Editorial Policies
The Journal continues to welcome submission of papers in biological physics. They should have something in common with what we now publish on inanimate materials and processes therein: structures, transport, physical, electrical, dielectric, magnetic, and optical properties. Our basic criterion stated below will continue to apply: papers must contain physics, and there must be an application. We do not yet have a large referee file in biological physics, so authors submitting papers in this area should suggest the names of at least four possible reviewers, with full information on addresses, phone, fax, and e-mail. Suggestions of reviewers are welcome regardless of the subject.
Journal of Applied Physics is published by the American Institute of Physics. The Editor, aided by the Associate Editors and the Editorial Board, is responsible for the scientific content and other editorial matters relating to the Journal. Manuscripts submitted are first screened by the editors; those on subject matters within the scope of the Journal are sent to an expert referee for evaluation and may be sent to a second reviewer if necessary. This two-tier screening process helps to assure an appropriate focus as well as high scientific quality of the Journal.
Criteria for Publication
1. Content. Journal of Applied Physics publishes papers describing original research in applied physics. We seek to publish papers that contain substantial advancement of established knowledge or that report significant new developments in the field. Our instructions to reviewers state:
- "A paper to be published in Journal of Applied Physics should be not only a useful
report, but should contain physics in the sense of interpreting or analyzing the phenomena
observed experimentally in terms of basic mechanisms. Theoretical papers should indicate
possible applications."
Papers that, in the reviewer's or editor's opinion, fall short of this standard will be rejected.
For the benefit of the growing scientific community contributing to the Journal, we give details for three subjects on which we receive many manuscripts.
- Device fabrication or performance: Our policy is to consider such manuscripts
only if the underlying physics is clearly described and is new and interesting.
- Materials synthesis: Our criterion for manuscripts in this area, including thin film
growth, is that the paper contain physics, such as the mechanism of growth or formation, or the
underlying physics of how the processing affects the properties obtained. A recipe followed only
by characterization of the structure is usually not sufficient.
- Instruments and experimental techniques: Papers, the main thrust of which is
instrumentation or experimental technique, should be sent to Review of Scientific
Instruments.
2. Novelty. Papers must contain new results to be published. Submission of an article implies that it has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Material previously published in a letters journal or in a conference proceedings can be included in an article in the Journal that presents significantly more detail and/or results, leading to a substantially improved understanding of the subject. Figures, tables, or text material should not be repeated. Claims of novelty such as "for the first time" should be avoided, even when qualified by escape clauses such as "to our knowledge." Trust the readers to know when something is new and when it is not.
3. Language. Papers must be written in standard American English. This is the responsibility of the author, not the editors. Papers below the standard for the Journal will be returned to the authors for rewriting and can be rejected for this reason alone. Such problems may be avoided and publication expedited if the manuscript is edited by an English-speaking colleague or a professional editing service before the initial submission.
4. Length. The length of a regular paper should be kept to the minimum consistent with comprehensibility. The length of a Communication is limited to three printed pages. The same standards of scientific content and quality apply to Communications as to regular articles. Papers occupying more than ten printed pages in the Journal will be assessed a mandatory "excess page fee" of $150 per additional page. The length of the abstract should not exceed one-third of a printed page.
5. Format. Instructions to contributors are published in the front of the Journal twice a year, and are posted on the Journal's web page. Because of rapid changes in publication technology, authors are asked to follow the instructions for preparation of figures with particular care.
6. Patents. Submission of manuscripts that contain ideas which may be patentable is at the author's risk, and neither Journal of Applied Physics or the American Institute of Physics assumes any responsibility in this regard.
7. Byline. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that all authors approve the inclusion of their names on the byline. If the name of a co-author is removed, the signed approval of all original authors is required. A co-author being added must send his approval in writing. Papers are not published until the required signatures are received.
8. Serial Publication. Publication of ongoing work in a series of papers is strongly discouraged. Instead, a single comprehensive article should be submitted.
9. Review articles. Applied Physics Reviews are published in the Journal. Manuscripts should be sent to one of the Editors, either: John M. Poate, Editor, Applied Physics Reviews, Axcelis Technologies, Inc., 108 Cherry Hill Drive, Beverly, MA 01915, or Bill R. Appleton, Editor, Applied Physics Reviews, CIMS, Harvard University, 17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Authors are strongly advised to contact one of the Editors before writing a manuscript.
10. Comments and Responses. The Journal publishes Comments. The purpose of a Comment is to correct significant errors in articles published in the Journal, to take issue with the conclusions reached, or to provide additional insight or corroboration.
Comments must be concise, substantive, and free of polemics. They must address scientific issues only. Comments on questions of priority or calling attention to an oversight in a reference list do not benefit our readers enough to be published and can be settled by the author of the original paper by writing an Addendum. If the author of the Comment is wrong, or if he/she has simply misunderstood the original, it will be best to settle the matter privately.
The Comment is limited to no more than three printed pages. The title should read: Comment on "original title" [J. Appl. Phys., vol., page (year)].
The author is given an opportunity to reply. The Response should take up no more than one printed page. The title should read: Response to "Comment on 'original title'" [J. Appl. Phys., vol., page (year)].
The Comment and Response will then be reviewed. If the Comment is rejected, neither will be published. If the Response alone is rejected, the Comment will be published without the Response. No further exchange beyond this point can be considered for publication.
11. Errata. The Journal publishes errata, in which authors correct significant errors of substance in their published manuscripts. The title should read: Erratum: "original title" [J. Appl. Phys., vol., page(year)]. This is followed by the authors' names and institutions, and the text of the corrected version. Errata should be as short as consistent with clarity.
