Home » Guidelines for Authors for Mathematics Today

Mathematics Today is primarily a general interest publication for mathematics graduates and is not a research journal. It aims to provide members of the Institute with news and other informative items on mathematics and related topics. It includes articles of wide mathematical interest, overviews of recent developments or applications, mathematics in education, news items, news of members, book reviews, puzzles and letters. Contributions from Institute members and non-members are welcome.

Dates for Mathematics Today

Editorial and reviewing policy

It is Institute Policy to send all articles, letters and puzzles that have mathematical or scientific content to reviewers, as a matter of routine, in order to ensure the accuracy of the material. At the same time confirmation is sought from the reviewer that the article is suitable, both in subject matter and style, for Mathematics Today. A balance of topics and items is maintained within issues and over several issues. Non-acceptance does not imply that an article does not meet the academic standard required. The Institute reserves the right to edit manuscripts for clarity of expression and to adjust the length of articles. Those articles without mathematical or scientific content are checked for suitability and edited by the Editorial Officer.

Permission must be obtained before items from Mathematics Today are reproduced or published in other publications. We reserve the right to publish articles in multiple formats.

Diversity and Equality

The IMA has signed the Science Council Diversity Declaration, the principles of which must be respected in content submitted for publication in Mathematics Today. Authors are requested to:

1. Focus extensively on mathematics and its applications.
2. Avoid irrelevant references to any protected characteristic*
3. Not assume that the reader shares your experience or beliefs.
4. Be aware of and attempt to avoid unconscious and perceived biases.

*According to the Equality Act 2010, there are nine characteristics that are protected by this Act: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage or civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation.

Submissions

Manuscripts may be submitted by email (in LaTeX, Word or .pdf format). However, Mathematical Feature articles are preferred in LaTeX, with all images linked to the .tex file and a .pdf master – download the LaTeX guidelines below. Network items, Letters and Book Reviews are preferred in Word format.

Articles must be entirely the work of the named author(s). If an article has been published before, or if it is being considered for another publication, this must be clearly stated and full details given.

Submissions should be sent to: Rebecca Waters (rebecca.waters@ima.org.uk), Telephone: 01702 356111

Feature and Network articles (most Mathematics Today items)

• Titles:  Authors should choose short and interesting titles for their articles.
• Length:  Articles should not normally exceed approximately 3,000 words in length.
• Terminology: Use modern terminology and SI units, except in articles about the history of a subject if original terminology and units are more appropriate.
• Author Details:  For each author please provide a full name and affiliation.
• Photographs, illustrations and tables:  Please ensure that copyright approval has been obtained for all photographs, illustrations, graphs, tables, etc. used and that they are clearly labelled with the figure or table number and a caption. (If you cannot obtain copyright permission, then please specify this at the beginning of the article with the information you have obtained and we will try to obtain copyright permission. Please note we cannot usually purchase images).
• References:  Articles should not contain more than ten references, which should be mentioned in the text and be listed at the end of the paper in the same order.

Letters

• Letters: All letters are sent to the letters editor for review and should usually not exceed 700 words.

Book Reviews

The IMA has an extensive list of books available for review. Book reviews may be published on the IMA website and/or in Mathematics Today. These guidelines are for IMA book reviewers and publishers.

• Length:  Book Reviews for Mathematics Today should not usually exceed 700 words.
• Recent:  In general Mathematics Today will only review books that have been published in the last two calendar years (i.e. books published in 2016 will be removed from the list in 2018). This will be managed through issuing of books to reviewers, rather than publication date, so will not be ‘hard and fast’. Reviews of less recent books (or of 2nd or subsequent editions) will be more likely to be published directly onto the IMA website.
• Recognised Publisher:  In general, Mathematics Today will tend to review books from recognised, mainstream publishers. Books from small scale publishers, including self-publication, will be considered carefully before they are offered for review.
• Mathematical Content:  In general, Mathematics Today will concentrate on books with a large mathematical content. These may be for specialist audiences (e.g. textbooks) or for generalist audiences (e.g. popular science). Fiction books will not be included in the Book Reviews section of Mathematics Today.
• Independence:  Reviewers are expected both to be independent, and to appear independent, of the book that is being reviewed. Any potential conflict of interest should be discussed with the Editorial Officer before a review commences.

For more information about book reviews and the most recent list of books for review please contact Karen Hedderley. The general Guidelines for Authors also apply. Publishers should note that all reviewers are volunteers and books on the list may not be reviewed.

Data Protection Statement for Authors

The personal data that you provide in connection with this submission (please only include your name and affiliation in the article itself) will be stored and processed according to the provisions of the Data Protection Act of 2018, the implementation of the GDPR in the UK. We (and committee members/representatives) may use your email address for the purpose of notifying you about your article and services, events or activities of relevance to you, and to promote networking within the Institute for which we have legitimate interest. If you tell us that you do not wish us to use your personal information for a particular purpose, we will not do so.

Data will be held securely and for no more than six years. As part of the review process, personal data essential for the purpose will be shared with the Editorial Board of Mathematics Today, the reviewers and the mailing company (for the provision of a copy of Mathematics Today), as appropriate. Personal data will be processed according to your rights as a data subject.

For further details, please refer to the Privacy Notice of the IMA.

Related Documents

LaTeX Guidelines for Authors (pdf)

LaTeX Guidelines for Authors (tex)