promote expedited reviews, developmental feedback, and a service culture of professionalism and collegiality.

Decision Sciences maintains a double-blind review process where the authors, reviewers, and associate editor are anonymous. All manuscripts go through a comprehensive evaluation by at least two reviewers, an Associate Editor, and a final evaluation by the Editor. Incoming manuscripts are screened against the "Preparation Guidelines" before being sent out for review. Manuscripts that are outside of the journal's mission will be returned immediately after a review by the Editor, and if appropriate, an Associate Editor. The Editor makes the final decision to accept, reject, or invite a revision. If the author(s) select to revise and resubmit the manuscript, the revision is sent back to an Associate Editor, who reviews the manuscript, and may on occasion, requests additional reviews, before making a recommendation to the Editor. Manuscripts will be evaluated on a number of critical dimensions including: (a) appropriateness of the topics/issues, (b) relevance in advancing decision making in the academic community, (c) managerial significance and potential impact on practicing managers, (d) conceptual and methodological rigor, (e) clarity of presentation and readability, and (f) intellectual stimulation. To promote the highest quality reviews that are of value to authors and align with the journal's mission, all reviews are evaluated by members of the Editorial Team. Associate Editors rate reviewers and the Editor rates Associate Editors on five dimensions including comprehensiveness, accuracy, professionalism, developmental value, and overall performance. These ratings are used to continuously improve the quality of the reviewing process.

The Editorial Team strives to respond to all authors within two months of an initial submission, and within one month for a revision. If a second revision is necessary, the expected turnaround time should be less than one month. To realize these goals, Decision Sciences lists up-to-date turnaround times on its web site and also reports individual turnaround times to members of its Editorial Team on a regular basis. Every quarter, the Editorial Team evaluates past performance and identifies areas for improvement in the reviewing process. To further reinforce the need for responsive and high quality reviews, members of the Editorial team serve a two-year commitment, renewable at the end of the year. Additional two-year extensions are available for those members that desire to remain on the Editorial Team. By limiting editorial terms to shorter durations, while at the same time offering the flexibility to extend their appointments, Decision Sciences recognizes that the quality of the editorial review process can suffer when members of its Editorial Team are diverted to other scholarly activities. The rotation of the Editorial Team allows for new members as needed and for reviewers with the interest and expertise to serve as Associate Editors to be afforded this opportunity.

NEW: Online production tracking is now available for your article through Blackwell's Author Services.
Author Services enables authors to track their article - once it has been accepted - through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated e-mails at key stages of production. The author will receive an e-mail with a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete e-mail address is provided when submitting the manuscript. Visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor for more details on online production tracking and for a wealth of resources including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission and more.