In Box was specifically created for short articles that inform and analyze in a relatively brief, informal mode. The “In” refers to “innovative” and “insight,” not just “informative” and “informal.”

The “innovative” aspect means we are looking for descriptions of initiatives, projects, products, and ideas that are breaking new ground for our sciences and services. In Box is a good place to quickly and broadly sketch for readers what’s new and unusual about what you are doing or proposing to do.

The “insight” aspect extends to essays that explore new directions for our field, trends, markets, priorities, and accomplishments, or that describe projects and products with an emphasis on what has been learned from this work (and what readers can learn from their work). In this way In Box should inspire by example.

Whether a topic is more appropriate for the Articles section or the In Box section is a matter of editorial judgment. We encourage authors to discuss this with the Editors of BAMS at the proposal stage.
 
In Box articles are limited to roughly 2,500 words and use citations sparingly. The citations are not the linked citation–reference system used by AMS journals and articles in BAMS. In Box and Nowcast (see below) use a brief bibliographical listing called “For Further Reading,” rather than references and citations.