Review Process

The Editors make all decisions regarding the acceptability of manuscripts.

Submitted manuscripts are initially screened by an Editor to see if they fall within the scope of the journal and may meet the criteria for publication. If a manuscript passes this initial screening process, advice from expert referees will be solicited. Typically, two referees are assigned to review a manuscript, but there may be fewer at the discretion of the Editor. For example, work that has already undergone technical review by a body of experts, or by an internal review process in an organization such as NIST, may require fewer reviews. More than two reviews may be required if the Editor deems it necessary to make a decision. The Editor decides which advice, either positive or negative, to accept and also decides when there is enough advice to make a decision.

Authors should follow the advice of the referees and the Editor if they feel that this advice will improve the manuscript. A revised manuscript should be accompanied by a document explaining how the authors have responded to major comments from the reviewers. It is not necessary to provide responses to minor comments, such as suggestions for improving English. If authors do not agree with the advice on a significant matter, they should write to the Editor, explaining their reasons. In such cases, the Editor will decide between the positions, soliciting the advice of an additional referee or Editorial Board member if necessary.

Authors should notify the Editor if their submitted manuscript, including Comments and Responses, contains criticism of, or is in conflict with, previously published work. Typically, in these cases, the manuscript will be sent to the author of the criticized paper first, who will be asked to review the new manuscript as an interested party. Additionally, the identity of the interested party may be made known to the authors of the manuscript under consideration and to any subsequent referees of the paper.

The Editors welcome suggestions for appropriate referees from authors and will consider an author’s request that a manuscript not be sent to a particular referee. In both cases, these are suggestions, not requirements.

Appeals

An author may appeal an Editor's decision to reject a manuscript by making a request in the submission system via the Request Appeal link. Appeals will only be considered where a clear case for reconsidering the manuscript has been made. Because the Editors are the final authority in determining the scope of the journal, appeals will not be considered for manuscripts rejected for being out of scope.

In the event an author feels the peer-review process of their manuscript was not handled properly, they may appeal to the editorial office that the case be reviewed by the Publisher at AIP Publishing. The Publisher will not make direct decisions on whether a paper should be accepted for publication, but rather will assess whether procedures were followed properly. Additional rounds of review or adjudication would only be called for if proper procedures were not followed.

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 the Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data’s 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.

Copyrights

Authors publishing in the journal retain the copyright and must complete an exclusive License to Publish Agreement. When authors submit their manuscript to the journal, they imply that the 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 whether the manuscript is active with that journal.

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. Changes to articles after they have been published online may be made only under the circumstances outlined in AIP Publishing's Retraction and Correction Policies.

Transfers

If the editor rejects a manuscript, authors may transfer the rejected manuscript to another AIP Publishing journal for consideration. We offer this service as a convenience to authors so that they do not have to resubmit a manuscript to another AIP Publishing journal. Authors may request a transfer by sending an email to the journal that rejected the article (exclusively for an AIP Publishing journal on the list). If you transfer a manuscript, it does not guarantee that the receiving journal will publish it.