Instructions for Authors

The African Journal of Physics welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Papers will be published about one month after approval. Electronic submission of manuscripts is strongly encouraged, provided that the text, tables, and figures are included in a single Microsoft Word file (preferably in Arial font).

Submissions should be done electronically via e-mail attachment to the Editorial Office at: editorial@elixirpublications.org with the following information:

  • Your name and institution with full address details;
  • Title or name of the journal you wish to submit a manuscript to;
  • Title of your paper;
  • A cover letter with names, email addresses, and affiliations of three possible reviewers as well as a declaration that the prospective manuscript is original and has not been published before nor is it under consideration for publication by another publisher.

A manuscript number will be mailed to the corresponding author on the same day or within 72 hours.

Authors are expected to write out their personal information in a cover letter that should include the corresponding author's full address and telephone/fax numbers and should be in an e-mail message sent to the Editor, with the file, whose name should begin with the first author's surname, as an attachment. The journal does not accept number citations in the body of the manuscript. All citations must be in-text citations or in-body citations, i.e., citing the author’s name and the year of publication. Note that the African Journal of Physics will only accept manuscripts submitted as e-mail attachments.

Types of Articles Accepted by African Journal of Physics

Short Communications:

A Short Communication is suitable for recording the results of complete small investigations or giving details of new models or hypotheses, innovative methods, techniques, or apparatus. The style of main sections need not conform to that of full-length papers. Short communications are 2 to 4 printed pages (about 6 to 12 manuscript pages) in length.

Regular Articles:

These should describe original and carefully confirmed findings, and experimental procedures should be given in ample detail for others to verify the work. The length of a full paper should be the minimum required to describe and interpret the work clearly. The use of subheadings in the main body of the text is highly recommended.

Review Articles:

Submissions of reviews and perspectives covering topics of current interest are welcome and encouraged. Reviews should be concise and no longer than 4-6 printed pages (about 12 to 18 manuscript pages). Reviews are also peer-reviewed.

Review Procedure

All articles are reviewed by an editor and members of the Editorial Board or capable external reviewers. Decisions will be made as quickly as possible, and the journal strives to return reviewers’ evaluations/comments to authors within 2 weeks. The African Journal of Physics publishes accepted manuscripts within one month after submission.

Proofs and Reprints

Electronic proofs will be sent (e-mail attachment) to the corresponding author as a PDF file. Page proofs are considered to be the final version of the article. With the exception of typographical errors, no changes will be made to the manuscript at the proof stage. Since AJP articles will be published liberally online to attract a wide audience, authors will have free electronic access to the full text (in both HTML and PDF) of the article. Authors can freely download the PDF file from which they can print unlimited copies of their articles.

Copyright

Submission of an article is done with the understanding that the article has not been published before (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that, if and when the article is accepted for publication, the authors consent to the automatic transfer of copyright to the publisher.

Fees and Charges

Authors are required to pay a $500 handling fee. Publication of an article in the African Journal of Physics is not contingent upon the author's ability to pay the charges. Neither is acceptance to pay the handling fee a guarantee that the manuscript will be accepted for publication. Authors may still request (in advance) that the editorial office waive some of the processing fee under special circumstances. However, there are no submission charges. Authors are required to make payment ONLY after their manuscript has been accepted for publication.