Advances in Complex Systems aims to provide a unique medium of communication for multidisciplinary approaches, either empirical or theoretical, to the study of complex systems. The latter are seen as systems comprised of multiple interacting components, or agents. Nonlinear feedback processes, stochastic influences, specific conditions for the supply of energy, matter, or information may lead to the emergence of new system qualities on the macroscopic scale that cannot be reduced to the dynamics of the agents. Quantitative approaches to the dynamics of complex systems have to consider a broad range of concepts, from analytical tools, statistical methods and computer simulations to distributed problem solving, learning and adaptation. This is an interdisciplinary enterprise.
The goal of ACS, therefore, is to promote cross-fertilization of ideas among all the scientific disciplines having to deal with their own complex systems. These include, but are not limited to, biology, physics, engineering, computer sciences, economics, cognitive science and the social sciences. It is in fact the exchange of concepts and techniques — developed within areas as diverse as spin glass physics, game theory, molecular biology, evolutionary optimization, or psychology — which has proven itself to be a major driving force in complex systems research.

ACS predominantly publishes original research articles in the field of complex systems and encourages submissions of papers which result from collaborations across traditional academic disciplines. As a peer reviewed journal, ACS is committed to the highest scientific standards. Papers published in ACS should be written in a way that makes them accessible to a wide range of scientific disciplines. For details, please see the Guidelines for Contributors in this journal.

To encompass all aspects in the field of complex systems, papers in ACS are organized into various research sections, each of which is handled by a section editor. The list below — which is neither complete nor exclusive — gives some information about the possible topics covered in each section. This demonstrates the position of ACS as a truly multi-disciplinary scientific journal in the field of complex systems research.

Overview of Sections and Selected Topics

Fundamental Concepts of Complex Systems (Renaud Lambiotte)
Structure and dynamics of complex networks
Interacting systems, collective dynamics
Evolution, emergence of functionality
Population dynamics, pattern formation
Fluctuation phenomena and stochastic processes
Self-organisation, adaptation, multi-scale phenomena
Information theory for Complex Systems
Empirical Studies of Complex Systems (Márton Karsai)
Complex networks and their applications
Complex systems for social good
Complex biological and ecological systems
Complex cognitive, psychological and neural systems
City science, mobility, and complex urban systems
Complex environmental systems, global sustainability
Complex systems of cultures and cultural production
Complex Social and Economic Systems (Giorgio Fagiolo)
Computational social science
Agent based models of social organisations
Social and economic networks
Evolutionary game theory, cooperation
Economic growth, financial systems, systemic risk
Complex Computer Systems (Ingo Scholtes)
Data Science and Machine Learning approaches to Complex Systems
Learning and adaptation, self-management
(Distributed) multi-agent coordination
Bio-inspired solutions to computational problems
Network science applied to complex computer systems
Formal models for large-scale systems