Information for Contributors contains instructions for manuscript preparation. It is published in the first issue of each volume and includes information about:
Manuscripts which report the results of research in nuclear
physics and related fields may be submitted to Physical Review C.
The manuscripts must contain new results and not be in
editorial process at another journal. (For details,
see ``Editorial Policies and Practices of
Physical Review C''.)
Articles published in Physical Review C are grouped under
headings in the table of contents. The headings now used are
as follows:
Nucleon-Nucleon Interaction, Few-Body Systems
Authors should suggest the headings which are most appropriate.
Information relevant to manuscript preparation and to the
editorial process for this journal and other APS journals is
available
on the APS research-journals World Wide Web server at the
URL http://publish.aps.org/. Information is also available
via ftp to
aps.org in the
subdirectories /jrnls, /pacs, /revtex, etc., of the /pub directory. Most
filenames include as an extension a suffix (beginning with a
period), which indicates the nature of the file: .asc (plain
ASCII), .pdf (portable document file, usable with Acrobat),
.ps (PostScript), or .tex (TeX). Most files exist in two or three
versions, distinguished by the suffix. Some specific files are
cited where pertinent below.
Manuscripts
may be submitted by a variety of electronic modes (including
via e-print servers, direct Web upload, and electronic mail), or by
conventional mail, but not by fax. Interactive submission forms,
available on our Web server, are an integral part of the submission
process for the e-print and Web modes, and are strongly recommended for
electronic-mail and conventional-mail submission. These forms aid
authors in supplying all the information needed in a structured
format which furthers efficient processing; they also provide a
location for additional information. [For authors with Web
browsers without support for forms, noninteractive versions of
the submission forms are available via ftp to aps.org in the
/pub/jrnls directory as the sub_prc files (include filename
suffix .asc, .tex, or .ps), or by request to the Editorial Office.]
If you do not use the submission forms noted above, your
submission letter should specify the author to whom
correspondence should be addressed, and give all available communications
information for this individual (postal and electronic-mail addresses,
phone and fax numbers). Please specify journal and section to
which the paper is submitted, and give Physics and Astronomy Classification
Scheme
(PACS) index categories which
are available via the APS Web server and also
via ftp to aps.org. These catagories are used in preparing
the annual subject index.
Electronic submissions may be formatted in REVTeX (preferred),
LaTeX, Harvmac, or plain TeX. The file must be in ASCII containing
no control codes, with line lengths of 80 characters or less. All
textual material of the paper (including tables, captions, etc.)
should be in electronic form, as a single file. The file should
produce double-spaced output.
Properly prepared electronic submissions are exempt from
publication charges, whether or not they are formatted in REVTeX
and therefore also qualify for the compuscript-conversion production program
described below.
For information about submission via e-print servers or
direct Web upload, see our Web server at the URL
http://publish.aps.org/ESUB/.
Electronic-mail submissions (and inquiries about them) should
be sent to the Internet address prctex@aps.org.
For the
initial submission use as the subject ``submit'' followed by
``prc'' and the last name of the first author; for example,
``submit prc jones''.
Include the filled-out submission form (or the equivalent information,
including journal, section, postal address, etc.) in the first part
of the electronic-mail message. Receipt of an electronic-mail
submission will be acknowledged within 24 hours. Copies of the
manuscript should not be sent by regular mail (only original
figures) unless the electronic transmisstion has not been successful.
Figures for an electronic submission must be received in
at least review-quality form before editorial processing can begin.
Web upload or
electronic-mail transmission (one figure per file) of PostScript-
formatted figures will meet this need (if the files
can be successfully printed in the Editorial Office).
For color continuous-tone PostScript figures, hard-copy
originals are also required. The originals are needed
to ensure that the reproductions created from the
electronic figure files are satisfactory. For electronic
transmissions use
as the subject ``submit'' followed by ``prc'', the last name
of the first author, and the figure number; for example
``submit prc jones fig1''. Alternatively, authors can send
journal-quality (scanner-reproducible) ``originals''
immediately by overnight mail to the Editorial Office. A
third possibility is to transmit review-quality figures by fax
(516-591-4141), while the ``originals'' are sent by conventional
or overnight mail as soon as possible. Please mark the fax
transmission as being part of an electronic-mail submission.
Manuscripts sent by conventional mail should be submitted
in triplicate to the Editor, Physical Review C, 1 Research Road,
Box 9000, Ridge, New York 11961-9000. Manuscripts should be double
spaced (about 6 mm of space between lines) with ample margins, on
white letter-sized paper. Poor copies and unclear or excessive
handwritten inserts are not acceptable.
Hard-copy submissions of manuscripts and figures are not routinely
returned to authors.
Authors should indicate (preferably on initial submittal) if they
want hard copies of the manuscript and/or figures returned
(e.g., when correspondence is sent during the editorial
process, and/or after a final decision has been made).
Compuscripts are author-supplied computer files that can
be used for production essentially as supplied. (Some minor
style modifications may be made if needed.)
If the paper is accepted for publication, the file is converted
to production format and coding (eventually SGML), from which
base the journal pages
are composed.
Appropriate REVTeX
files are eligible (the other electronic-submission formats are
only useful for the editorial review process). Questions about
file eligibility should be directed to prctex@aps.org. Papers
intended for the compuscript production program should be
submitted and resubmitted only electronically. PostScript
figures may be used directly (electronically) in the production
composition process.
REVTeX is APS's LaTeX macro package used to produce
the standard compuscript files for our journals. The REVTeX
software (macros, examples, and documentation) is available
via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/revtex directory.
For further information on REVTeX, inquire by electronic mail to
mis@aps.org.
An information and instruction booklet regarding electronic submissions
and compuscripts is available via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls/
directory as the compu_inform_pr files (include filename suffix .asc,
.ps, or .tex).
A signed APS
copyright-transfer
ASCII,
PostScript,
TeX,
form should be included with the
submission, and will be required before publication. While
the transfer of copyright takes effect only upon acceptance of the
paper for publication in an APS journal, supplying the form
initially can prevent unnecessary delays. The form appears at the
end of the 17 August 1998 issue of Physical Review Letters
and is available
from the Editorial Office,
on the World Wide Web via the URL http://publish.aps.org/
or via ftp to aps.org in the
/pub/jrnls directory as the copy_trnsfr files (include filename
suffix .asc, .ps, or .tex). Be sure to use the latest (1/96 or later)
version of the form.
The Division of Nuclear Physics of the APS requests that
authors provide a Keyword Abstract. A request will be
mailed to the authors of experimental papers;
the Keyword Abstract should be forwarded to the National
Nuclear Data Center.
Manuscripts should be written in scientific English, in a style
consistent with that of the journal. It is not possible for the
editorial office to undertake extensive corrections of manuscripts,
due to time constraints and the risk that the authors'
meaning might be distorted. Manuscripts requiring extensive
corrections are therefore returned to the authors. For this
reason, authors whose native language is not English are urged to
seek help from a native English speaker.
For
format and style, consult recent issues of this journal, the
Physical Review Style and Notation Guide, and the Fourth
Edition of the AIP Style Manual. The Physical Review
Style and Notation Guide
is available via the APS Web server at the URL
http://publish.aps.org/STYLE/.
Copies can be obtained via
ftp to
aps.org in the /pub/jrnls directory as the style_guidefiles
(include filename suffix .pdf, .ps, or .tex). The
AIP Style Manual may be obtained for $10.00 (prepaid) from
Springer-Verlag P.O. Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07096-2485.
When a manuscript is resubmitted, please include a
summary of changes made and a brief response to all
recommendations and criticisms.
The interactive resubmission forms available on our Web server
may be used for electronic-mail, Web-upload, and hard-copy
transmission of modified manuscripts. These forms should also
be used when a manuscript previously submitted to one APS
journal is resubmitted to another.
If the resubmission is by electronic mail, please send
the complete file for the text if there have been any changes.
(The filled-out resubmission form and the response to the referee
should be included as the first
part of the electronic-mail message which contains the modified
manuscript. Use as the subject of the message ``resub''
followed by the manuscript code number and the last name of
the first author; for example, ``resub cd1234 smith''.)
If the resubmission is by
conventional mail, please send three copies of a complete modified
manuscript and include the form or equivalent information.
For any resubmission, please state whether or not the figures
have been modified, and supply new PostScript-formatted figures
(one figure per file) or scanner-reproducible figures if
there have been such changes. Please update any other information
(e.g., address and communication information) that has changed
since initial submission.
The writing of the title deserves special care. It should
convey the greatest amount of information in the smallest
number of words. Words that do not carry information, such
as ``The'', ``A'', ``On'', ``Investigation of'',
``Study of'', should be omitted. For manuscripts submitted to the
Comments section, ``Comment on'' followed by the title of
the paper to which the Comment refers is, however, good
practice. Do not use in the title words that praise the quality
of the work (precise, important, accurate), the name of the
accelerator or type of detector used, names of people or
places, coined words or acronyms,
``More about'', ``revisited'', or dangling
participles (using). Do not use
serial numbers in titles unless the number is followed by a
specific title, such as ``Inelastic scattering of protons. IV.
Coupled channels analyses.'' If you wish to use a serial
number, please provide information on the other published
articles in the series.
The names of authors may be listed
in any order in the byline
at the beginning of a paper. Authors must be individuals, not
groups or collaborations. The author who submits the paper is
responsible for ensuring that all coauthors have approved the
paper and for checking that the form of each name (e.g., initials
versus full names) is that normally used by the author.
Affiliations of authors should
be given without abbreviation.
(Use Massachusetts Institute of Technology, not MIT.) Give
the city, state, and zip code for U.S. addresses; add the country
for other addresses. Affiliations must be institutions, not
conferences, collaborations, or temporary meeting places.
If the authors are at different institutions, they may be grouped
by institution with the name of the institution following each
group. If the authors are not grouped by institution, the names
of institutions may be repeated following the appropriate
authors or groups of authors. If this becomes cumbersome, the
names of institutions may be listed following the list of authors.
Each author's name should then be followed by a superscript
number (or numbers) which refers to a similar superscript
number preceding the appropriate institution (or institutions).
Normally, the most concise presentation is preferred.
Footnotes to an author's name or
address should be limited to
those useful for location of, or communication with, an author.
Footnotes giving electronic addresses (e.g., email, fax, or Web)
of a corresponding author are encouraged. All information
concerning research support should appear in the acknowledgments.
Footnotes to an author's name which describe the author's
position are not acceptable.
Every paper must have an abstract.
It should be about 5% of the length of the article, but less than
500 words. It
should state all subjects about which new information is
given and the conclusions and results. For experimental
papers it should specify clearly what quantities were
measured, what nuclides were studied at what energies. It
should not contain footnotes, coined words, or acronyms
which are not explained.
Physical Review C tries to follow the recommendations on
symbols and units of the International Union of Pure and
Applied Physics (IUPAP) and of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology. Metric units (preferably SI),
not British units, are used, unless the British unit is
part of the name of an object.
Recommended abbreviations for frequently used terms are
listed below along with some common misuse.
Physical Review C follows the recommendations of the S.U.N.
Commission of IUPAP on the symbols to be used for nuclides
and their states. The nucleon number (mass number) of a
nuclide is shown as a left superscript
().
A right superscript
is used for indicating a state of ionization
The preferred notation for a differential cross section is
,
, i.e., the angle or energy should be shown as an argument.
The derivative notation
is acceptable;
by itself
or is not. The notation or is acceptable
when it refers to a mathematical relationship, such as the
semiempirical mass formula, but not for the characterization of
data, since and are not continuous.
Notation should be clear, compact, and consistent with
standard usage.
Equations should be neatly
formatted, punctuated, and aligned to bring out their
structure, and numbered on the right. (a) Diacritical marks
(tildes, etc.,) can be put over any symbol, including indices.
(b) Three-vectors are generally set in roman boldface
type. More general vectors, matrices, etc. are usually set
in lightface italic type, although boldface may
alternatively be used. (c) Be careful when using the solidus (/)
in fractions. For example,
1/2a
means 1/(2a), not (1/2)a. Use appropriate
bracketing if needed to ensure clarity.
@
References cited in text material must be numbered in order
of their first citation, and should appear in a separate double-spaced
list at the end of the text. They should be designated by
on-line Arabic numerals enclosed in square brackets.
Footnotes (for subsidiary remarks, not for references) may be
placed at the bottoms of printed pages. Such footnotes to text
material should be designated by superscript numerals, numbered
consecutively throughout the paper, and placed at the
bottoms of the manuscript pages on which they are cited.
Authors who do not wish to use this option should combine
references and footnotes in a single list, designated by on-line
numerals in square brackets, numbered consecutively in order
of first citation, and placed at the end of the text. References
and footnotes within tables should be designated by superscript
lower-case roman letters and given at the end of the table.
In preparing the list of references for papers submitted to
Physical Review C the author should be guided by the
Physical Review Style and Notation Guide, especially Table I and
the list of Journal Title Abbreviations, and by the corresponding
material in the AIP Style Manual. The following describes the
practices of Physical Review C:
(in press) means that the paper has been accepted for
publication in a journal (or a conference proceedings).
The name of the journal must be specified. If the paper
has been published when the author receives the proofs,
the reference should be updated in proof.
(submitted or to be submitted) means that the paper has
been submitted or will shortly be submitted for publication.
The name of the journal, book, or conference
proceedings must be specified.
(unpublished) means that the information is unavailable
in printed form. Ph.D. theses need not be marked (unpublished),
since copies can be purchased.
Conference Proceedings. Name, place, and year of the
conference should be specified. Specify the editors and
publisher if possible. Give page number.
Reports. Give name of laboratory, report number, and
year. Give the title if possible and especially if a report
number is not available.
Books. Give publisher, year, page number.
Journal references. Phys. Rev. C 20, 195 (1979).
Nucl. Phys. A249, 253 (1978). (Note difference.) For Annals
of Physics use Ann. Phys. (N.Y.).
(private communication) means that the information is
not available either in published or report form and
acknowledges the receipt of information from another
source. References to private communications in which
the name of one of the authors appears are not acceptable.
It is important to confirm the accuracy of bibliographic information
in references. This has become more important now that the
journal is online; establishing functional hyperlinks from reference
lists to bibliographic and document databases depends on the accuracy
of the data contained in the anchor reference.
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.
Acknowledgments of support must be placed in an
acknowledgments paragraph at the end of the text of a manuscript.
Not all types of acknowledgments are appropriate for the
Physical Review. We do not include acknowledgments to those
who helped in the preparation of the document being published;
to referees or editors (unless they were involved before the
paper was first written); to those who contributed general
encouragement (family, friends) or services which were not
directly part of the research. References to positions, titles, and
awards are inappropriate as are dates associated with awards.
Examples of suitable acknowledgments are thanks to other
scientists for scientific guidance given in discussions or by the
communication of results, mention of technical assistants who
helped in the actual research, and citation of funding agencies
which sponsored the work. Acknowledgments should be a
simple statement of thanks for help and may not be a dedication
or memorial. Acknowledgments to people should precede
those of financial support.
Separate tables (numbered in the order of their appearance)
should be used for all but the simplest tabular material; they
should have captions that make the tables intelligible without
reference to the text. Units should be given in the column
headings. The decision on whether results should be published
in long tables depends on the precision of the data, i.e.,
whether they can be read accurately enough from a figure, and
on how many readers are likely to use the numbers relative to
the space needed in the journal. If experimental results are
likely to be used as reference values by other authors, the
publication of the numbers is desirable. If additional numerical
data can be obtained from a data center, from the author,
or another source, either as tables or in electronic form,
indicate how and in what format they can be obtained.
Authors may prepare tables in camera-ready form, even if
the rest of the paper is not so prepared.
Such tables must be similar in
appearance to tables composed at the American Institute of Physics.
Authors should consider the feasibility of depositing extensive
tabular material in the Physics Auxiliary Publication
Service (PAPS) of the American Institute of Physics.
The electronic counterpart, EPAPS, is similar, and
accomodates color-figure, multimedia, data, and program files.
The electronic material is available via the Web. The printable
part of the
material is usually available in the microfilm edition of
the Physical Review.
Information about EPAPS can be obtained via the APS Research
Journals home page at the World Wide Web URL http://publish.aps.org/,
via ftp to aps.org in the /pub/jrnls/directory as the file epaps_up.asc,
or from the Editorial Office on request.
Figures should be planned for the column width of the Physical
Review (approximately 8.6 cm). If the detail shown requires it,
or 2 columns may be
used. A note should be left on or with such figures. High-quality
scanner-reproducible figures must be supplied. Legible
duplicates should be attached to each of the manuscript copies. Figures
should be numbered in the order in which
they are referred to in the text. They should be identified on
the front (outside the image area) by 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. Be advised
that the scanner reproduces all imperfections (e.g., correction
fluid, tape, smudges, writing on the back of the figure).
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 ``Figure 1(a), 1(b),'' etc.
Figures must be prepared so that all details can be seen in
reproduction. The smallest symbols must be at least 2 mm high
after the figure is reduced for reproduction; plotted points
should be at least 1 mm in diameter after reduction. Avoid small
open symbols which tend to fill upon reduction, small dots, and
small decimal points. If similar quantities are to be plotted
several times, such as angular distributions at several energies,
do not enclose each graph in a box but use instead shifted
ordinate scales for each plot and enclose all the plots in one
large rectangle. Graphs with large areas that are either blank or
contain only text are not acceptable.
The figure itself should have labeled axes with units enclosed
in parentheses. Use the form ( ), not
. Use
half spacing within compound units. Avoid ambiguous
usage of the solidus (``/'') [e.g., use (mb/MeV sr), not
(mb/MeV/sr)]. For complete instructions see the
Physical Review Style and Notation Guide or the
AIP Style Manual. 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). Use 0.5 not . 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. Use 0.2, not .2.
A schematic line drawing showing the experimental equipment or
layout is often helpful, but photographs or artist's renderings
of apparatus are not acceptable.
Photographic (continuous tone) material
is screened (``halftoned'')
within our production process. Avoid submitting prescreened prints
of photographic material (see also the submission information above);
reproduction of such figures is then seldom
satisfactory. There is a risk of moiré patterns appearing in
the final product. Laser-printer renditions of continuous-tone data are
similarly problematic, since they are effectively prescreened.
If possible, please submit such figures electronically as PostScript
files (one image per file). There are greater possibilities for
successful reproduction in the journal when data are processed
directly rather than via scanning of hard-copy renditions.
Alternatively,
supply glossy or matte-finish photographs instead, if available.
Otherwise, the resolution of the drawing software and the output device
should be set as high as possible (preferably 600 dpi or higher);
laser print the figure at its final published size.
Figures might be more effective
in color. This option is
available (see also the submission information above); price schedules
can be obtained from the Editorial
Office at Ridge. The cost of publishing illustrations in color
must be borne in full by the respective authors and their
institutions. Authors who wish to avail themselves of this
option should provide 35-mm slides or transparencies, or high-quality
glossy prints, which should be close to the final size
expected for publication. (Negatives are not acceptable.)
Polaroid color prints should be avoided. Artwork must be flexible.
If submitting slides, please note that they will be removed from
their jackets for the color separator. In some cases, printing
requirements will prevent color figures from being located in
the most preferred position.
Alternatively, auxiliary color figure files may be submitted electronically,
to be made available for public retrieval from the AIP electronic
PAPS server. Submission information is available via
ftp://aps.org/pub/jrnls/paps.asc.
To alert readers of monochrome reproductions of the article that the
archive figure is in color, begin the caption with ``(Color)''. Be
advised that production of an editorially accepted paper that contains
color can begin only after a properly completed color-illustration
authorization form has been received from the authors.
The relation of the paper to previously
published work should
be explained clearly. This should include the work of other
authors and previously published work of the present authors,
including meeting abstracts and conference reports. If the
present results correct, supplement, or supersede previous
results, this should be stated. (Preprints and internal laboratory
reports are not considered publications.) Indicate which results
are new, as distinguished from results obtained previously.
In order to reproduce figures, tables, etc., from another
journal, authors must show that they have complied with the
requirements of the publisher of the other journal, possibly
including written agreement of both publisher and author of the
originally published work. (If the original journal is published
by APS, only the written agreement of the original author is
required to reproduce a few figures or tables.
Enough information about the apparatus and methods should
be presented to permit evaluation of the procedure. For
example, for a scattering experiment, give relevant
dimensions, target thickness and composition, energy resolution,
and angular resolution. If an accelerator was used, it should
be identified.
Nuclear Structure
Nuclear Reactions
Relativistic/Ultrarelativistic Nuclear Collisions
Subnucleon Aspects of Nuclei/Physics of Hadrons
Electroweak Interaction, Symmetries
Nuclear Astrophysics
() or an excited
state (). A right subscript is used for indicating the
number of atoms in a molecule (). For bombarding particles, ,
and
may be used, but not
. For other
bombarding particles, only the usual symbols
should be used. For target nuclides, use
. Do not use D, T, .
et al. The use of et al. (no comma before et) is
encouraged in the body of the paper, but discouraged in the
references. The names of all authors should be given in
the references, unless the number of authors is greater than ten.