Information for Contributors to TPT
The focus of The Physics Teacher is on the introductory-level physics course. The papers we publish are aimed at teachers of that course in high schools, two- and four-year colleges, and universities.
Papers reporting the results of research projects or announcing new physics theories are not suitable for The Physics Teacher.
Technical correctness is only one factor used in the selection of papers for publication. The principal criterion for acceptance is whether, in the opinion of the editors, the paper would be sufficiently useful and interesting to practicing teachers of introductory-level physics.
Organization and clarity of presentation are very important. We suggest that authors ask a colleague to read and critique their manuscripts before submission. Authors whose native language is not English should have someone with an excellent command of written English read their manuscript to improve the grammar and usage.
Manuscripts are considered for publication under the condition that they have been submitted only to The Physics Teacher and have not been published or accepted for publication elsewhere.
Manuscripts failing to meet the guidelines given in this document are likely to be returned to the authors.
Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation
Ethical Guidance
Authors, reviewers and editors alike are expected to adhere to ethical standards and guidelines detailed on the AIP Publishing's Ethics and Responsibilities page. Note that all individuals (and only those) who have made significant contributions should be offered the opportunity to be listed as authors. ChatGPT and similar AI-based large language models should not be listed as an author, but their use should be acknowledged in the manuscript and in a cover letter with the submission. The editors of TPT also advocate for a reviewing process that is respectful and supportive, as outlined by the Ad Hoc Committee for Respectful Reviewing: https://www.aapt.org/Publications/upload/Respectful_PER_Reviews_Aug_2019.pdf.
Literature search
A complete literature search must be performed. Authors should especially make sure that a similar paper has not already appeared in The Physics Teacher by searching the past issues on pubs.aip.org. Related papers that were published in this journal or elsewhere should be cited as references. However, references usually should not constitute more than 20% of an article's word count. When there are many possible references, it is often appropriate to list only one or two references with “and references therein” or “e.g.”
Length
Papers published in The Physics Teacher are generally quite short compared to those appearing in many other journals. Manuscripts should normally not exceed 2000 words (including figure legends and references). Occasionally, a longer manuscript of up to 4000 words (3000 words with pictures and diagrams) may be considered. However, the author must first submit a brief description and an outline for preliminary approval. These should be accompanied by a statement explaining why the material requiring the additional page space would be useful and interesting enough to readers to warrant publication.
In some cases, a paper that would otherwise exceed the TPT length limit can be shortened through the use of an online appendix. The appendix does not appear in the print edition of TPT but is cited in an endnote (see the section on supplemental material below).
Short manuscripts
We especially welcome very brief submissions (1000 words or less) for consideration as papers or as contributions to our various monthly columns.
Columns
AI Physics Tools (AI@TPT) features similarly structured short papers (generally less than 1000 words) describing tried and tested classroom examples using AI applications. The contributions should include some theoretical background, a description of the setup and tasks, and a discussion of typical results. Submissions should be sent to Jochen Kuhn and Stefan Küchemann (aitpt@physik.lmu.de).
And the Survey Says ... provides notes about physicist data from the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics. To submit ideas, please email Susan White (swhite@aip.org).
AstroNotes are brief notices about teaching astronomy courses and/or astronomical topics in the physics classroom. To submit, please fill out the form at https://bit.ly/TPTAstroNotesSubmission.
Fermi Questions are brief questions with answers and back-of-the-envelope estimation techniques. To submit ideas, please email John Adam (jadam@odu.edu).
Figuring Physics: Cartoon puzzles about physics. To submit ideas, please email Paul Hewitt (pghewitt@aol.com).
iPhysicsLabs are short articles featuring uses of smartphone technology in physics teaching. To submit, please email Jochen Kuhn (jochen.kuhn@lmu.de) and Patrik Vogt (vogt@ilf-mainz.de).
Just Physics? is a column focused on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion. To submit, please fill out the idea submission form at https://forms.gle/JJik2qaw2GLGeViL7.
Little Gems are short articles with an emphasis on experiments or demonstrations using everyday materials. To submit, please email Jennifer Birriel (j.birriel@moreheadstate.edu).
Talkin’ Physics is especially targeted at physics teachers in the secondary school setting. To submit, please email James Lincoln (james@PhysicsVideos.com).
Visual Physics: Interesting photographs demonstrating physics concepts. To submit, please use https://tpt.peerx-press.org/cgi-bin/main.plex.
WebSights features announcements and reviews of select sites of interest to physics teachers. If you have successfully used a physics website that you feel is outstanding and appropriate for WebSights, please email Dan MacIsaac (macisadl@buffalostate) the URL and describe how you use it to teach or learn physics.
Level and style
Papers should be appropriate to as broad an audience as possible. Authors should not assume that the reader possesses background information in a specialized field. When uncommon technical terms are essential, they should be defined when first used. Mathematics up to the level of differential and integral calculus may be used as needed.
The AIP Style Manual [American Institute of Physics, 4th ed. (1990)], contains useful information on the preparation of manuscripts, including a list of standard abbreviations, correct rules of punctuation, spelling, choice of symbols, and suggestions for the arrangement and numbering of equations.
Title and first paragraph
The title of the paper should be short and reflect the paper’s content. Papers in The Physics Teacher do not include abstracts. Instead, the first paragraph of each published paper should give a brief summary of the paper’s content. This paragraph is entered into TPT’s searchable online index.
Units and significant figures
Authors are encouraged to use SI units, but use of SI units is not mandatory in cases where other units are more appropriate. Measured and calculated numerical values should be written with the correct number of significant figures and include error limits.
Endnotes
The Physics Teacher does not use footnotes, which appear at the bottom of a page; instead, TPT uses endnotes. Endnotes should be double spaced and compiled in order at the end of the manuscript. Number each endnote sequentially in the text with a superscript, regardless of whether it is explanatory or a literature reference. Use sources that are widely available, generally avoiding esoteric journal articles and materials written in languages other than English. References to articles located on the web should be done with great care since many of these have short life spans. Endnote references to articles in periodicals should have the following form, with title and final as well as initial page numbers.
- Adam Niculescu, "A rolling sphere experiment," Phys. Teach. 44, 157–159 (2006).
Use this form for referencing a book: - R. A. Serway, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 4th ed. (Saunders, New York, 1996), p. 9.
Equations
Each equation should appear on a separate line, have an equation number, and contain the correct punctuation placed before and after it. The number of the equation, in parentheses, should be placed near the right-hand margin. It is preferred that all equations and variables appearing in figures, tables, captions, or the text proper have the appropriate units included.
Figures and tables
Figures should be numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the text and include captions. If any figures are taken from another publication, authors should obtain permission to use them before sending them to The Physics Teacher. Necessary credit information should be included with the submission. Please note that for photos of students, we require signed releases.
Graphs should be self-explanatory, with axes clearly labeled and units stated. The proper recording of error bars on data points should be taken very seriously.
Tables should be placed at the end of the text and numbered sequentially with Roman numerals. Each table should be referred to in the text at the appropriate place and must be intelligible by itself, with a brief title, clear column headings, and units where needed.
See the figure guidelines for information on formatting figures for publication.
Line numbers
Please use line numbers (use the "Line Numbers" option rather than manually inserting line numbers) for the original submission. For the final files, we will request that you remove the line numbers.
Supplemental Material
It may be possible to place supplementary materials (such as computer programs or appendices containing detailed derivations) that are too lengthy to appear in the printed version of the journal on the Supplemental tab of the online article. This electronic depository is also useful for other media, such as audio and video clips, that cannot be put into print. The URL for the online article is referenced as an endnote in the published paper. For example:
Inquiries about the use of supplemental material should be directed to the editorial office.
Submission of the Manuscript
Materials intended for specific columns should be submitted directly to the column editor; see above.
Since June 10, 2020, the submission process for articles for The Physics Teacher has required authors to submit their article and cover letter at this website: http://tpt.peerx-press.org/. Papers should be prepared in MS Word or other text processing software, but for the initial submission process we require that authors submit a single, self-contained PDF file which includes the complete manuscript, with figures, tables, and reference lists. Ensure that your manuscript meets the requirements for anonymous review. For more information on TPT's preference for "double-anonymous" review, or about other aspects of the TPT manuscript reviewing sequence, see the editorial "The TPT Refereeing Process" at http://aapt.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1119/1.1534813. For guidance on respectful and supportive reviewing, see https://www.aapt.org/Publications/upload/Respectful_PER_Reviews_Aug_2019.pdf
For more information on submitting to TPT, contact the Editorial Office at 301-209-3307, tpt@aapt.org.
Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, authors will be asked to resend the paper in an editable format. Photos and other graphics should not be embedded in the text file, but should be submitted separately (see figure guidelines).
Correspondence with the Editorial Office
Each manuscript will be given a TPT Editorial Office manuscript number. Please use this number in all correspondence with the Editorial Office and label any subsequent revisions with this number. Receipt of a manuscript is acknowledged promptly by a message to the principal or corresponding author. We try to provide the authors a report on their manuscript within three (3) months of the date of receipt, but a longer delay is sometimes unavoidable.
Accepted Manuscripts
At the time of acceptance, the corresponding author will be sent an acceptance message from the Editorial Office and be asked for a publishable version of the submission. Manuscript acceptance is provisional, pending final editing by the Editorial Office for length, style, and clarity. Substantial alterations will not be made without the permission of the author. Authors will receive page proofs before publication and are asked to return any corrections as soon as possible. Alterations in the proofs should be limited to corrections. Final responsibility for correcting errors lies with the author.
The minimum time between the submission and publication of an acceptable manuscript will ordinarily be about six months. Note that this journal is not published in June, July, or August.
Publications Manuscript Storage Policy
Manuscripts submitted for publication in AAPT journals along with subsequent correspondence with journal editors and reviewers, would be retained for five years after the last author interaction by or with the editorial office. After five years, all materials associated with the manuscript would be disposed of.
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