Mathematical expressions should be typed, or neatly written in ink. The prime requisite is that the copy shall be clear to the production keyboarder, who is neither a physicist nor a mathematician. Unusual or ambiguous symbols (see table on page 21 of the Style Manual) should be identified by marginal notes at first appearance and subsequently when confusion might arise; for nonalphabetic symbols, give the number found on pages 44 and 45 of the Style Manual. Mark superscripts with an inverted caret below, and subscripts with a caret above, if necessary. Three-vectors and dyadics are set in boldface type (mark with a black-pencil, wiggly underline).
Editorial marking by authors, except for the resolution of ambiguities as discussed above, is rarely of sufficient value to warrant the effort.
The author must carefully proofread the paper to eliminate grammatical errors, misspellings, and omission of symbols. The text should be directed at a general readership, not specialists. Avoid acronyms and jargon, even if they seem of common usage. If unavoidable, define them in the text. Notation should be unambiguous, concise, and consistent with standard usage. Introduce new terminology or notation only when clearly needed. Indent all paragraphs. Use the solidus (slash) only to denote division of mathematical quantities, to denote (optionally) an interface between materials [e.g., Ag/Cu(001)], and in ``and/or.'' Its meaning when used between words is usually imprecise; use the proper conjunction or punctuation.
The length of the paper is crucial. Avoid excess white space in figures; unneeded numbering of displayed equations may add length; references which are incomplete may lead to an underestimate of the length; and note that right-adjusted text or text with very nonuniform line length is subject to greater error in its estimated length. Also note that equations in text (undisplayed) must be simple; some equations which are presented in text may require display for printing and thus add to the length.
Ideally, figures are planned for reduction to final journal size on the basis of their content and detail. The size of lettering should be chosen with this in mind. If the lettering is drafted too small, full reduction will not be possible; the length will have been underestimated. At final reduction, the size of the smallest capital letters and numerals is to be at least 2 mm.
Ultimately it is the responsibility of the author to provide a paper of the proper length. The Editorial Office attempts to provide some guidance. A quick-count formula is applied to each new paper. The staff makes a more careful estimate of the publication length of those whose quick count exceeds a limit value, and reports the calculation to the author. In a case of excessive length, the paper must be shortened prior to review. In a case of the estimated length being close to the final limit, the author is advised to make the next version shorter. The length restriction applies to all versions of a paper. Upon acceptance of a paper for publication, length is again considered by the staff; the author may be requested to supply the shortened version before production can proceed. The composition of the paper into journal pages is the final criterion. If the length is still excessive, page copies are faxed to the author; publication is delayed until satisfactory cuts are obtained.
An advantage of preparing a compuscript using REVTeX is that it facilitates an easy but accurate assessment by the author of the paper's length. The macro package supplied to authors permits generation of galley-format (single narrow column) output; use the prl style option. From this, a direct count or a measurement of journal text lines can be made. Include the separation of abstract, captions, and reference list from text (e.g., +2 lines of "white space" for each separation). Note that long equations and wide sections of text incur a double count, and this must be properly taken into account. The space that will be occupied by figures should then be added. Figures can be planned for reproduction according to their content and lettering size as described below. On the journal page, the two-column area available for text and figures is nominally 9.5 in. (24 cm) deep; 6 text lines occupy 1 in. of vertical space.
The title should be concise, but informative enough to instruct the nonexpert reader and to facilitate information retrieval. Do not introduce new terminology in titles. There must be an abstract (double spaced) of no more than 600 characters, including spaces, which should be self-contained (no footnotes) for reprinting in abstracting journals. Comments and Replies should not include an abstract.
The names of authors may be listed in any order
in the byline between the title and abstract.
If the number of authors exceeds 40, the authors will be listed
in the Table of Contents as, e.g., A. Jones et al. The
author who submits the paper should ensure that all persons listed
as authors approve the inclusion of their names,
and check that the form of each name is the one normally used by that author.
Byline addresses are set directly under the author
names. They are intended to indicate the
institution where the research was done. These
addresses usually consist of department or division, institution, city,
state or country. Street addresses, post office boxes,
etc., may be included; zip and postal codes
are proper.
A limited number of byline
formats are allowed: Authors may be grouped together
by institution(s), with the name and location of their
institution(s) following each group. It is permissible
to have two groups from a single institution (different
departments). A more concise presentation is a
single list of authors followed by the list of
institutions. A variant of this form, to show specific
affiliations, is to use a key to link each author to
his or her institution(s) unambiguously. The key consists of a
superscript numeral, and is placed, in order,
at the beginning of each institution listing; each
author's name then carries the appropriate key(s).
It is also permitted to give a group (collaboration)
name in addition to the single full list of authors' names.
The group name is put in parentheses, between
the end of the list of authors and the beginning of the
list of institutions. If the number of authors exceeds
40 the group name will appear in the Table of Contents.
Footnotes to an author's name or address should be
limited to those useful for location of, or communication
with, an author.
Use the
symbols (always as superscripts),
Punctuate mathematical expressions and displayed
equations as part of the sentence. In general, use single-letter
symbols for mathematical quantities in equations and expressions, possibly
with subscript or superscript indices
or labels and with argument(s) in parentheses. There are a few
well established multiletter exceptions, such as the trigonometric
functions.
Avoid complicated superscripts and subscripts. Avoid frequent
repetition of a complicated mathematical expression; represent
it by some convenient symbol. Use the form exp
Three-vectors and dyadics are commonly set in boldface type.
Four-vectors are set in italic
type for Latin letters, and in ordinary type for Greek letters. Vectors
in more than four dimensions may be set in either boldface or lightface
(italic for Latin letters) type. More general quantities, such as matrices,
operators, etc., should generally not be distinguished from scalars
typographically unless essential to avoid confusion; in that case,
either boldface or some
sort of ``decoration,'' such as a caret, is satisfactory. Do not use
the center dot to indicate multiplication
of scalars.
A final acknowledgments paragraph may be
used to recognize
named individuals who contributed scientifically to the specific
research of the paper, to cite the funding agencies that provided
financial support for the work, and to note the
affiliation of institutions in the byline with a larger system.
The statement of thanks for help should be
simple and may not be a dedication or memorial. References
to memberships, positions, titles, and awards are inappropriate,
as are dates associated with funding. It is unnecessary to give the
exact form, e.g., fellowship, scholarship, program name, in which funding
was granted.
Footnotes, both references and remarks,
must be numbered consecutively in order of citation, and
be given in a double-spaced list at the end of the main text.
The journal does not use the bottom-of-page footnotes. Footnotes
to the byline (superscript
J. M. Smith, R. Brown, and C. Green, Phys. Rev. B
26, 1 (1982); Nucl. Phys. A195, 1 (1982).
J. M. Smith, Phys. Rev. D (to be published);
R. Brown, Phys. Rev. B 26, 706(E) (1982).
J. M. Smith, Molecular Dynamics (Academic,
New York, 1980), Vol. 20, p. 20.
R. Brown, in Charge Density Waves in Solids,
edited by C. Green, Modern Problems in Condensed
Matter Sciences Vol. 25 (North-Holland,
Amsterdam, 1989).
C. Green, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
Report No. MAD/PH/650, 1991.
J. M. Smith et al., in Proceedings of the
Topical Meeting on CP Violation, Calcutta,
June 1990 (unpublished).
It is important to confirm the accuracy of bibliographic information in
references. This has become more important
now that the journal is online. Hyperlinks will be programmed to
enable readers to ``click'' on references and jump directly to the
material cited. If your reference citations are incorrect or
incomplete (e.g., missing author name, or an incorrect volume number
or page), the associated hyperlinks may fail, and the usefulness
of your paper in the online environment may be diminished.
Since at the present time such links work only from the reference
section, work cited anywhere in the paper, including in figure
and table captions and in ``Note(s) added,'' should be included
in the reference section.
Separate tables, numbered in the order in which they are referred
to in text, should be used for all but the simplest tabular
material. Include them after the reference and footnotes.
Each table must have a caption (double spaced) that makes the
table intelligible without reference to the text.
Column headings should be simple and contain
all units; symbols should be explained in the caption.
Use a single horizontal rule to separate headings and entries.
Use horizontally running space to distinguish broad groups among
entries, and extra vertically running space for columnar groups.
Vertical rules should not be used.
Denote footnotes in a table by superscript lower-case
roman letters, and list at the end of the table.
Figures should be planned for the column width (8.6 cm or 3 3/8 in.) of the
journal. If the detail shown requires it, 1.5 or 2 columns
may be used. A note
should be left on or with such figures. Final-journal-size originals
or prints are
preferable to oversized originals. Authors are encouraged to submit all figures
electronically, even if the text of the manuscript is not submitted
electronically;
refer to the online instructions for more details. Figures submitted on paper
should be of high quality and suitable for digital scanning, which
is done at 600
or 1200 dpi depending on the level of detail; original ink drawings or glossy
prints are acceptable. Be advised that the scanner reproduces all imperfections
(e.g., correction fluid, tape, smudges, writing on the back
of the figure, etc.).
All figures must be prepared so that the details can be seen after reproduction.
They must have a clear background and unbroken lines with as much black-
white contrast as possible. The symbol width and lettering height
on the journal
page should be at least 2 mm. Avoid small open symbols that tend to fill in,
small dots and decimal points, and shading or cross-hatching that is not coarse
enough to withstand reproduction. Curves should be smooth; curves and lines
should have consistent line widths of sufficient weight
[final weight of at least
0.18 mm (0.5 point)]. The resolution of the drawing software and output device
should be set as high as possible (preferably 600 dpi or higher).
Figures should be numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the
number, the name of the first author, and the journal. An indication, e.g.,
"TOP," of the intended orientation of a figure is helpful, especially in
ambiguous cases. Each figure must have a caption that makes the figure
intelligible without reference to the text; list captions on a separate sheet.
Text should be placed in the caption, not on the figure.
Groups of figures that share
a (single) caption must be labeled "(a), (b)," etc.
The figure itself should have
properly labeled axes with correctly abbreviated units enclosed in parentheses.
Use consistent lettering and style as in the body of the text (correct
capitalization, unslashed zeros, proper exponential notation, superscripts and
subscripts, decimal points instead of commas, etc.). Use the form
R (10³ Omega),
not R × 10³ Omega. Use half spacing within compound
units, not hyphens or periods.
Avoid ambiguous usage of the solidus ("/"), e.g., (mb/MeV sr), not
(mb/MeV/sr). When possible, integer numbers should be used on the axis scales
of figures, e.g., 1, 2, 3, or 0, 5, 10, not 1.58, 3.16, 4.75.
Decimal points must
be on the line (not above it); do not use commas instead.
Use the same number of digits to the right of the decimal point for
all numbers on the axis scales. A
number must be both before and behind the decimal point,
e.g., 0.2, not .2. For complete instructions see the
Physical Review Style and Notation Guide or the
AIP Style Manual.
Avoid submitting prescreened prints of photographic material or laser-printed
renditions of continuous-tone data; reproduction of such figures is seldom
satisfactory and there is a risk of moiré patterns appearing
in the final product.
If PostScript files are not available, supply glossy or matte-finish
photographs or
laser prints at the highest resolution possible and in the final published size.
(in the order listed) if there are 12 or fewer
footnotes. Use lower-case alphabetical a, b, c, etc., if
there are 13 or more footnotes.
Footnotes giving electronic addresses (e.g., email, fax, or Web)
of a corresponding author are encouraged.
Footnotes which
describe an author's position or title are not acceptable.
Information concerning financial support (funding agencies,
programs) or affiliations of institutions themselves
with larger organizations should be listed in an acknowledgments
paragraph.
in cases of long or complicated arguments. Except for the square root of a simple quantity without
superscripts, use fractional exponents instead of the radical sign.
Avoid
the use of bars over extended expressions. Avoid the use of diacritical
marks (tildes, etc.) over groups of symbols, as well as the use of double
oversymbols (e.g., a caret over a tilde). Use
the solidus (/)
or negative exponents for fractions in running text, and in displayed
equations when this does not reduce clarity.
When the extent of a denominator is ambiguous, use appropriate
bracketing to ensure clarity. Give the base of logarithms (e.g., ln,
log
, log
). ``Dangling'' decimal points should be
preceded or followed by zeros
or deleted, as appropriate. Displayed
equations should be punctuated and aligned to bring out their
structure. Put equation numbers in parentheses at the
right-hand margin.
,
etc., or a, b, c, etc.)
will lead the list.
(Order
a reference cited in a figure or table
caption as if cited when the figure
or table is first mentioned in the text.) Cite footnotes in text, captions,
or other footnotes in the form ``Smith, Doe, and Jones [2],'' ``recent
experiments [1,4-6],'' or (see Ref. [8]).''
Almost all references should cite each author in the form ``F. Jones.''
Consider the form ``F. Jones et al.''
(no comma before et) only when there are four
or more authors.
The reference should cite: journal name,
volume number, page, and year (in the case of translation journals, give
information for original and translation);
conference name (or topic), place, year, editor(s), publisher, and
year of publication; book title, editor(s), publisher, and
year of publication;
report issuing institution in full and identification number
of the report (give title if number not available).
Some examples of proper form follow (also consult recent issues of
the journal).