most recent 30 from http://mathoverflow.net 2013-06-19T20:06:13Z http://mathoverflow.net/feeds/user/11053 http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/rdf http://mathoverflow.net/questions/47188/non-mathematician-submitting-to-top-maths-journal Utterly Unqualified 2010-11-24T03:23:46Z 2010-11-24T08:21:43Z

<p>I am an amateur mathematician, and I had an idea which I worked out a bit and sent to an expert. He urged me to write it up for publication. So I did, and put it on arXiv. There were a couple of rounds of constructive criticism, after which he tells me he thinks it ought to go a "top" journal (his phrase, and he went on to name two). </p> <p>His opinion is that my outsider status will have no effect on the reviewing process and my paper will be taken seriously. I am pleased and quite flattered to hear this, and my inclination is to do as he suggests. But I have to say it sounds too good to be true. Does this match other people's experience? I understand it's rare enough for undergraduates to publish anywhere, and I am not even an undergraduate! Surely a "non-mathematician submitting to top mathematical journal" must instantly rank high on the crackpot scale. How often does this actually occur successfully these days? Any advice?</p>

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/47188/non-mathematician-submitting-to-top-maths-journal/47190#47190 Utterly Unqualified 2010-11-24T05:27:40Z 2010-11-24T05:27:40Z

@sleepless: As I say above I may post a new question under my real name with a link. I am thinking about it. In the meantime, to your answer. If I knew rejection would be prompt, I would submit without hesitation. But I hear it is not, and I can't parallel submit, so there is a non-trivial decision here, right? And yes, &quot;top journal&quot; confuses me. As does the general reaction here.

http://mathoverflow.net/questions/47188/non-mathematician-submitting-to-top-maths-journal Utterly Unqualified 2010-11-24T05:04:41Z 2010-11-24T05:04:41Z

I may post a separate question (with link). And although my own paper is obviously the motivaion, I was only partly asking about my own paper. From the response I infer that this just doesn't happen in modern times. Correct?