Frequently Asked Questions

This document contains answers to questions that conference organisers and authors often ask about Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS). In addition to this FAQ, further information can be found in our downloadable brochure (PDF, 150 KB). Please contact us if you have any questions that are not answered here or in our brochure.

• Apart from open access, what are the main advantages of this journal?
• What are the options for publishing my proceedings?
• Can editors check their proceedings before they are published online?
• I would like an estimate of the cost, what information do you need?
• Can authors extend their papers for submission to other journals?
• Can papers published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series be cited and, if so, how?
• Can libraries, institutions or individuals buy printed copies of published proceedings?
• Peer review, publication times etc.
• Specific questions on online publication and print publication.

Apart from open access, what are the main advantages of Journal of Physics: Conference Series?

The journal was designed and launched to create a dedicated conference-publishing service which provides a low-cost way to quickly publish the proceedings of a conference, workshop, summer school or symposium. In addition to being part of IOP’s Electronic Journals service, organisers benefit from:

• excellent service: we use our experience and expertise to provide a high standard of service at every stage of the publication process. We receive a lot of very positive comments from proceedings editors and conference organisers, some of these have been published online
• fast publication: proceedings are typically published online 4 to 6 weeks after we receive the accepted papers
• flexible solutions: we offer a range of publishing solutions that can be adapted to your editorial objectives and financial constraints
• comprehensive scope: proceedings of any size, multidisciplinary or highly specialized, can be made freely available to all researchers

What are the options for publishing my proceedings?

• online-only publication
• online publication plus printed copies (and CDs or DVDs)

Supply of CDs

• CDs are a very economical way to distribute proceedings – particularly for large events. Please contact us with details of how many CDs you need, together with the information requested below.

Can editors check their proceedings before they are published online?

Yes. As part of our service, proceedings editors are provided with a secure login to our pre-publication servers to check and approve their proceedings prior to online publication.

I would like an estimate of the cost, what information do you need?

Once you have decided whether you require online-only publication or if you would also like to buy some printed copies for distribution to conference participants, please contact us and provide the information requested below so that we can quickly send you a quote.

To provide a quote for online-only publication we need to know:

• the title of the conference
• the number of papers you expect to publish
• the date and location of the conference
• the URL of the conference web site (if available)

To provide a quote for online publication with printed copies we need to know (in addition to the above):

• the number of pages in the printed proceedings
• the number of printed copies you need
• if you want hardback or softback (cheaper) binding
• if you want to print any pages in colour
• shipping and distribution details – where to send the printed copies:
• direct to the participants, or
• delivery in bulk to a specified address

If a conference web site URL is not available, a list of speakers and topics would be very helpful. Please try to provide enough information so that we can quickly process your enquiry and provide you with a quote.

Can authors extend their papers for submission to other journals?

Yes. The journal’s copyright policy states that ‘... a re-written and extended version of the Article may be published in another journal.’

Can papers published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series be cited and, if so, how?

Yes. Journal of Physics: Conference Series is a journal and takes full advantage of the features and functions of IOP’s Electronic Journals service. We have published a separate web page describing, with examples, how to cite JPCS articles.

Can libraries, institutions or individuals buy printed copies of published proceedings?

Yes. Printed copies of published JPCS proceedings can be purchased from Curran Associates, Inc. You can contact Curran Associates by email at curran@proceedings.com or purchase copies directly from their website http://www.proceedings.com/bookstore.html

Are papers expected to be peer-reviewed and, if so, how?

Yes. All papers are expected to have been peer-reviewed through processes administered by the conference organising committee. For more detailed guidance please refer to the published Peer Review Policy for Journal of Physics: Conference Series.

How long do you take to publish proceedings?

In our publishing agreements we usually agree to publish online within 3 months of receiving final files but in practice it is far faster than that – typically 4 to 6 weeks from receipt of the PDF files for accepted articles. All JPCS volumes now publish the date files were received in final form and the date that the proceedings were published online. Speed of publication does depend on how well articles have been prepared and the length of time editors take to check and approve their proceedings.

Can you publish proceedings in time for the conference?

Yes. Both online proceedings and printed copies can be published and produced in time for a conference but we would need to discuss and carefully plan the schedules.

What about multidisciplinary events?

The open-access nature of JPCS provides an ideal way to publish highly multidisciplinary physics-related conferences whose proceedings contain papers of interest to researchers across the scientific spectrum.

Where can I and others access the proceedings?

All conference proceedings published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series are freely available online at jpcs.iop.org. Each published conference makes up one volume of the journal.

How do you work out your online publication prices?

Online publication is based on a simple fee per article published.

What does the per-article online publication fee include?

Here’s a summary. Some of these points are discussed in more detail below.

• open access, all articles are free after publication
• creation of online versions of the abstracts contained in each paper
• creation of hyperlinked references and tracking of future citations
• unlimited number of pages in each article
• unlimited use of colour online
• extra multimedia items (e.g. simulations)
• online publication typically within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving final files

Do we pay more for longer articles?

No. The per-article fee for online publication is fixed and does not depend on the length of the article. However, articles with more pages do, of course, cost more to print.

Do we pay extra for colour in the online proceedings?

No. There is no extra charge for colour in the online proceedings. We strongly encourage authors to make use of colour where it will help to communicate the science.

Can we include ‘multimedia’ in the online proceedings?

Can authors include downloadable software as ‘multimedia’?

Do we have to buy printed copies of the proceedings?

No. You can choose to publish your proceedings online-only.

Can we have colour in the printed copies?

Yes. You can select individual pages from any article in the proceedings. If you are interested in colour print please let us know when you ask for a quote.

Can we have our own graphic on the cover of the books?

Yes. Black and white graphics are free but there will be an additional charge for colour images. If you are interested in having a graphic on the cover of the printed proceedings, please let us know when you ask for a quote.