Few papers excel in all three, but a substandard level in any is sufficient grounds for rejection. This means that papers that may well be in first-rate journals may not be accepted to JACM. In any case, it is the authors' job to make it clear why the paper is important and of broad interest. We ask authors to consult a recent issue of JACM for reference.
To ensure that authors feel comfortable submitting despite these high standards, we aim for a two-step review process. In the first step, referees are asked to scan the paper to decide if it meets these criteria, even assuming that all the results are correct as stated. If it seems that the paper might satisfy these criteria, either the same or different referees are then asked to provide a more in-depth review.
If a paper is rejected from JACM but still seems publishable and the referees are agreeable, we often offer authors the option of having the reviews forwarded to the editor-in-chief of a more appropriate journal.