Journal rules

ACM's Transition to Full Open Access As of January 1, 2026, ACM is a fully Open Access Publisher. All ACM publications, including ACM journals, are 100% Open Access. Please visit the journal Open Access page for information on the transition plan including APC rates, waivers and discounts.

Scope The ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS) publishes significant research results concerning the development, evaluation and use of mathematical software in support of important application areas. (See the Editorial Charter for further details.) Submitted papers are judged primarily on originality and relevance, but effective presentation is also critical. Contributions should conform to generally accepted practices for scientific papers with respect to organization and style.

Types of Papers Authors should consult the ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software Editorial Charter to determine the scope of papers for the journal. Contributions must be of one of the following types:

Research paper A paper that discusses original research into mathematical software. Where appropriate, reference will be made to publicly available software written by the author and/or by others. The paper should not fall into any of the categories below.

Survey paper A paper that summarizes and organizes recent mathematical software research results in a novel way that contributes to advancing research in the field. The paper should have a narrow focus. (Very high standards for effective presentation will be applied.)

Algorithm paper A paper that describes the implementation of a particular algorithm in computer software. A machine readable implementation of the algorithm, in the form of a complete, and well-engineered software package, must be included. This software is considered part of the submission. It will be evaluated by referees and, if accepted, published in the Collected Algorithms of the ACM (CALGO). Please refer to the Submission guidelines for Algorithm papers, and to the Algorithms Policy document for an overview of the material to be included in an Algorithm article.

Remark, Certification and Translation papers A Remark is a short communication (possibly including software) regarding a numbered algorithm previously published in CALGO. A Certification paper describes a detailed (usually experimental) analysis of a numbered algorithm previously published in CALGO (usually by a different author); it will normally include the software employed in the certification. A Translation paper includes a translation of a numbered algorithm previously published in CALGO into a different programming language. (This must represent be a substantial undertaking that adds significant value to the original). A machine readable implementation of the translation, in the form of a complete and well-engineered software package, must be included. This software is considered part of the submission. It will be evaluated by referees and, if accepted, published in the CALGO.

Software Release paper A paper that describes major developments, either new or updated features, in the implementation of a widely used software package that is relevant to the TOMS community.

The developments described in these papers need not be new theoretical advances; rather, they should bring significant additional capabilities to an existing user base.

Papers in this category provide authors of these packages a venue to discuss what is new in a holistic way; thus, they inform users of these packages about ongoing development and provide them with a target to cite something specific to one or a small number of package releases. They also allow developers who contributed to a recent release to see their work on the software acknowledged by being co-authors on a release paper.

Release papers are typically anchored in a previously published paper that describes the overall design of a package, are short (typically fewer than 10 pages), and are reviewed on a separate, expedited track.

Review criteria include the presentation of the material with an eye towards software package users, and whether the package and the release(s) described in the manuscript are substantial contributions to mathematical software; reviewers may assess the quality of the published software. Having an open-source implementation is considered an advantage.

Since this is a new paper track, authors are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant editors of ACM TOMS before writing and submitting manuscripts.

Submissions that include software must conform to the ACM Algorithm Policy.

Experimental analysis of the performance of mathematical software implementations are often included in papers published in TOMS. Computational experiments of this type are fraught with pitfalls. Many of these difficulties are discussed in the following paper:

D.S. Johnson, A Theoretician's Guide to the Experimental Analysis of Algorithms, in Proceedings of the 5th and 6th DIMACS Implementation Challenges, M. Goldwasser, D. S. Johnson, and C. C. McGeoch, Editors, American Mathematical Society, Providence, 2002. [pdf file available]

TOMS authors are urged to follow the recommendations of this paper.

Prior Publication Policy By submitting a manuscript to TOMS, authors warrant that the paper is original, has not been previously published, and has not been simultaneously submitted elsewhere.

Widely disseminated conference proceedings and newsletters are a form of publication, although they are usually only semiarchival and often unrefereed. Publication, or republication, of a (perhaps revised) paper which has been widely disseminated is permitted only if the editor judges that (a) the revision contains significant amplification or clarification of the original material or (b) there is a significant additional benefit to be gained from journal publication. In either case, any prior appearance should be noted on the title page of the paper.

For further information, see the ACM Policy on Prior Publication and Simultaneous Submission.

Plagiarism Policy ACM has established a rigorous policy on plagiarism. Manuscripts found to be in violation of this policy will be immediately rejected. Authors of papers found to be in violation after publication face severe penalties. It is important that all authors and co-authors review this policy before submission. Note that this policy also covers the practice of self-plagiarism (i.e., reuse of one's own previously published material without reference to the original source).

For more information, see the ACM Policy on Plagiarism.

Manuscript Preparation Authors must prepare and submit their manuscripts electronically. This facilitates both a quicker editorial review process as well as faster and more accurate processing of accepted papers.

By default, papers will be published monochrome in the printed version of the journal; use of color in the printed version will be approved on a case-by-case basis and only when absolutely necessary for the presentation of the material. The online version of the paper, i.e., the PDF file posted in the ACM Digital Library, can use color provided the projection to monochrome in the printed version does not lose essential information. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that this projection will be satisfactory.

If accepted, final manuscripts must be submitted to ACM in either LaTeX or Microsoft Word. These are described in the ACM manuscript preparation guidelines. Authors are urged to follow these guidelines in the original preparation of their manuscripts whenever possible.

To ensure proper indexing, classification, retrieval and dissemination, authors must include the following in the manuscript.

Descriptive title

Author names and affiliations

Abstract

Content indicators

Citations to relevant literature

The following serve as guidelines for the preparation of this material.

Descriptive Title Select a title that accurately and clearly describes the paper. Choose title terms as highly specific as the content and emphasis of the paper permit. Avoid special symbols and formulas in titles unless essential to indicate content. Avoid cute or clever titles.

Author Names and Affiliations Authors' names should be given (without titles or degrees) along with the name and address of the organization for which the work was carried out. A footnote on the first page should acknowledge funding sources and presentations, if any, of the material at technical meetings (give dates and sponsoring societies). The author's current address should be given in a footnote on the first page.

Abstract The abstract should be between 150 and 200 words and consist of short, direct, and complete sentences. It should be sufficiently informative to serve in some cases as a substitute for reading the paper itself. It should state the objectives of the work, summarize the results, and give the principle conclusions. The title need not be repeated. Work planned but not completed should not be described in the abstract. Because abstracts are extracted and used separately, do not use the first person, do not display mathematics, and do not use citation reference numbers. Try to avoid starting with the words "This paper ..."

Content Indicators Three types must be assigned: (1) categories and subject descriptors, (2) general terms, (3) keywords and phrases. The first two items are selected from the Computing Classification Scheme. An introduction is also available. Select as many of these as may be applicable.

The keywords and phrases are additional English language words that indicate the content of the submission. They should not be synonymous with those already in the classification system: they can be more specific in relation to the paper than the subject descriptors and need not be covered by the existing classification system. The following guidelines may be helpful.

Use important terms from the title; include their synonyms, related words and words of higher or lower generic rank.

Use English nouns, or noun-noun and noun-adjective combinations; do not use hyphens except if the hyphenated parts are always treated as a single unit.

Use specific terms whose meanings are generally accepted; do not use broad catchall terms (such as "computer", "automatic", "machine", "system", "discussion", "description"); do not use private terms or acronyms that may not be generally known.

Do not use negative terms stressing what your paper does not do.

References Every work cited in the text must appear in the list of references, and, conversely, every item in the reference list must be cited in the text.

Citations should appear in the text in the form "[Lastname year]" or "Lastname [year]", as appropriate to the context. Multiple citations may be grouped as "Lastname year; Lastname year]"; drop the Lastname if it is the same as the previous one. For two authors use "Lastname and Lastname"; for three or more authors use "Lastname et al." Append lowercase letters to the date in the citation and in the reference list if both authors and dates of multiple references are identical. Examples :

[Renka 1996]

Renka [1996]

[Duff 1981; 1983]

[Dongarra and Grosse 1987]

[Duff et al. 1986]

Dongarra et al. [1988a]

The following guidelines should be followed in preparing the list of references.

Author names: Last names are given first, even for multiple authors; likewise for editors, with the name followed by (Ed.). First and middle names appear as initials only. The author's name always ends with a period, either the period which follows the initial, or a period for the purpose. Author names are set in small capitals.

References to items in periodicals: These should take the form: Author(s) Year. Title. Journal Volume, Number (Month), Pages. The title has only the first word and proper names (or their derivatives) starting with capital letters, and it ends with a period. The journal name is abbreviated and is set in italics. Example:

Jenkins, M. A., and Traub, J. F. 1975. Principles for testing zerofinding programs. ACM Trans. Math. Soft. 1, 1 (Mar.), 26-34.

References to books: These should take the form: Author(s) Year. Title. Publisher, City. Page or chapter references follow the year. All principal words in the title start with a capital letter. The title is set in italics.

References in proceedings: These should take the form: Author(s) Year. Title. In Booktitle. Editornames, Eds. Publisher, City, Pages. The names of editors appear as initials followed by last names. The book title is set in italics. Example:

Freund R. W. 1994.The look-ahead Lanczos process for nonsymmetric matrices and its applications. In Proceedings of the Cornelius Lanczos International Centenary Conference, J. D. Brown, M. T. Chu, D. C. Ellison, and R. J. Plemmons, Eds. SIAM, Philadelphia, Pa., 33-47.

References to reports: These should take the form: Author(s) Year. Title. Source, City. The title is formatted like articles in periodicals.

References to web pages: These should take the form: Author(s) Year. Web address. References to web pages should be used only when references to archival sources (e.g. journals and books) are unavailable.

Sequence: In the reference list, entries are arranged alphabetically according to authors' or editors' names, or publishing organizations for items to which no names can be attached. Alphabetization occurs in categories: one author, two authors, and three or more authors. Citations with identical authors should be arranged in increasing order of year. For multiple citations with identical authors and years, add labels a, b, etc. after the year. The Latex bibstyle provided by the ACM correctly sequences the references.

Accuracy: Authors are responsible for checking that all information in the references is correct.

Completeness: Include any and all information necessary for finding the work referenced. It is better to include more than enough information than too little information.

Additional Notes on Style The programming language Fortran should appear as "Fortran 77", "Fortran 95", or simply "Fortran", the latter referring to the international standard current at the time that the paper is accepted. The archaic form "FORTRAN" should not be used.

Submission for Editorial Review How to Submit All submissions to ACM TOMS should be made using the online manuscript processing facilities of Manuscript Central. Access to Manuscript Central requires an account, which can be established immediately via links from the Manuscript Central home page. When a paper has been prepared using a version of Tex or Latex, for purposes of editorial review only Postscript or PDF versions of the manuscript need be uploaded. (Manuscripts prepared in Word are also acceptable.)

Normally, a manuscript with no accompanying code being submitted for publication should be uploaded as a Research paper, though Survey papers are also acceptable. For Algorithm paper submissions, the submitted code intended for publication (and accompanying files such as test cases or manuals) must also be uploaded. Remark, Certification paper and Translation submissions will also usually have submitted code that is intended for publication. When in doubt about which is the appropriate type of publication, authors should contact Tim Hopkins at [email protected] in advance of submission.

Review Process Submitted papers are assigned to an Associate Editor who chooses anonymous referees. These referees evaluate the paper for originality, relevance, and presentation then make a recommendation to the Associate Editor who in turn makes a recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief or the Algorithms Editor. Revisions requested by the Editor-in-Chief or the Algorithms Editor should be uploaded to ACM Manuscript Central. After the refereeing process is complete, the Associate Editor makes a recommendation for acceptance or rejection to the Editor-in-Chief or the Algorithms Editor, who makes the final decision on publication. The name of the Associate Editor who is responsible for processing the manuscript is available to the author on Manuscript Central. The author is expected to report any change of postal or electronic address on Manuscript Central.

Procedures for Accepted Papers How to Submit Once a manuscript is accepted, it will be returned to your author center for you to review and make any final changes or corrections prior to production and publication. You will find your manuscript in your author center under the list “Manuscripts Accepted for First Look.” Click on the link to “submit updated manuscript” and follow the steps as you would during a manuscript submission process.

ACM provides for submission in either LaTeX or Microsoft Word. Please refer to ACM's Guidelines for Submitting Accepted Articles for details on final manuscript formatting and submission procedure.

Submittal of an algorithm for consideration for publication in ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software implies that unrestricted use of the algorithm within a computer is permissible.

NEW - Producing a Teaser Video Creating a teaser video for a research paper accepted for ACM TOMS publication is a great way to generate interest and increase the visibility of your work to a broader audience.

Below are some guidelines to follow:

1. Define the Purpose Highlight the problem your research addresses. Showcase the key results or contributions. Encourage the audience to read the full paper.
2. Keep It Short Aim for 1–2 minutes. A teaser video should be concise and engaging. Use succinct text, clear visuals, and avoid overwhelming the audience with technical jargon. The paper is there then for that purpose. Enable (optional) your camera.
3. Plan the Structure Introduction (First 15-20 seconds) Hook the audience with a captivating question or statement.
   Provide a simple overview of the problem.
   Core Content (Next 30-60 seconds) Introduce your approach/methodology.
   Present key findings or unique contributions using visuals or animations.
   Call to Action (Final 10-15 seconds)
   Invite viewers to read the paper.
4. Use Visuals Effectively Incorporate graphs, animations, and simulations to convey complex ideas visually.
   Use consistent fonts, colors, and branding to maintain a professional look.
   If applicable, include a short demo of your work (e.g., a model in action, data visualization).
5. Simplify the Content Avoid dense equations or overly detailed explanations.
   Use easy-to-understand language and infographics.
6. Include Your Details Provide authors’ names and affiliations.
   Add logos of the institutions or organizations involved.
7. Ensure Accessibility Add subtitles or captions to make the video accessible to a global audience.
   Use simple, universal visuals to cater to non-specialist viewers.
8. Review and Share Get feedback from colleagues to ensure clarity.
   Share the video with us on Google drive for final review before we upload it to ACM Official Youtube channel. ORCID Requirements All submitting authors are required to provide an ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) at the time of manuscript submission. Co-authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID at the submission stage within their ScholarOne user account as well as in the author metadata. If and when a manuscript is accepted for publication, all listed authors must have a registered and valid ORCID before the paper can proceed to production.

ORCID provides a unique, persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers and ensures proper attribution of your work. Authors who do not yet have an ORCID can register for one free of charge at https://orcid.org.

Visit ACM ORCID FAQ for additional information and frequently asked questions.

ACM Policies As a published ACM author, you and your co-authors are subject to all ACM Publications Policies.

ACM Policy on Authorship The ACM Policy on Authorship and the associated list of Frequently Asked Questions cover the criteria for authorship and for submission, as well as acceptable and unacceptable authorship practices.

ACM Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy The ACM Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy describes what a COI is, who is responsible for being aware of such conflicts, how to manage COIs, and how to report violations.

ACM Peer Review Policy ACM recognizes that the quality of a refereed publication rests primarily on the impartial judgment of their volunteer reviewers. Expectations of reviewers and ACM, including key topics such as confidentiality, the use of large language models in the peer review process, and conflicts of interest, can be found in the ACM Peer Review Policy and its associated list of Frequently Asked Questions.

ACM Policy on Plagiarism, Misrepresentation, and Falsification ACM is committed to preventing and addressing any accusations of Dishonest Publication-plagiarism, redundant publication (self-plagiarism), author misrepresentation, and content falsification-in ACM Publications. ACM Policy on Plagiarism, Misrepresentation, and Falsification addresses these concerns.

ACM Policy on the Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, and Removal of Works from ACM Publications and ACM Digital Library ACM has an obligation to preserve the accuracy, integrity, and completeness of the scholarly record. ACM Policy on the Withdrawal, Correction, Retraction, and Removal of Works from ACM Publications and ACM Digital Library defines:

the circumstances and conditions under which an action can be taken who provides input and makes the final determination regarding each possible action the process followed by ACM to determine if such actions are warranted, including the possibility of an appeals process what specific actions are taken by ACM after a final determination has been made ACM Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects All authors conducting research involving human participants and subjects must meet appropriate ethical and legal standards guiding such research. These requirements are detailed in the ACM Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects.

Ethics Oversight ACM Ethics & Plagiarism Committee is responsible for overseeing all publication misconduct cases and issues dealing with professional ethics in publishing. The Committee places the investigation of each claim of misconduct at the highest priority for resolution and action. Further information can be found on the following websites:

Policy on Submitting and Investigating Claims Report a Publication Policy Violation Penalties for Publications Violations Appealing Violations Decisions Appealing Editorial Decisions To appeal the rejection of an article submitted to an ACM journal, please first contact the Editor(s)-in-Chief of the journal. If you are unable to resolve the matter, please contact ACM’s Director of Publications.

Author Rights On January 1, 2023, ACM ceased asking authors of accepted manuscripts to transfer copyright of their Work to ACM prior to publication. All authors publishing with ACM retain copyright of their Works, but will continue to be required to grant ACM (1) a non-exclusive license to publish that Work in the ACM Digital Library, (2) the right to serve as the official Publisher of that Work with associated commercial rights, including the right to license the Work to third parties, such as for training by LLMs, and (3) the right to defend the integrity of that Work against various forms of infringement and misconduct by third parties on behalf of the author.

ACM gives authors the opportunity to choose between two Creative Commons (CC) licenses for their work, CC-BY and CC-BY-NC-ND. With both licenses, authors retain all rights to their work, and the work is made available with perpetual open access through ACM's Digital Library.

Learn more, including about posting, distributing and reusing rights by visiting the ACM Author Rights page.

Open Access As of January 1, 2026, ACM has become a fully Open Access Publisher. All ACM publications, including ACM journals, are 100% Open Access. Please visit the journal Open Access page for information on the transition plan including APC rates, waivers and discounts.

Artifacts and Reproducibility ACM encourages authors to submit software and data sets with their papers. For years, ACM has provided mechanisms for authors to submit software, data sets, videos and other supplemental artifacts with their research papers. We make these artifacts more discoverable through search and more prominent on abstract pages and Tables of Contents.

Software and Data Artifacts in the ACM Digital Library Artifact Review and Badging Templates Manuscripts accepted for publication in any ACM publication must be formatted using the ACM authoring template. Submissions must also use the ACM authoring templates. ACM style files will closely approximate the final output, enabling authors to judge the page-length of their published articles.

ACM authoring templates and detailed instructions on formatting can be found at http://www.acm.org/publications/authors/submissions. For both Word and LaTeX technical support, contact [email protected].

ACM Computing Classification System (CCS) If your paper has been accepted, please read the HOW TO CLASSIFY WORKS USING ACM'S COMPUTING CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM for instructions on how to classify your document using the CCS and insert the index terms into your LaTeX or Microsoft Word source file. Providing the proper indexing and retrieval information from the CCS provides the reader with quick content reference, facilitating the search for related literature, as well as searches for your work in ACM's Digital Library and on other online resources.

Language Services ACM has partnered with International Science Editing (ISE) to provide language editing services to ACM authors. ISE offers a comprehensive range of services for authors including standard and premium English language editing, as well as illustration and translation services, and also has significant outreach in China. Editing is available for both Word and LaTeX files. As an ACM author, you will receive a generous discount on ISE editing services. To take advantage of this partnership, visit the Dedicated ACM Editing Service. (Editing services are at author expense and do not guarantee publication of a manuscript.)

LaTeX Collaborative Authoring Tool on Overleaf Platform ACM has partnered with https://www.overleaf.com/, a free cloud-based, authoring tool, to provide an ACM LaTeX authoring template. Authors can easily invite colleagues to collaborate on their document. Among other features, the platform automatically compiles the document while an author writes, so the author can see what the finished file will look like in real time. Further information can be found at https://www.acm.org/publications/authors/submissions. The ACM LaTeX template on Overleaf platform is available to all ACM authors https://www.overleaf.com/gallery/tagged/acm-official#.WOuOk2e1taQ.

Kudos Article Sharing Platform Kudos is a free service that you can use to promote your work more effectively. After your paper has been accepted and uploaded to the ACM Digital Library, you'll receive an invitation from Kudos to create an account and add a plain-language description. The Kudos “Shareable PDF” allows you to generate a PDF to upload to websites, such as your homepage, institutional repository, preprint services, and social media. This PDF contains a link to the full-text version of your article in the ACM DL, adding to download and citation counts.

Author Gateway Please be sure to visit the ACM Author Portal for additional important author information.

Contact Us For further assistance and questions regarding the journal editorial review process and paper assignment to an issue, contact the journal administrator ([email protected]).