General Physics, Nonlinear Science, Statistical Physics, Atomic, Molecular and Cluster Physics, Plasma and Fluid Physics, Condensed Matter,
Cross-disciplinary Physics, Biological Physics, Nanosciences, Quantum Physics
Guide for Authors
Submission of papers
Authors are encouraged to submit their papers using the Physics Letters A online submission tool. Visit
http://ees.elsevier.com/pla.
Alternatively authors can submit by sending three hard copies of the manuscript and matching
disk or email directly to an editor who is an expert in the field of work being submitted. For specific enquiries on the preparation
of electronic figures, consult http://www.elsevier.com/artwork. A current list of members of the Board of Editors is supplied
at the journal homepage and is also published in every issue. Original material. By submitting a paper for publication in
Physics Letters A the authors imply that the material has not been published previously nor has been submitted for publication elsewhere
and that the authors have obtained the necessary authority for publication. Refereeing. All contributions will be refereed.
The Editors reserve the right to edit contributions, whenever necessary, and to refuse papers which in their opinion do not satisfy conditions
as to standard or contents.
Types of contributions The length of the papers is not formally limited, but expedient
and compact formulation, appropriate to a letters journal, is expected. The Editor may require the removal of figures, lengthy introductions,
derivations, descriptions of apparatus or speculations if these are not essential for the efficient and clear communication of important
new results. An abstract of less than 50 words is required.
Manuscript preparation All manuscripts should be written
in good English. The paper copies of the text should be prepared with double line spacing and wide margins,on numbered sheets.
Language
Polishing. Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit http:// www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/languagepolishing or contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for more
information. Please note Elsevier neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside vendors
through our services or in any advertising. For more information please refer to our Terms & Conditions http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/ termsconditions.cws_home/termsconditions. Structure.Please adhere to the following order of presentation: Article
title, Author(s), Affiliation(s), Abstract, PACS codes and keywords, Main text, Acknowledgements, Appendices, References, Figure captions,
Tables. Corresponding author. The name, complete postal address, telephone and fax numbers and the e-mail address of the
corresponding author should be given on the first page of the manuscript. Classification codes/keywords. Please supply one
to four classification codes (PACS-2006 and/or MSC) and up to six keywords of your own choice that describe the content of your article
in more detail. References. References to other work should be consecutively numbered in the text using square brackets and
listed by number in the Reference list. Please refer to the more detailed instructions for examples.
If you are not submitting online, illustrations should
also be submitted in triplicate: one master set and two sets of copies. The line drawings in the master set should be original
laser printer or plotter output with careful lettering, large enough (3-5 mm) to remain legible after reduction for printing. Photographs
should be originals, with somewhat more contrast than is required in the printed version. They should be unmounted unless part of a composite
figure. Any scale markers should be inserted on the photograph, not drawn below it.
Colour plates. Figures may be published
in colour, if this is judged essential by the Editor. The Publisher and the author will each bear part of the extra costs involved. If
together with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier, will ensure, at no additional charge, that these
figures will appear in colour on the web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced
in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after
receipt of your accepted article. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artwork.
Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to "grey" scale (for
the printed version should you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white prints corresponding to
all the colour illustrations.
Further information is available from the Publisher.
After acceptance Notification.
The corresponding author will be notified of the acceptance of the article. Contact details for questions arising after acceptance of
an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration of an article for publication. Copyright transfer.
The corresponding author will be asked to transfer the copyright of the article to the Publisher. This transfer will ensure the widest
possible dissemination of information. Proofs.Authors will receive proofs when an e-mail address is available, and are requested
to correct and return them within 24 hours. Authors should answer clearly any question in the proofs. No new material may be inserted
in the text at the time of proofreading.
Author benefits No page charges. Publishing in Physics Letters A
is free. Reprints. The corresponding author of each paper will be provided with a PDF of the article in its published form.
Authors wishing to order additional paid reprints should indicate the number of reprints required when returning proofs.
An offprint
order form will be supplied by the Publisher for ordering any additional paid offprints. Discount.Contributors to Elsevier
journals are entitled to a 30% discount on all Elsevier books.
Comments
Comment authors are encouraged, but not required,
to send their Comment first to the authors of the object Letter for a direct response. The editors usually begin review of a Comment
by seeking a reaction from those authors. Possible reactions include:
(a) The Comment seems appropriate for publication without a
Reply.
(b) A Reply to the Comment is submitted for possible simultaneous publication. (Submission of the Reply later in the Comment
review process may be reserved as a future option.)
(c) The Comment does not seem sufficiently relevant to the Letter or does not
appear to be scientifically valid; a detailed discussion is enclosed.
The author of the Letter is not asked to review the Comment
as an anonymous referee. In most cases, the editors will consult at least one independent, anonymous referee regarding the suitability
for publication of a Comment (and Reply, if any). As with Letters, the editors may be selective in deciding what material is forwarded
for consideration.
To be publishable, Comments and Replies should be of interest to our readers: original, timely and urgent. Next
to this, they must be free of detectable errors. If a Comment meets our criteria it will be published whether a Reply is published or
not. The editors will not excessively delay the publication of a suitable Comment due to the lack of an adequate Reply. If both are published,
the Comment and Reply must appear together, in the same issue. On occasion, a Letter will generate several similar Comments. In these
cases, the editors may decide to publish only a subset of the Comments received. Comments and Replies are generally shorter than Letters.
The Reply is shown to the authors of a Comment prior to publication or as necessary. Substantial revision of a Comment in response
to the Reply may be interpreted by the editors as a sign that the Comment was misconceived, and might be cause for rejection. The editors
may choose to restrict further modifications of a Comment or Reply at any stage of the review process, taking the version at hand as
final.
Further information (after acceptance)
Elsevier B.V., Physics Letters A, P.O. Box 2759, 1000 CT Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
