How to get published in IOP
journals
Professor Mingfang Lu, PhD, FInstP
Editor-in-Chief, China
IOP Beijing Office and IOP Publishing
March, 2013
mingfang.lu@iop.org, China.iop.org, IOPscience.iop.org
Outline
Papers and their qualities from Taiwan
Quality - IOP criteria
What determines your quality
Select the journal and submit your paper
Process at the journal
What referees do for your paper
Responding to referees
Getting published in IOP Journals
Questions
Paper Submissions and Publications in IOP from Taiwan
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Submitted
505
731
881
1,035
1,175
1,078
930
850
Accepted
179
272
303
343
339
303
244
236
Acc rate=Acc/Sub
35.5%
37.2%
34.4%
33.1%
28.9%
28.1%
26.2%
27.8%
Papers published in 2012: NTWU/51, NTHU/45, ASinica/40, NCTU/20,
NCKU/18, NCU/15, NTUT/8, NTNU/6, TKU/4, FJU/2, CCU/1, CYCU/1, etc.
In journals: APJ/32, JMM/31, JPhysD/30, NANO/23, JPCM/13, JCAP/9,
Jopt/9, SMS/9, APJL/8, SST/7, JPhysB/5, SUST/5, JPhysA/5,
LP, NON, PhyScr, APJS, Jinst, JNE, NJP, NuclFus, PMB,
PPCF, AJ, CQG, IP, MST, BF, BMM, RoPP, etc
IOP Papers Publications world-wide in 2012
Journals
IOP
AAS
IOP+AAS
Taiwan (No 19)
Submitted
Accepted
34,566
3,911
38,477
(850) 2.5%
13,101
3,524
16,625
(236) 1.8%
Acceptance rate
37.9%
90.1%
43.2%
27.8%
Other of the Top 10 Countries in 2012
No.
1 USA 2 GER 3 M China
Subs
5,064 2,386
7,572
Accs
2,962 1,685
1,453
ACCrate 58.5% 70.6%
19.2%
4 UK 5 FRANCE 6 JAPAN 7 ITALY 8 SPAIN 9 KOREA 10 CANADA
1,984 1,548
1,473
1,327
1,004
1,297
856
1,318 1,017
821
812
545
464
443
66.4% 65.7%
55.7% 61.2%
54.3%
35.8%
51.8%
http://IOPscience.iop.org/
QUALITY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR IOP JOURNALS
Q1 Makes major contributions to the advancement of the
subject world-wide (top 10%)
Q2 Good quality work - original and internationally
competitive
Q3 Borderline work of limited interest
Q4 Low quality work - adds little or no new knowledge
Q5 Poor work, clearly unsuitable
Q1 or Q2 papers are expected
Q3 papers unlikely to be accepted
Q4 or Q5 papers will be rejected
Quality of papers published by authors from Taiwan in 2012
Quality rating
Papers accepted
Q1
Q1.5
Q2
Q2.5
Q3
Q3.5
Q4-Q5
4
16
196
17
3
0
0
(Total
236)
http://IOPscience.iop.org/
Percentage
1.7%
6.8%
83.1%
7.2%
1.2%
Accumulated %
Q1.5 better 8.5%
Q2 better 91.6%
Q2.5 better 98.8%
What determine your quality
Original work, novel and significant
Interest to the community
Have sound motivation and purpose
Not previously published
Not under consideration for publication in
any other journal or any other form
Scientific quality not quantity of papers
Ethical code:
Research results – true, properly recorded
Authorship practices – who can be your coauthors
Helpful techniques for writing your paper
Focus on new and important research results
Make sure the language is clear and precise,
especially your conclusions
Ensure that figures and tables are clear
Ensure that the paper is of the right length
Something to avoid
Presenting new but trivial or obvious results
Making unsubstantiated conclusions
Burying new results beneath too much scene-setting
Recapping of findings already published
Presenting incremental research
Being long winded – keep short
‘Flowery’ language
Abbreviations and jargon
Speculation or anecdotes – keep to the facts
A ‘gimmicky’ title
makes wild, unjustified claims
Poor or incomplete references
Poor quality figures
Incomplete data
Don’t cover up or ‘fudge’ the data
More helpful tips
Allow time for rewriting
Use figures instead of tables
Ask a colleague to read and comment on an
early draft
Check the structure of the paper:
Title – proper and complete
Abstract – more details, key words, PACS
Introduction – history, why, what you have done
Method – details and standard
Results and Discussion – fact and more
Conclusion – what you have achieved
References – objective and up-to-date
Selecting the journal
Choose the right one for you
Electronic Submission _Online
Online submission
For all IOP journals - simple, fast, reliable!
More than 98% authors choose to submit
online!
Online submission _ Online
Electronic Submission _ by email
For all IOP journals
mingfang.lu@iop.org
esub@iop.org
In the subject line, state, say,
Subject: Electronic submission to JPCM
Paper as attachment, plus a Cover Letter stating
the reasons and the significance of your paper
Again, Simple, Fast, and Reliable!
Electronic Submission _FAQs
Attention:
Temporary ID obtained immediately after submission not
for status track. Formal ID will be available shortly later
Download the PDF file and check carefully. If you find any
error there, contact the editor immediately
Editors only contact with the Corresponding author! If you
are not, check with your corresponding author first
No specific templates required by IOP journals – save
authors’ time in the submission stage
For further check: mingfang.lu@iop.org
Process at the journal
Via esub@iop.org or Online – temporary ID, but
unable to track your paper, e.g. CM/T468752/FTC
Editor acknowledges your paper, assign a ref
number, e.g. CM/567233/PAP/276041
(Check with your corresponding author first!)
Pre-screening process
Editor selects referees for the paper
Referees send their reports back to the Editor
Editor makes decision based on referee reports
Adjudicator is selected if the reports are conflicting
What referees do for your paper?
Independent assessment by experts in the field
Referees provide constructive criticism and
feedback on your paper
A ‘filter’ for scientific quality control
Publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal
gives more credibility to your work than if you
post it on your own web site
Peer review is an essential part of publishing in a
journal or obtaining a grant
Referees’ assessment: Scientific Quality
Scientific merit: significant new results and
originality
Accurate and correct
Sufficient discussion of the context of the
work, and suitable referencing
Suitable material for the Journal
Referees’ assessment: Presentation
Title: is it adequate/appropriate?
Abstract: is it complete by itself and suitable
for direct inclusion in an abstracting service?
Diagrams, tables, and captions: are they clear
and essential?
Text and mathematics: are they brief but still
clear?
Conclusion: does it summarise what has been
learned and why it is interesting and useful?
References: objective and up-to-date
Clear writing and communication of ideas,
readability and discussion of concepts
Introduction to refereeing and Guide for authors
Introduction to refereeing
http://referees.iop.org
http://images.iop.org/referees-chinese/
Introductory guide for authors
http://cms.iopscience.org/3205ba4f-d278-11e1-9b7a-4d5160a0f0b4/index.html
Responding to referees’ comments
Read referees’ report and put away for a day!
Read them again!
Respond to each and every comment specifically
Keep a list of your changes
Where you disagree, explain why
If referee misses a point it is not necessarily his/her
fault
Be polite!
Prepare a detailed covering letter with your
response
Usually only one chance for author to respond
referees and revise his paper!
If your paper is rejected
Do not despair: treat referees’ comments
as a free expert advice
You may be able to re-write your article
taking into account the suggestions of
the referees and re-submit it
Note: If you re-submit the paper to any
IOP journal, you need to add enough
significant new results in it
If you think the review was unfair, appeal
to the journal by sending a letter and
explaining why you think your work did
not receive a fair treatment
If your paper is accepted
Great - celebrate!
The journal will expect you to check your proofs
rapidly
Nominate another person if you are unavailable
Give one copy of proofs to somebody else to
read
Reply to editor’s queries
IOP Flagship Journals
Journal of Physics series
Journal of Physics – IOP flagship journals range
J Phys A: Mathematical & Theoretical (2011 IF: 1.564)
1. Quantum field theory
2. QFT/BEC overlap
3. Quantum information
4. Foundations of quantum mechanics
5. Open quantum open systems
6. Quantum condensed matter physics
7. Computational physics
8. Mathematical methods for materials and biology
J Phys B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics (2011 IF: 1.875)
1: Quantum optics and quantum information processing
2: Ultrafast science
3: Cold atoms and molecules
4: Novel light sources for atomic and molecular physics studies
Journal of Physics – IOP flagship journals range
J Phys CM: Condensed Matter (2011 IF: 2.546)
1. Surface, interface and atomic-scale science
2. Liquids, soft matter and biological physics
3. Nanostructures and nanoelectronics
4. Solid structure and lattice dynamics
5. Electronic structure, 6. Correlated electrons
7. Superconductors and metals, 8. Semiconductors
9. Dielectrics and ferroelectrics, 10. Magnetism and magnetic materials
-- All on fundamental CM physics, experimental, theoretical or simulation!
J Phys D: Applied Physics (2011 IF: 2.544)
1. Magnetism and magnetic materials
2. Applied interfaces
3. Photonics and semiconductors
4. Spintronics
5. Biomedical optics, biophotonics and biomagnetism
6. Tribology
7. Nanostructures and nanoelectronics
8. Terahertz physics
Journal of Physics – IOP flagship journals range
J Phys G: Nuclear and Particle Physics (2011 IF: 4.178)
1. Quark Matter / QGP / Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions
2. Cosmic Rays & Particle Astrophysics
3. Hadronic Physics
4. Neutrino physics
5. Nuclear Structure
6. Lattice QCD
7. Underground Lab Physics
Formula for SCI Impact Factor:
A=Papers published in 2009, B=Papers published in 2010
C=Papers (A+B) total citations in 2011
2011 Impact Factor=C/(A+B)
As announced by TR/ISI on: 28 June, 2012
All 69 IOP Journals (1-7)
Journal of Physics – the flagship journals series
(2011 Impact Factor, published on 28 June 2012)
1. Journal of Physics A: Mathematical & Theoretical
(1.546)
2. (1) Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics
(1.875)
3. (2) Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter
(2.546)
4. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
(2.544)
5. (3) Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics
(4.178)
6. Journal of Physics: Conference Series
7. New Journal of Physics
(4.177)
Notes:
1.
No page charge except OA journals, such as NJP, ERL etc.
2.
For journals marked (1) - (8), IOP Beijing Office provides free pre-refereeing and English
polishing services.
3.
For journals marked “*”, authors should submit their papers directly to the journals'
editorial offices, please check IOPscience.iop.org, China.iop.org
All IOP Journals (8-22)
(2011 ISI Impact Factor)
8. The Astronomical Journal
(AAS, 4.035)
9. The Astrophysical Journal
(AAS, 6.024)
10. The Astrophysical Journal Letters
(AAS, 5.526)
11. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (AAS, 13.456)
12. Biofabrication
(3.480)
13. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
(1.952)
14. Biomedical Materials
(2.158)
15. *Chinese Physics B
(CPS, 1.376)
16. *Chinese Physics C
(CPS, 0.272)
17. *Chinese Physics Letter
(CPS, 0.731)
18. (4) Classical and Quantum Gravity
(3.320)
19. * Communications in Theoretical Physics
(CPS, 0.747)
20. Computational Science & Discovery
(new)
21. Environmental Research Letters
(3.631)
22. European Journal of Physics
(0.823)
All IOP Journals (23 - 39)
23. * EPL (Europhysics Letters)
(2.171)
24. Fluid Dynamics Research
(0.673)
25. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
(new)
26. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (new)
27. Inverse Problems
(1.880)
28. Journal of Breath Research
(2.541)
29. *Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
(5.723)
30. Journal of Geophysics and Engineering
(SGRI, 0.634)
31. *Journal of Instrumentation
(1.869)
32. Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering
(2.105)
33. Journal of Neural Engineering
(3.387)
34. (5) Journal of Optics
(1.924)
35. *Journal of Radiological Protection
(1.388)
36. Journal of Semiconductors
(Semi of CAS)
37. *Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment
(1.727)
38. * Laser Physics
(3.605)
39. * Laser Physics Letters
(9.970)
All IOP Journals (40 – 56)
40. Measurement Science and Technology
(1.494)
41. Methods and Applications in Fluorescence
(New)
42. *Metrologia
(1.750)
43. Modelling and Simulation in Materials Sci. & Eng.
(2.298)
44. (6) Nanotechnology
(3.979)
45. Nonlinearity
(1.386)
46. * Nuclear Fusion
(IAEA, 4.090)
47. * Physica Scripta
(1.204)
48. Physical Biology
(2.595)
49. Physics Education
50. Physics in Medicine and Biology
(2.829)
51. Physiological Measurement
(1.677)
52. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
(2.425)
53. * Plasma Science and Technology
(IPP, 0.407)
54. Plasma Sources Science and Technology
(2.521)
55. Reports on Progress in Physics
(14.720)
56. * Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics
(NAOC, 1.320)
All IOP Journals (57 – 69)
57. SciDAC Review
(DOE, new)
58. * Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (NIMS, 3.513)
59. * Science Foundation in China (NSFC)
60. (7) Semiconductor Science and Technology
(1.723)
61. Smart Materials and Structures
(2.089)
62. (8) Superconductor Science and Technology
(2.662)
63. Surface Topography: Metrology and Properties
(New)
64. *Izvestiya: Mathematics (Turpion)
(0.488)
65. *Physics-Uspekhi (Turpion & UFN)
(2.154)
66. *Quantum Electronics (Turpion)
(0.832)
67. *Russian Chemical Reviews (Turpion)
(2.644)
68. *Russian Mathematical Surveys (Turpion)
(0.526)
69. *Sbornik: Mathematics (Turpion)
(0.567)
1.
2.
Notes:
No page charge except OA journals, such as NJP, ERL, etc.
For journals marked (1) - (8), IOP Beijing Office provides free pre-refereeing and
English polishing services. 3. For journals marked “*”, authors should submit
their papers directly to the journals’ editorial offices, check IOPscience.iop.org
What IOP Journals Offer to You! IOPscience.iop.org
Dual referees - fair, rapid and more opportunities for authors
World prestige – thanks to >1,000 world class editorial board members
Wide visibility – EJs cover > 4,000 top institutions in over 180 countries.
Over 90m web accesses and 22m full-text downloads in 2012
Free to publish, except OA journals like NJP, ERL, JPCS, etc.
Convenient all-e service: esub, eStatus, eSearch, eAlert, RRS, iPad
Fast publication: for JPCM：Receipt to First Decision = 20 days, Receipt
to Acceptance = 45 days, Receipt to Web Publication = 90 days; even
much faster records within 24h, but quality top!
Free to add multimedias, database links, colours, video abstracts, etc.
Full-text of back issues dated back to 1874 are accessible online, over
470,000 papers and 2.9m pages of physics!
Email Alert at IOPscience.iop.org
IOP’s Open Access (OA) and Copyright Policy (I)
OA - free to read online and with additional usage rights.
IOP support OA, ‘Gold’ OA paid by authors/institutions sustainable
– securing the peer review, editing, production and publication.
‘Green’ OA – free to post.
IOP have 7 OA journals including NJP, ERL, JPCS, MSE, EES, etc.
IOP have another 27 Hybrid OA journals - subscription journals
authors can choose OA publishing by paying a publication charge.
The follow-up subscription rate will be reduced accordingly.
OA articles can be posted to institutional websites etc. immediately.
Non-OA articles have an embargo of up to 12 - 24 months.
IOP’s Open Access (OA) and Copyright Policy (II)
From 25 October 2012, IOP has changed its copyright policy for OA
articles and related references and metadata to CC-BY 3.0,
allowing users to re-use the content in any way they like, provided it
is accurately attributed. Copyright stays with the agreed copyright
owner. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Starting from April 2013, UK government funded researches have to
be published OA.
SCOAP3 - a consortium to facilitate OA publishing in High Energy
Physics including particle physics. (http://scoap3.org/)
More Information: http://iopscience.iop.org/info/page/openaccess
Where to read and use IOP journals
http://iopscience.iop.org
IOPscience.iop.org
Current Journals at IOPscience
IOPscience.iop.org
For internal use only
Where is IOP based?
 IOP has recently moved to new offices in
Bristol – Temple Circus
 This is a bright modern building and will allow
us to offer a good environment for our future
growth
 IOP currently employs about 250 people
 IOP is based in Bristol, a city in the south west
of England
 It is famous for its Suspension Bridge, its
trading history and was the home town of
Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Paul Dirac
 It is a nice place to live!
IOP Beijing Office
Established on 7 July 2000, now 13 years.
Mission: contact and liaise with research institutions, researchers,
authors, librarians, and physical societies in the region
Serve for authors, referees and BMs from the region
Provide free pre-refereeing and English polishing services
Currently 7 full-time staff based in Beijing
Contacts:
Editorial: IOP Beijing Office, Room A512, 8 Zhong-Guan-Cun Nan-San-Jie
Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100190 (in IOP OF CAS)
E: mingfang.lu@iop.org
Sales:
Room 1804, The Exchange Beijing, B-118 Jianguo Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022 (CBD area of Beijing)
E: rick.liu@iop.org
Webs: http://china.iop.org, http://iopscience.iop.org
Questions?
Welcome to submit more quality
papers to IOP journals
Please contact:
mingfang.lu@iop.org
More at: China.iop.org, IOPscience.iop.org
GOOD LUCK!!  - OA & CC-BY 3.0
Thank you!