[Phys-L] New Phys Rev journal officially open for business

[Robert Beichner <beichner@NCSU.EDU>]

Hi all,

The official web presence for Physical Review Special Topics: Physics
Education Research is now visible at <http://prst-per.aps.org/>.  An
email will be sent out soon to those who have already submitted
papers to us, asking them to resubmit via the web. There is a complex
and powerful manuscript management system that comes with being an
APS journal. We need to utilize that system right from the start.

My offer to cover page charges for papers originally sent in during
2004 still holds.  And my grant will pay $700 toward the 2005 papers'
charges. There is still an $85/ page (roughly) charge that remains.
After this year, both the $700 + $85/page charges will apply.
Basically, the cost of getting an article published is approximately
the same as the cost of attending a conference...both are part of
doing business. The AAPT and APS Forum on Education have each
generously offered support for those who cannot pay the fees.
(Requests go to <stper-waiver@aps.org>. This information is not
shared with the editor and does not impact publication decisions in
any way.)

I'm hoping we can demonstrate (via careful author formatting, etc.)
that we can do it for less.  I'm thankful the NSF (via my grant) is
covering some of these early costs so we can get a solid
determination of expenses specifically for this journal. The current
rates are based on the APS editorial office's experience with all
their other journals. Since we are officially part of that group, we
have to conform to lots of specifications. Obviously, there are huge
benefits to sharing the Physical Review name. Along with that come
expenses AND the need for extremely high quality writing and reviewing.

Sign up to referee if you haven't already, <http://referees.aps.org/
> . We have a short and a detailed set of guidelines specifically for
the new journal at <http://forms.aps.org/referee/
suggestionsforrefs_per.html>. The critical thing is to concentrate on
content rather than style. Grammar and spelling errors can be
corrected later.

We hope to get our first batch of papers (N=16 to 22, depending on
promised papers appearing soon) out to reviewers, back for tweeking,
re-reviewed (if necessary), composited, laid out, and put online in
time for the AAPT meeting. It will be a busy time, and authors/
reviewers must get their materials submitted as early as possible,
within the constraints of producing work of the highest calibre.

Feel free to pass the word on to people who might be interested, but
who don't subscribe to this list. I'm looking forward to seeing your
papers and sharing your excellent work!

Bob

________________________________________________________________________
_________________
Robert J. Beichner, Ph.D.
Alumni Distinguished Professor of Physics
Editor, Physical Review Special Topics: Physics Education Research
North Carolina State University
506D Cox Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695-8202
919-515-7226
http://www.ncsu.edu/PER
beichner@ncsu.edu
IM and video iChat: RobertBeichner
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