Submission Guidelines

Preparing Your Manuscript

To get a free, quick experimental AI evaluation of your paper's fit to Decision Analysis before submitting it, click here.  (Authors should be aware that uploading their paper or abstract to this tool could result in it being available to OpenAI for use in training their large language models, and/or some of the contents becoming visible to other users via prompting.)

Abstract

Provide an abstract of not more than 300 words in length. This should be written using non-technical language, and without the use of formulas or mathematical notation (see the section below on mathematical notation). The purpose of the abstract is to provide a concise, highly readable overview of the manuscript's objectives, methods, and the nature and significance of the conclusions and contribution. We strongly recommend that these four aspects be highlighted in a structured abstract:

1. Problem Statement
2. Methodology
3. Results
4. Practical Implications

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Authors are welcome to use generative AI in the preparation of their manuscripts. However, authors are expected to take full responsibility for the accuracy of the submitted version; submission of a manuscript is taken as a declaration that the author(s) reviewed and edited any AI-generated content as needed.

Associate editors and reviewers should not upload a manuscript under review (or any portion of the manuscript) into a generative AI tool, in order to prevent inadvertent violations of copyright and confidentiality.

Data Policy

For papers containing significant empirical, observational, or experimental analysis, we strongly recommend sufficient material to be available (either in the paper or in appendices, data-files and codes) to enable the analysis of the data and/or observations to be replicated. Such material should include experimental designs, elicitation protocols and so forth, as well as the raw data and observations. If requested ,and recognizing that release of proprietary materials may require non-disclosure agreements, authors using these materials should work with the editors to provide evidence that the paper is accurate, and the conclusions are replicable. On acceptance, the journal would expect that these materials are archived in such a way that future researchers can access them, again recognizing that proprietary requirements may necessitate non-disclosure agreements.

Double-Anonymous Peer Review

Decision Analysis conducts double-anonymous reviews (on all new submissions, as of January 1, 2020), meaning that both the authors and the reviewers are not provided with the identity of the other. Authors must remove explicit indications of the authors’ names and institutions and all acknowledgments must be removed. The paper should be written in such a way that it does not reveal an author’s identity (e.g., “I extend the work in my dissertation (Norman 1995)” should be written in a neutral manner like “This work extends the research in Norman (1995)”). Proper attribution of prior work, especially work done by the authors, is a must and takes precedence over maintaining anonymity. (Author names, institutions, and acknowledgments will be returned to the printed manuscript upon acceptance for publication.)

Footnotes

Footnotes should be numbered consecutively and listed separately, double-spaced, at the end of the paper and should be indicated in the text by superscript numbers. Footnote numbers should never be attached to mathematical symbols. To the extent possible, please avoid footnotes; ideally, footnoted material should be placed instead in the body of the text where it will not impair readability.

Format

Submissions must be single-column, double-spaced (including abstracts, references, and footnotes), have 12-point font, and have 1-inch margins all around.

Length

Although the journal does not have a strict page limit, authors are strongly encouraged to write concisely. The editors will consider each manuscript carefully and will request revisions to make the final paper’s length commensurate with its contribution.

Mathematical Notation

Mathematical notation should be chosen so that the formulas and ideas presented in them are clear. Style details can be found here.

References

References should be listed alphabetically by author name at the end of the paper in conformance with journal style. In-text citations should be indicated by the author’s last name and year of publication, e.g., (Norman 1977) or Norman (1977). Click here for examples of reference style.

Style Templates

The manuscript style is specified in the template file Decision-Analysis-template.tex, which handles most stylistic issues. You can find the template and other necessary files here.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures can remain in the source files whether using LaTeX or Microsoft Word. They do not have to be put in the back of manuscripts, but may remain near the citations.

Submitting Your Manuscript

Manuscripts should be submitted online at the ScholarOne Manuscripts site for Decision Analysis.

IMPORTANT NOTE: By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (INFORMS) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more here.

The ScholarOne Submission Process

There are seven steps for uploading a manuscript in the ScholarOne system:

Step 1: Type, Title & Abstract: Enter your manuscript type (ie, original article, column, editorial). Provide the manuscript title and a running header. Add the abstract (not more than 250 words).

Step 2: File Upload: Authors will upload as many files as needed for their manuscript. These files will be combined into a single PDF document for the peer review process. For revisions, authors should include only the latest set of files. As of January 1, 2020 Decision Analysis will use double-anonymous review on all new submissions. The "Main Document" should be a clean copy, without author information. Please upload a separate "Title Page", listing authors/addresses in the order that they should appear, should the paper eventually be published.

Step 3: Attributes: Please provide one to five keywords.

Step 4: Authors & Institutions: All authors and their institutions must be identified. Please note that the submitting author is required to provide their ORCID iD (more information about ORCID iDs can be found here).Please note that any changes to the author list after submission requires all authors to agree and for the corresponding author to submit an authorship change form. This includes authors added during the review process. Please see the author resource page for more information.

Step 5: Reviewers & Editors: Authors must submit names of at least two preferred referees (including one referee from the Editorial Board). Suggested referees should not have a conflict of interest with the authors. A person has a conflict of interest when the author is or was a) his/her major professor, b) a student for whom the person served as a major professor, c) someone who has worked in the same organization within the last five years, d) a collaborator on work, whether completed or in-progress, during the last five years, or e) someone who has a relationship, whether business or personal, that would reasonably be construed to affect the individual’s impartiality and independence. Authors may also list non-preferred referees. Decision Analysis does not ask authors to provide editor suggestions in this step.

Step 6: Details & Comments: Authors can include their cover letter either in the text box or as a separate file. This information will be viewed by the Editor and the Associate Editor but will not be viewed by the reviewers. Authors will denote funding in this section. Last, authors will certify that they are complying with the journal's ethical policy.

Step 7: Review & Submit: As the final step, authors will review the previous six steps for completeness and view the PDF proof generated by the ScholarOne system (this is required). Be sure to select “Submit” when done.

Ethical Statements Authors Will Certify

Prior Submission

Has this manuscript been submitted previously?
If yes, what is the manuscript ID of the previous submission?

Ethical Guidelines

I acknowledge that I am aware of Decision Analysis's guidelines for ethical behavior in publishing (http://pubsonline.informs.org/page/deca/submission-guidelines) and all INFORMS policies referred to therein and that this submission conforms to those policies. I have disclosed (in my cover letter and in any related submission questions) any possible perceived conflicts of interest and noted all of my work that has substantial overlap to prior publications, conference proceedings, book chapters, and papers submitted to this journal or any other journals. I also certify that the copyright for all portions of this paper can and will be transferred to INFORMS upon acceptance.

Plagiarism & Copyright

By checking the following box I certify that:

I acknowledge that in submitting this paper I am aware of INFORMS policy on plagiarism and copyright (http://pubsonline.informs.org/authorportal/copyright-plagiarism). Further I acknowledge that I will report to the editor(s) of the journal all of my manuscripts (e.g., prior publications, conference proceedings, book chapters, papers submitted to other journals) that have substantial overlap with the submitted paper. I also certify that the copyright for all portions of this paper can and will be transferred to INFORMS upon acceptance.

Troubleshooting

For additional training and support for using the ScholarOne Manuscripts submission system, please visit ScholarOne’s Author Resources page.

Contact Your Managing Editor

Annie Stevenson
INFORMS
5521 Research Park Drive
Suite 200
Catonsville, Maryland 21228
[email protected]

The Review Process

The review process for submissions to Decision Analysis is similar to that used by other scholarly journals published by INFORMS. When a manuscript is submitted, the Editor-in-Chief determines whether the topic is suitable for the journal. If not, the manuscript is returned quickly to the authors, typically within two weeks. If the topic is deemed suitable, the Editor-in-Chief decides which Associate Editor will take the lead in handling the article. Reviewers may include at least one member of the Editorial Board, but care is taken to choose reviewers well qualified to evaluate the manuscript. Reviewers are asked to respond within four weeks. Once reviews are received, the Associate Editor designated to handle the paper recommends a decision to the Editor-in-Chief, who makes the final decision and sends a report to the author.

Decision Analysis publishes contributions relevant to all aspects of decision analysis, including original research, perspectives, applications, tutorials, and teaching-related articles. The criteria applied to each type of submission are matched to the objectives of the contribution. For example, research papers are judged on originality, potential impact on decision-analysis theory and practice, and interest to the Decision Analysis audience. In contrast, manuscripts describing applications are judged on technical correctness and clarity of presentation; novelty of methods for the specific application is also considered. For tutorials and teaching-related manuscripts, technical correctness, novelty of teaching approach, and clarity are paramount. Perspective manuscripts, often provided by thought leaders in the field, should present insightful, thought-provoking observations that address the past, present, and future of the field of decision analysis.

The journal’s goal is to provide a report and communicate an editorial decision to authors within two months of submission of a manuscript. Although this is not always feasible due to the busy schedules and competing commitments of everyone involved in the review process, the editors are committed to giving authors feedback as quickly as possible.

Appeals Policy

Appeals are considered only when the author(s) believe that one or more significant technical errors have been made by the reviewers and/or editors, and that the error(s) affected the final decision. Appeals will not be considered when the author(s) believe that the reviewers/editors did not sufficiently appreciate the paper, or the paper was rejected as being not appropriate for Decision Analysis.

In appropriate cases, the author(s) may appeal by email to the Editor-in-Chief. This should be done no more than eight weeks after the final decision was transmitted to the author(s).

The editor will consider the merits of the allegation(s) of error and choose a path of action, which will generally be one of the following: (1) Uphold the original rejection decision with no further action; (2) Secure one or more additional reviews of the paper for further consideration; or (3) Consult with one or more prior Editors-in-Chief.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Authors are welcome to use generative AI in the preparation of their manuscripts. However, authors are expected to take full responsibility for the accuracy of the submitted version; submission of a manuscript is taken as a declaration that the author(s) reviewed and edited any AI-generated content as needed.

Associate editors and reviewers should not upload a manuscript under review (or any portion of the manuscript) into a generative AI tool, in order to prevent inadvertent violations of copyright and confidentiality.

After Acceptance

Acceptance is subject to authors submitting a final version of their accepted paper that contains all final changes requested by the editor. We respectfully request that authors upload their final files to the submission site within seven days from receipt of the acceptance decision letter. The decision of accept is not considered binding until final files have been received.

Final Submission

A decision of accept will cause the manuscript to appear in the “Manuscripts Accepted for First Look” section of the submitting author’s Author Center, where the author will submit the following files:

1. Source file of the article (e.g., Microsoft Word or LaTeX), including Title Page;
2. A PDF file of the paper (generated by the author, not the ScholarOne system);
3. High-quality figure files (PostScript or PDF), either embedded in the manuscript file or as a separate file(s); please note that color figures will publish online in color but be converted to black and white for the print journal unless the authors agree to pay the additional expense associated with printing color.
4. Online supplemental materials (if any) in the format they should have when appearing online (PDF, plain text, etc.);
5. Brief author biographies (limit to 500 characters, placed at the end of the manuscript file);
6. The signed copyright transfer form; and
7. The completed Editorial Checklist.

Please see "Data Policy" above, under "Preparing Your Manuscript".

Open Access

The INFORMS Open Option (IOO) provides an Open Access alternative for articles accepted in any INFORMS journals that would have otherwise been available only through subscriptions or pay per view. Please be advised there is a $3,000 (US) fee to make an article Open Access that will be assessed during the production process. Authors who would like to make their article Open Access do not need to complete the regular copyright transfer form. Additional details for IOO as well as other types of Open Access can be found here.

Publication Forms

• DECA Copyright transfer agreement
• DECA Editorial Checklist
• Media Promotion Form
• IOO Publication License (if you would like to make your paper Open Access)

Contact Your Production Editor

After receipt of final files from authors, manuscripts are sent to production for copy editing and layout. Questions about the publication status of an accepted manuscript should be directed to KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. at [email protected].