Publication Guide
IOP Publishing is the publishing arm of the Institute of Physics, the UK professional body for physics whose lineage traces to the Physical Society of London, founded in 1874. Headquartered in Bristol with offices in Beijing, Philadelphia, and Tokyo, it publishes more than 100 journals spanning physics, astronomy and astrophysics, materials science, nanotechnology, medical physics, and environmental science. Because it is society-owned, its profits are returned to the Institute of Physics to fund education, outreach, and the wider physics community - a point IOP Publishing formalized in 2024 by co-founding the Purpose-Led Publishing coalition with AIP Publishing and the American Physical Society.
IOP Publishing is also one of the major society-publishing partners in the field: since 2007 it has published the American Astronomical Society's journals, including The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ) and The Astronomical Journal (AJ), and it has published the Electrochemical Society's journals since 2021. This guide covers how to pick the right IOP journal, what open access costs, how peer review works, and how to submit.
Which IOP journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this route |
|---|---|
| Have an astronomy or astrophysics paper | AAS journals - The Astrophysical Journal, ApJ Letters, The Astronomical Journal. Fully gold OA since January 2022, with length-based (quanta) publication charges. |
| Want a broad, fully-OA physics venue | New Journal of Physics - fully open access since 1998, covering all of physics; APC around $2,485. |
| Work on climate, energy, or environmental science | Environmental Research Letters - IOP's flagship fully-OA environmental title; APC around $2,820. |
| Have an applied nanoscience or materials paper | Nanotechnology or the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics family - established hybrid titles with the OA option. |
| Want a review or landmark-results venue | Reports on Progress in Physics - IOP's highly selective reviews-and-research flagship. |
| Work in medical physics | Physics in Medicine & Biology - published with IPEM, the standard venue for radiotherapy and imaging physics. |
| Work on machine learning for science | Machine Learning: Science and Technology and the newer ML: Health / Earth / Engineering series - fully-OA titles launched for AI-in-science research. |
What IOP Publishing actually publishes
- The Journal of Physics series - the historic core portfolio (J. Phys. A through J. Phys. G, plus Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter and others), descended from the Proceedings of the Physical Society.
- Flagship subject titles - Nanotechnology, Environmental Research Letters, Classical and Quantum Gravity, Physics in Medicine & Biology, Reports on Progress in Physics, 2D Materials, and Physica Scripta (with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences).
- Fully-OA titles - New Journal of Physics (with the German Physical Society), Environmental Research Letters, the Machine Learning series, and the expanding Environmental Research family.
- Society-partner journals - the AAS portfolio (ApJ, ApJL, ApJS, AJ, Planetary Science Journal), the Electrochemical Society journals, and titles for physics societies worldwide.
- Conference proceedings, ebooks, and the Physics World magazine round out the portfolio.
Open access and APCs
Every IOP-owned primary research journal offers an open access option, and 47% of articles IOP published in 2024 were open access. Four routes:
- Gold OA (fully-OA journals) - New Journal of Physics, Environmental Research Letters, the AAS journals, the Machine Learning series, and others. Default license CC BY.
- Hybrid OA - most subscription titles let you pay an APC to make your article open access.
- Green OA (self-archiving) - permitted portfolio-wide, with per-title embargo terms; check the journal page or Sherpa Romeo.
- Read-and-publish (transformative) agreements - deals covering 900+ institutions in 33 countries pay the APC for corresponding authors automatically; check IOP's transformative agreements hub or your library.
| Route | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fully-OA IOP titles | ~3,000 | New Journal of Physics ~2,820 (2026 list) |
| AAS journals (ApJ, AJ) | ~3,500+ | Length-based "quanta" pricing set by the AAS, not a flat APC |
| Hybrid OA option | ~3,500 | Varies by title - download IOP's current APC price list |
| Subscription route | $0 | No author fee if you don't choose OA in a hybrid title |
APCs are charged only after acceptance, are listed in USD, EUR, and GBP, and are revised annually - always confirm against the journal's own page. During 2026 IOP is piloting an expanded program of APC discounts and waivers for authors in low- and middle-income countries, and IOP members and reviewers can claim APC discounts.
Peer review
IOP journals use single-anonymized review as the default, and IOP has been rolling out double-anonymized and transparent peer-review options on selected titles. IOP also runs Peer Review Excellence training and reviewer certification for early-career physicists. Turnaround varies by journal - letters titles are faster, and each journal's homepage publishes its current times.
How to submit
- Pick the journal. Match scope and selectivity; each IOPscience journal page states its remit and review times.
- Prepare the manuscript. IOP accepts LaTeX or Word; SciSpace hosts IOP templates so your file matches the journal layout. References use IOP numbered style (AAS journals use the AASTeX class and author-year style).
- Submit via ScholarOne. IOP journals use ScholarOne Manuscripts; an ORCID iD is required for corresponding authors.
- At acceptance, choose OA or subscription. If your institution has an IOP read-and-publish deal, the APC is typically covered automatically.
Ethics and integrity
IOP Publishing is a member of COPE, OASPA, and STM, follows COPE guidance on corrections and retractions, and applies image- and data-integrity screening. Data-availability statements are required or encouraged by title, and the FAIR-aligned data policy is tiered by journal.
