The New Journal of Physics (NJP) has long been a flagship journal for IOP Publishing. The journal published its first volume in 1998 and was an early pioneer of open-access publishing. Co-owned by the Institute of Physics, which publishes Physics World, and the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG), after some 25 years the journal is now seeking to establish itself further as a journal that represents the entire range of physics disciplines.
NJP publishes articles in pure, applied, theoretical and experimental research, as well as interdisciplinary topics. Research areas include optics, condensed-matter physics, quantum science and statistical physics, and the journal publishes a range of article types such as papers, topical reviews, fast-track communications, perspectives and special issues.
While NJP has been seen as a leading journal for quantum information, optics and condensed-matter physics, the journal is currently undergoing a significant transformation to broaden its scope to attract a wider array of physics disciplines. This shift aims to enhance the journal’s relevance, foster a broader audience and maintain NJP’s position as a leading publication in the global scientific community.
While quantum physics in general, and quantum optics and quantum information in particular, will remain crucial areas for the journal, researchers in other fields such as gravitational-wave research, condensed- and soft-matter physics, polymer physics, theoretical chemistry, statistical and mathematical physics are being encouraged to submit their articles to the journal. “It’s a reminder to the community that NJP is a journal for all kinds of physics and not just a select few,” says quantum physicist Andreas Buchleitner from the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg who is NJP’s editor-in-chief.
Historically, NJP has had a strong focus on theoretical physics, particularly in quantum information. Yet another significant aspect of NJP’s new strategy is the inclusion of more experimental research. Attracting high-quality experimental papers to balance its content and enhance its reputation as a comprehensive physics journal, will also allow it to compete with other leading physics journals. Part of this shift will also involve attracting a reliable and loyal group of authors who regularly publish their best work in NJP.
A broader scope
To aid this move, NJP has recently grown its editorial board to add expertise in subjects such as gravitational-wave physics. This diversity of capabilities is crucial to evaluate submissions from different areas of physics and maintain high standards of quality during the peer-review process. That point is particularly relevant for Buchleitner, who sees the expansion of the editorial board as helping to improve the journal’s handling of submissions to ensure that authors feel their work is being evaluated fairly and by knowledgeable and engaged individuals. “Increasing the editorial board was quite an important concept in terms of helping the journal expand,” adds Buchleitner. “What is important to me is that scientists who contact the journal feel that they are talking to people and not to artificial intelligence substitutes.”
While citation metrics such as impact factors are often debated in terms of their scientific value, they remain essential for a journal’s visibility and reputation. In the competitive landscape of scientific publishing, they can set a journal apart from its competitors. With that in mind, NJP, which has an impact factor of 2.8, is also focusing on improving its citation indices to compete with top-tier journals.
Yet that doesn’t only just include the impact factor but other metrics that ensure efficient and constructive handling of submissions that will encourage researchers to publish with the journal again. To set it apart from competitors, the time taken to first decision before peer review, for example, is only six days while the journal has a median of 50 days to first decision after peer review.
Society benefits
While NJP pioneered the open-access model of scientific publishing, that position is no longer unique given the huge increase in open-access journals over the past decade. Yet the publishing model continues to be an important aspect of the journal’s identity to ensure that the research it publishes is freely available to all. Another crucial factor to attract authors and set it apart from commercial entities is that NJP is published by learned societies – the IOP and DPG.
NJP has often been thought of as a “European journal”. Indeed, NJP’s role is significant in the context of the UK leaving the European Union, in that it serves as a bridge between the UK and mainland European research communities. “That’s one of the reasons why I like the journal,” says Buchleitner, who adds that with a wider scope NJP will not only publish the best research from around the world but also strengthen its identity as a leading European journal.
The post <em>New Journal of Physics</em> seeks to expand its horizons appeared first on Physics World.
