Preparing a Manuscript for Publication

Abstract: Scientific manuscripts are documents that focus on providing a scientific argument to a specific group. In fact, audience selection is potentially the most important decision a science communicator needs to make before preparing a manuscript for publication. This document will outline a process to draft a manuscript for the Journal of Undergraduate Reports in Physics (JURP), but can also be used for most publications. In this specific case, junior or senior physics majors and undergraduate professors are your primary audiences. They are knowledgeable about physics, but unlike you, they have not spent much time trying to understand the specific problem being discussed in your report.

Author Credentials:
Brad Conrad^{,1, a)} Rexford Adelberger,² and Will Slaton^{3, b)}

1. Society of Physics Students, American Institute of Physics (AIP), College Park, MD 20782, USA
2. Department of Physics, Guilford College, Greenboro, NC 27410, USA (formerly)3Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Central Arkanas, Conway, AR 72035, USA

a) Corresponding author: bconrad@aip.org
b) wvslaton@uca.edu