Policies

Papers with a Previous Conference Version

Logical Methods in Computer Science publishes only original papers which have not been published previously, nor submitted for publication elsewhere. Nevertheless, papers previously published in conference proceedings are usually eligible for publication, provided that the authors have permission to publish. Such submissions should be revised extended versions of conference articles offering an extra benefit to the reader, e.g., full proofs, additonal applications and explanations, improved presentation. In such cases the authors are requested to give a precise reference to the prepublication on the front page of their submissions, and to explain when submitting to what extent the submission differs from their prepublication. 

Executive Editor Rights

The Executive Editor retains the right to require changes to papers after their acceptance by the handling editor. Such changes normally concern matters of style or format.

P vs. NP and Other Long-Standing Problems

The study of long-standing open problems in theoretical computer science, in particular of the P vs. NP problem, might be in the scope of Logical Methods in Computer Science provided logic plays an important role. However, extraordinary claims must be supported by extraordinary evidence, and so submissions to Logical Methods in Computer Science claiming to solve such problems must meet the highest standards of rigour and quality of presentation.

In particular, such submissions must not only be correct; they must also be presented in the clearest and simplest possible way, with no ambiguities, and in a clear grammatical language. The logic must be impeccable, and the presentation must follow the highest standards of expository writing. Reviewers should not have to invest additional time understanding the material because of poor or obscure notations, missing or unclear definitions, or any other reason.

In addition, such submissions must include a cover letter with a clear and convincing high-level explanation of the new ideas they contain, and why they solve a problem that has remained open despite decades of active study.

Finally, prior to submission such submissions should be discussed with experts in a public forum, e.g. the Electronic Colloquium on Computational Complexity (ECCC).

Submissions judged not to satisfy these criteria will be rejected without refereeing, and their authors will not be allowed to submit a new paper to Logical Methods in Computer Science on the same topic until a period of one year has elapsed.

The goal of this policy is to ensure that the valuable reviewing resources of our community are used efficiently.