Human activity as the decision-based queueing process: statistical data analysis of waiting times in scientific journals

Abstract: We consider the editorial processing of papers in scientific journals as a human activity process based on the decision making. A functional form of the probability distributions of random variables describing a human dynamics is studied using classical approaches of mass service systems theory, physics of critical phenomena and statistical methods of data analysis. Our additional goal is to corroborate the scientometrical application of the results obtained. Keywords: data analysis, statistics, mass service systems, human activity, scientometrics