Introduction

Currently, Fuzzy Sets and Systems is accepting 25% of all submitted papers. The system of refereeing is, first, for the Editorial Office to send papers to the appropriate Area Editor. The AE then chooses referees from a database and advises the Editorial Office, which sends papers to referees for peer review. Based on the referee reports received and the Area Editor's own judgements, a recommendation is then made to the Co-Editors-in-Chief, who make a final decision.

I was appointed area editor for analysis mid-1999 and, between 14 July 1999 and 5 April 2000 (when this advice was written), have received 44 new and revised papers for processing. Of these, 8 have been accepted, 9 are awaiting referee reports, one returned to the Office as being outside my competence and the remaining 26 recommended for rejection or major revision. So the analysis area rate of acceptance is largely in line with that of other areas that the journal caters for.

The standard of papers accepted still leaves room for improvement if Fuzzy Sets and Systems is to become a stronger journal of international repute. Over the next 18 months, if the Editors-in-Chief concur, I will gradually make stricter demands for acceptance of papers in the Analysis Area. This position paper is to guide authors in submitting better papers to the journal, and to help them make meaningful revisions in line with criticisms and suggestions contained in referee reports.

The next section summarises many of the reasons for rejection and requests for major revisions. In the third section, some guidelines and helpful hints are given for improving the quality of submissions so as to increase the likelihood of editorial approval, and for successfully revising papers so that they are ultimately accepted. This is followed by a brief summary.