Format your manuscript to the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific requirements — abstract, author–year references, and required declarations — and submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts without a formatting rejection.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around PASP’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, author–year references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the PASP author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to PASP’s specifications for astronomy, astrophysics, and instrumentation. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is published by IOP Publishing on behalf of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in author–year style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an unstructured abstract within the journal's limit. PASP also expects a manuscript prepared in LaTeX. The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses author–year. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: references not in the journal's IOP format, an abstract over the stated limit, and figures that don't meet the resolution specs. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep author–year formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through ScholarOne Manuscripts — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what PASP’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, author–year reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the PASP journal home page. PASP offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through ScholarOne Manuscripts, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | PASP requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an unstructured abstract within the journal's limit |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | ScholarOne Manuscripts |
Read the PASP author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set author–year as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in. Prepare a manuscript prepared in LaTeX early rather than leaving it to the end.
Skim two or three recent PASP papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the PASP author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, author–year references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — references not in the journal's IOP format, an abstract over the stated limit, and figures that don't meet the resolution specs. Then submit through ScholarOne Manuscripts.