The VLDB Journal is an academic journal dedicated to contributions in the field of data management, including database system technologies and information systems, along with their architectures and applications. The scope of this journal is limited to the areas of data management covered by the expertise of the editorial board. We welcome submissions with substantial theoretical components, but the VLDB Journal also expects these submissions to include system components. For data mining, the journal will consider submissions where system issues play a significant role. Factors we use to determine whether data mining papers fall within scope include whether the submission addresses system issues related to data mining, such as integration with database engines or other data management functionalities. Contributions should build upon (rather than merely cite) existing works published in database channels, such as VLDBJ, ACM TODS, PVLDB, ACM SIGMOD, IEEE ICDE, and EDBT. The editorial board possesses the necessary expertise to evaluate the submitted topics. Traditional, standalone data mining papers lacking the aforementioned or similar characteristics are not within the scope of this journal. Similar standards apply to submissions from other fields, such as information retrieval and geographic information systems.