1. Initial Submission || 2. Revised Submission during External Review
3. Submitting Editable Files for Internal Review || 4. After Acceptance
The American Journal of Physics (AJP) accepts manuscripts using a web-based submission procedure. The advantage to authors is that all their information and material will be automatically saved avoiding the occasional errors that have occurred in the past. It will also allow the editors to work on manuscripts at any time from any place, which will improve the speed of processing of manuscripts. The new software will automatically remind reviewers periodically and will automatically maintain a record of all correspondence relating to each manuscript. Although the AJP editorial office has performed these tasks manually in the past, the new system will lead to a greater degree of consistency across all manuscripts.
After consulting the Statement of Editorial Policy, the Information for Contributors document, and the appropriate section of this document, you may submit your manuscript at the following link:
IMPORTANT NOTE: Before preparing a manuscript for submission to the American Journal of Physics, all authors should consult the Statement of Editorial Policy and the Information for Contributors documents that are featured prominently on the AJP home page. We also strongly encourage prospective authors to consult current issues of AJP for guidance on matters of level, style, format, audience, etc.
All initial submissions should be in the form of a either a single PDF file (very much preferred) or a single MSWord document that contains the entire manuscript including figures, tables, and reference lists. The manuscript file should be no more than 1.0 MB in size if at all possible so that it does not cause difficulties when sent by email to reviewers. (It is almost always possible to reduce the size of a review document below1.0 MB by changing the format or lowering the resolution of figures somewhat.)
The ability to make a PDF file is built into the Macintosh operating system and is also available in most LaTeX processors. Windows users writing in MSWord currently need to obtain additional software such as Adobe Distiller. You can also search online for free conversion software or visit https://editorialexpress.com/e-editor/pdftips.html for further tips on making PDF files.
You may also submit a cover letter either as a PDF file or as text pasted into the submission form.
Authors may, if they wish, remain anonymous during the review process. To do so, simply leave out the names and affiliations of the authors on the PDF file to be sent for review.
To qualify for review manuscripts must:
- be carefully prepared in accordance with the general requirements summarized above and in the Information for Contributors.
- be appropriate for publication in AJP as detailed in the Statement of Editorial Policy.
To submit a manuscript:
*Notes:
- Step 2: Please indicate the preferred section (e.g., Regular, Letter to the Editor, Notes and Discussions, Apparatus Notes, or PERS) for your submission.
- Step 2: We greatly appreciate receiving the names and contact information of appropriate reviewers, but if you really have no suggestions you can bypass this item by simply inserting spaces into the form.
- Step 5: You should have no need to submit items in this step, but if for some reason you do, they should be limited to ZIP archive files or PDF files.
Submission is understood as your representation that the manuscript has not been published previously nor is currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
We encourage authors to place their manuscripts on the Physics Electronic Preprint Archive at the same time as they submit their manuscripts to AJP.
Manuscripts that have been revised after being returned for revision are subject to the same requirements and are submitted using the same procedures detailed above for initial submissions except that resubmissions must be accompanied by a single cover letter* that
- summarizes the revisions and
- provides responses to the issues and questions raised by the Editor and/or the reviewers.
*Note:
- You need not provide separate documents with responses to each reviewer (as allowed in Step 4 of the submission process) as long as you have included them in the cover letter as explained above.
If the external review process is successful, the manuscript will be conditionally accepted and the internal review and editing process begins. Authors will be asked to submit an editable package in the form of either a LaTeX (very much preferred) or MSWord document along with figures in individual files in either EPS or TIFF formats. Please see the much more detailed instructions in the "Information for Contributors" document.
Important: If you are submitting more than one file, all files (manuscript, figures, EPAPS material, etc.) should be combined into a single ZIP archive file and uploaded into the submission form as the manuscript.
As always, please use the AJP web submission page.
Upon submission of these materials, the internal review and editing process begins.
The internal process usually entails one or more rounds of additional revision and resubmission. However, for revisions subsequent to the submission of an editable package, you need only resubmit the revised or new elements of that package.
If the process is successful, the manuscript will be accepted and sent to the American Institute of Physics (AIP) for publication.
After a manuscript is accepted for publication:
- You will be required to submit a signed Transfer of Copyright Form to the American Institute of Physics (AIP), transferring copyright to the AAPT.
- If your submission includes supplementary EPAPS material you will need to fill out and return an EPAPS Deposit Form.
- You may wish to order reprints using the Reprint Order Form
AIP will send galley proofs of your manuscript to be carefully checked before printing and posting online.