The flowchart of a submission, editorial process and publication.
General
The entire editorial processing for a manuscript - from submission to publication - is carried out electronically. Hence the time required to process a manuscript is significantly reduced compared to traditional journals. Typically, the time from submission to decision ranges from about two to three months. Typically, time from acceptance to actual publication could range from one to three months.
Submission
Authors submit their manuscripts via through physedu.in, S(he) will fill in a template to aid editorial processing that will capture fields such as Title, Author(s), Affiliation, contact details, Abstract, Subject Area that best describes the paper and upload the complete manuscript in PDF format. They will be requested to use a format / template downloadable from the website. At the time of submission the preprint receives a manuscript number [PE-12-01-xxx] which identifies the paper throughout the editorial procedure. After submission, the robot automatically assigns the paper to the appropriate editor according to the subject area chosen by the authors to characterise their work. Please note that submitting a paper implies the acceptance of the copyright agreement.
Refereeing
The refereeing procedure is based on the traditional peer review system in which an editor receives the submitted paper, examines it, either referees him/herself or asks one or more of the referees for an opinion, and then decides accordingly. The confidentiality of both the submission and the identity of the referee are guaranteed.
Decision
Editors make their decision according to the journal's editorial policy. They are ultimately responsible for deciding about papers, although their decision is generally supported by a referee they choose. As a rule papers are processed as quickly as possible, in proportion to the time required to evaluate their scientific quality.
After acceptance
Chief Editor and the editorial staff work on the accepted papers, reformat it if necessary and compile each issue of the journal as appropriate. Authors may be asked to provide an editable MS Word or Latex file for this purpose. Completed issue is published in periodic intervals (presently quarterly) together with an editorial, distinct cover page with a distinct dateline, volume number and issue number. Copyright is considered to have been accepted at the time of submission. Published papers are made available to all interested readers on the physedu.in website (and possible mirrors) in PDF format.
After a request for revision
If, following the recommendation of the referee or otherwise, the editor requires a revision, authors must attend to the modifications requested and provide a new version of their papers within a reasonable time span. Revisions submitted later than 90 days after the editor's decision are handled as new papers, i.e. the original paper is treated as withdrawn and a new procedure begins. They are then reviewed again before a final decision or a further round of revision.
After rejection
Papers are selected, processed and reviewed as fairly as possible, with no discrimination. Authors of papers that have been rejected can appeal and reply to the chief editor. Appeals must be scientifically justified and not polemic.
Author inquiries and appeals
The editorial procedure is clear and reliable. Although editors often and referees always are anonymous, authors can communicate at all times with them through the Executive Office.
Subject Areas for classification of Articles of Physics Education:
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Mechanics, Special Theory Relativity
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Electrodynamics
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Optics
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Fluid Mechanics
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Heat, Thermodynamics
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Quantum Mechanics
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Atomic and Molecular Physics
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Statistical Physics
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Condensed Matter Physics
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Nuclear Physics
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Particle Physics
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Quantum Field Theory
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Semiconductor Physics, Devices, Electronics
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Mathematical Physics
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General Relativity, Gravitation, Cosmology
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Nano sciences, Nanotechnology
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Material Science
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Astrophysics, Astro-particle Physics
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Teaching Laboratories
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Geosciences, Biosciences
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History of Physics
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Other topics / emerging trends