The Journal of Mathematical Physics (JMP) publishes manuscripts about the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the development of mathematical methods for such applications and for the formulation of physical theories. Occasionally, we publish reviews of mathematical subjects relevant to physics and special issues combining papers on a topic of current interest.

JMP is published by AIP Publishing. Content is published online daily, collected into a monthly online and printed issue (12 issues per year). With help from the associate editors and the Editorial Board, the editor is responsible for the scientific content and other editorial matters pertaining to the journal. Authors must submit manuscripts in an electronic form that does not require typesetting.

Manuscripts within the scope of the journal are sent to an expert referee for evaluation and, if necessary, to another reviewer for a second opinion. The referees’ identities are confidential. Based on the review, the editor decides whether to accept or reject a manuscript for publication. The editor may also ask the author for revisions suggested by the referee. Authors must send the revised versions to the editorial office in a timely manner in order to maintain the original receipt date.

Language standard: It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that manuscripts are written clearly. A manuscript can be rejected if the scientific meaning is unclear due to poor English. Manuscripts that do not meet Journal of Mathematical Physics’ language standard will be returned to the authors for rewrite before peer review, during the review process and/or if provisionally accepted pending language editing.

Because good science has no value unless it is clearly communicated, AIP Publishing recommends that authors use AIPP Author Services to improve the quality of your paper’s written English. AIPP Author Services was developed in line with our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all authors. Using this service ensures that your paper will be free of language deficiencies, so editors and reviewers will be able to fully understand your research during the review process. A native English-speaking subject matter expert of AIP Author Services will correct spelling, grammar and punctuation and verify the use and consistency of technical terms and content in your paper. Note that this is not a requirement or a guarantee of acceptance for review or publication.

The mathematics must be precisely formulated in a manner that is understandable to physicists. Manuscripts must be concise and comprehensible. Provide relevant background information when necessary and ensure that it is minimal. Manuscripts must be mathematically and logically correct, as well as provide new information of interest to the appropriate community of specialists, not just to the author(s) alone. Without refereeing, the editors will reject manuscripts of insufficient interest to the mathematical-physics community. (For further details, see the Authors section.)

Authors publishing in JMP retain the copyright and must complete an exclusive License to Publish Agreement. When authors submit their manuscript to the journal, they imply that their work has neither been previously copyrighted nor accepted for publication elsewhere. Since authors must complete the License to Publish Agreement before the journal publishes their manuscript, we encourage you to sign the agreement electronically when you submit your manuscript. This will prevent unnecessary delays. We also require authors to inform the editors if a manuscript has been previously submitted to another journal, regardless of whether the manuscript is active with that journal.

JMP also publishes Errata and brief Comments on articles previously published in the journal. (For their proper form, see examples published in past issues.) The purpose of Comments is to correct significant errors in articles published in the journal, to rebut conclusions reached, or to provide additional insight or corroboration. Comments must address scientific issues only and be concise, substantive, and contain no harsh criticism. We discourage Comments on questions of priority or calling attention to an oversight in a reference list. The editors will invite the author(s) of the targeted Comment to reply. Both the Comment and the Response, if any, will be refereed and, if accepted, published together in the same issue of JMP.

Adjudication Procedures

Under certain conditions, the editor-in-chief, in consultation with the editors, may decide to place a manuscript in adjudication. Conditions include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Irreconcilable differences between the author and the referees
  • Conflicting recommendations from multiple referees
  • When there are serious doubts concerning the appropriateness of the manuscript for publication.

The adjudicator is given all of the relevant correspondence and all versions of the manuscript to review. Based on the adjudicator’s recommendation and after an in-house review of the manuscript, the editor-in-chief decides whether to accept or reject a manuscript for publication.

Authors may appeal the editor's decision to reject their manuscript. If the disagreement cannot be resolved after consulting the original referee and, if necessary, another reviewer, the arguments of both sides will be presented to the Editorial Board for review. If necessary, authors may appeal the decision by asking the editor to refer the case to the Publisher of AIP Publishing. The publisher does not decide whether to accept a manuscript for publication, but rather determines whether the editorial review and appeal process was properly followed. Additional rounds of review or adjudication are called for only if proper procedures were not followed.

Retraction and Correction Policies

AIP Publishing’s policy is based on best practices in academic publishing. We take seriously our responsibility to maintain the integrity and completeness of the scholarly record of our content. We place great importance on the authority of articles after we publish them. Authors may make changes to articles after they have been published online only under the circumstances outlined in AIP Publishing’s Retraction and Correction Policies.

Transfers

If the editors decide that your manuscript is not suitable for publication in Journal of Mathematical Physics, you may transfer your manuscript, without resubmitting, to AIP Advances for immediate consideration. AIP Advances is a peer-reviewed, fully open-access journal covering all areas of the physical sciences. Articles published in the journal are always freely accessible to download without a subscription. Additionally, the editors may decide that the manuscript merits consideration for publication in AIP Advances or transfer to another AIP Publishing journal.

If you choose to transfer your manuscript to AIP Advances, all reviewer reports and editor’s recommendations will be transferred along with the manuscript to facilitate a rapid decision. This option may save you considerable time by avoiding the resubmission and re-review process associated with submitting your manuscript to another journal. For more information about AIP Advances, visit pubs.aip.org/aip/adv.

If you wish to transfer your manuscript to another AIP Publishing journal, please contact the Editorial Office to request a transfer. Please note that transferring manuscript files across AIP Publishing journals does not guarantee that the manuscript will be considered by the receiving journal; manuscripts must meet that respective journal’s acceptance criteria.