Editorial Statement

As the flagship journal of the INFORMS Applied Probability Society, Stochastic Systems seeks to publish high-quality research in applied probability and at its interfaces with operations research, optimization, data science, and statistics. As of 2026, the journal introduces a new submission category, Short Correspondences, intended for concise, high-quality contributions.

Papers are expected to make substantial contributions, either through theory motivated by problems arising in applications, or through contributions to applications and practice. A paper’s contribution may lie in the development of new theoretical results; the formulation and analysis of new mathematical models; the development of new mathematical or computational methods; the innovative application of existing methods; or the opening of new application domains.

Representative application areas of interest include, but are by no means limited to, service operations; healthcare; logistics and transportation; communications networks (including the Internet); computer systems; finance and risk management; manufacturing operations and supply chains; market and mechanism design; revenue management and pricing; the sharing economy; social networks; cloud computing.

While many papers at Stochastic Systems have a methodological focus, such a focus is not required for publication. The journal also welcomes papers that present techniques or insights that advance the practice of applied probability. A simple but novel idea with high realized or potential impact is welcome.

Submissions in the new Short Correspondences category are limited to eight pages and are handled through an expedited review process. Short Correspondences are intended for contributions of interest to the APS community, including high-quality research results that can be presented concisely; position papers on emerging topics; papers that help shape new research directions or articulate important open problems; and novel or thought-provoking ideas whose primary contribution lies in insight, formulation, or perspective. Submissions in this category are expected to stand on their own and are not intended as abbreviated versions of longer papers to be published elsewhere.