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Publishing in JURPA
Quick Info

Manuscripts are accepted for publication in JURPA on a rolling basis. Those received by March 15 each year will be included in the print version sent to SPS members in the summer. (Those received after March 15 will be held over for publication the following summer.) All accepted manuscripts will receive a DOI and be published online on AIP Publishing (AIPP) and the SPS website.

Deadline: Rolling basis (any time)

Deadline for that year’s print journal: March 15

Author Eligibility: Authors must be SPS members in good standing. Authors must have performed the work reported in their papers as undergraduates. Authors must be undergraduates or within 18 months of completing their undergraduate degrees. Research advisors are encouraged to be co-authors, as appropriate.

Topics Covered: Experimental, applied, computational, or theoretical physics, astronomy, and related fields

Paper Length: Papers, including references and figures, are to be no more than four pages using the provided, unaltered template. This is a strict limit, however, additional pages may be included as appendices. Appendices will not appear in the printed edition of JURPA, but will be accessible online.

Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing in JURPA

Step 1: Construct Your Research Paper

  • Carefully read the information-packed article Preparing a Manuscript for Publication.
  • Informed by the article and in consultation with any coauthors, write a draft of your paper.
  • Open your JURPA template of choice (MS Word or LaTeX ). Read it carefully and then input your text, figures, equations, and references. Papers that do not follow the template format will not be reviewed for JURPA.
  • Make a PDF of your paper.

Step 2: Get Feedback and Make Revisions

  • Send the pdf to your research team and coauthors (if applicable), research mentor, SPS advisor, or another scientist member who supervised the research for feedback.
  • Send the draft to a faculty member or classmate not involved in the research to review your draft for clarity. An upper-level physics undergraduate who is not an expert in your research area should be able to understand your JURPA manuscript.
  • Ask a writing tutor, faculty member, or friend to copy edit your draft.
  • Compile all of the feedback and revise your paper for submission.
  • Verify that you have followed all formatting guidelines, including for your references.

Step 3: Submit Your Paper to JURPA

  • Login to your SPS membership account .
  • Add contact information for your research advisor or the SPS advisor who reviewed your paper.
  • Add contact information for two subject matter experts who are not from the institution where you completed the work. They may be asked to review your paper or assist in finding reviewers.
  • Upload a PDF of your paper and your MS Word or LaTex file.
  • Upload each figure as a separate file (Accepted formats: PDF, JPEG, PNG, or TIFF). If a figure has multiple parts, all parts should be in the same file and oriented as they should be in the publication. Label each figure part (a), (b), etc. Images should use the following settings, if applicable:
    • Line art: 600 dpi resolution and black/white bitmap, not grayscale.
    • Halftones: 264 dpi and grayscale, not black/white bitmap.
    • Combinations (line art and halftone): 600 dpi for and grayscale, not black/white bitmap.
    • Color online: 300 dpi TIFF, PS, or EPS format. If selecting a file mode, use RGB (red, green, blue).
  • Read the Copyright License Checklist and complete the AIP Publishing License Agreement .
  • If you are using previously published material (e.g. illustrations or charts), please contact sps-programs@aip.org and ask for the relevant guidelines.

Step 4: Wait Patiently

The JURP editor and a subject expert will review your manuscript. The JURP editor will notify you whether the paper has been accepted and, if so, whether it requires revisions.

Step 5: Implement Revisions

If necessary, implement revisions and submit your revised draft.

Step 6: More Waiting, Then Celebrating!

Accepted papers will be reviewed for clarity, copy editing, and formatting. This should result in minimal and very minor changes, if any. Publishing will be delayed If significant editing or reformatting is required, so please proofread your manuscript carefully at every stage of the process.

Printed copies of JURPA will be mailed in late summer to all SPS members, and papers will be available online. Be proud of your accomplishment and share your paper widely!

Have questions about the JURPA submission process? Contact Us.