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Information For Authors

Last updated: May 17, 2026

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN SUBMISSIONS​

The Journal of Young Physicists publishes physics articles by students and young contributors, ranging from original research-style projects and review articles to pedagogical reports and accessible science communication pieces. We do not have any fixed eligibility criteria requiring authors to be of a certain age, academic level, or formal physics background. Submissions are judged primarily on their content, originality, clarity, and scientific value, not on the author’s age or credentials. Before submitting, authors must ensure that their article is their own work. Even if they are reviewing a known topic, the presentation should still be original, thoughtful, and engaging; simply repeating standard facts without interpretation or structure is usually not enough. We especially encourage students to think independently: start simple, look around, take a phenomenon from daily life, ask a good question, and explore it carefully. One does not need to “solve the universe” to contribute meaningfully. Good physics is grounded, clear, falsifiable, and honest about its assumptions and limitations.

Due to the large volume of submissions we have been receiving in recent months, we have been forced to slightly increase our strictness and editorial standards, especially to filter out AI-generated, pseudoscientific, or poorly grounded submissions. The JYP does not encourage outlandish claims, unsupported theories, or articles that claim to have solved major open problems without evidence, reproducibility, or scientific grounding. For instance, we have received submissions claiming to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, explain the entire universe, or overturn established physics, often in ways that are AI-generated or pseudoscientific. Such submissions are unlikely to be considered seriously. However, our goal is not simply to accept, reject, and publish articles, but to encourage young students to think independently and scientifically. Even when an article is rejected, we try to provide meaningful feedback to the author, and authors are welcome to ask questions about their work and re-submit a substantially revised version in the future. 

AUTHOR IDENTITY, CONSENT AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The JYP does not ask authors to verify their identity through sensitive personal documents. We operate on the basis of trust and the goodwill of young contributors. However, by submitting an article, the submitting author confirms that the work is submitted under the correct name(s), with the knowledge and consent of all listed authors, and without impersonating any other person. If an article is ever found to have been submitted under someone else’s name without consent, the concerned person may contact or email us, and we will review the matter and take appropriate action. Authors are also assumed to have no undeclared conflicts of interest related to the submitted work.

SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE

We may consider submissions that have already been published elsewhere only if that previous platform does not own exclusive copyright over the article and has no objection to the article being published again on the JYP. This may include, for example, articles previously published on the author’s personal blog or another platform controlled by the author. However, if the article has been published in a platform that owns the copyright to the article or does not permit republication elsewhere, the JYP will not consider the article for publication on its website. If an author wishes to submit an article that is already publicly accessible, and is unsure whether it can be considered by the JYP, the author should clearly mention the details of previous publication during submission, and include a link to the published article (for authors using the submission form, this can be mentioned in the “Comments, if any” field of the form). We will review the case and inform the author whether the submission can be considered.

AUTHOR RIGHTS

By submitting an article to the JYP, authors confirm that they consent to its publication on our website if the article is accepted. Authors always retain full copyright to their articles, regardless of whether the article is published or rejected by the JYP. The JYP does not claim ownership of an author’s work, and authors are free to deposit and/or submit their work elsewhere, as long as the other platforms do not object to the article having been published on the JYP. From our side, we have no objection to authors developing, reusing, or submitting their own work elsewhere.

However, once an accepted article has been published, authors should not ask us to remove or unpublish it simply because they later wish to submit it elsewhere and the other platform does not allow prior publication. The JYP maintains records of submissions, including submission dates and related editorial communication. We therefore request authors not to submit their work to us if the same work is currently under consideration elsewhere.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS​

Document Format

Articles can be submitted through the submission form on our website in the form of a valid Google Drive link with the sharing settings changed so that anyone with the link can access the document (view permission is enough, edit permission is not required). The link may be a Google Docs or a PDF uploaded to Google Drive. We do not share the document publicly or with anyone outside the review process. We also accept PDF submissions directly by email.

Article Preparation Guidelines

Submitted work must not be plagiarised, and authors must make sure that all borrowed ideas, figures, images, data, quotations, or other materials are properly credited. References may follow any widely accepted formatting style, as long as they are clear and complete.

For research-style articles, authors are encouraged to follow a clear scientific structure, such as Abstract, Introduction, Methodology, Results, and Discussion. Claims should be presented carefully, without overstatement, and authors should be transparent about assumptions, limitations, methods, and uncertainties.

For review articles, outreach pieces, or pedagogical reports, authors should aim for clarity, originality, and an engaging presentation rather than simply listing known facts. Images, animations, GIFs, videos, simulations, or other digital materials may be used where they help the explanation, but they must be properly credited. For computational articles, authors are encouraged to include reproducible code (or a clear link to the code) where possible, so that interested readers can follow, test, and explore the work further.

Author Details

Authors should include a short bio (in third person) within the document itself. For multi-author submissions, short bios should be included for all authors. Published authors may be listed on our Team page with their name and bio. Authors may also submit a picture if they wish, but this is completely optional. We respect the privacy of all contributors, especially minors, so authors may choose not to provide a picture or may opt out of having a bio displayed. However, the author’s name will appear with the published article.

 

Multi-Author Submissions

If an article has more than one author, any one of the authors may submit the article on behalf of all the authors, but the email addresses of all the co-authors must be mentioned in the document. In addition, every co-author other than the submitting author must send us an email confirming that they consent to the article being reviewed and (if accepted) published by the JYP. All email communication regarding revisions, comments, or editorial decisions for multi-author submissions will include all author email addresses in the loop.

 

Multiple Submissions

Authors may submit more than one article to the JYP at the same time. However, authors should not submit multiple articles using the same form entry (for example, by inserting two Google Drive links for two different articles in the same form). After submitting one article, the author should fill out the submission form again to submit another article. If articles are submitted by email instead, multiple articles may be attached in a single email, provided that the details of each article are clearly mentioned.

 

If authors have any additional comments (for instance, declaration of a potential conflict of interest) about their article, they are requested to mention them in the “Comments, if any” field of the submission formFor further questions regarding submissions, authors are requested to contact us by email.

PUBLICATION FEES

The JYP is a not-for-profit, student-led platform. We do not charge authors at any stage of the submission, review, revision, or publication process, regardless of whether an article is accepted or rejected. We also do not accept donations. The platform is sustained entirely by the passion, time, and voluntary work of our team members.

REVIEW PROCESS

We are not a registered or indexed peer-reviewed journal. However, we follow a review model inspired by academic peer review. Once we receive a submission, it is assigned to a reviewer whose identity is not disclosed to the author. All communication takes place through the JYP email (journalofyoungphysicists@gmail.com). The reviewer checks the article for originality, scientific accuracy, clarity, grammar, structure, and overall suitability for publication. Based on this review, a submission may be rejected, returned for revision, or (in rare cases) accepted without major changes. Authors will be kept updated during the process and may contact us at any time with questions, mentioning their name and article title. The review process may sometimes take a month or longer, especially during periods of high submission volume. Our reviewers are volunteers and are often students themselves, so delays may occur due to academic schedules or editorial backlog. Authors are requested to be patient during the review process.

POST-PUBLICATION REVISIONS

If a published author wishes to make changes in their article(s), they may email us at any time to request reasonable revisions, corrections, or updates to their article(s). However, the final decision regarding such changes lies with the JYP. If concerns or issues are identified in a published article, we do not remove or unpublish the article. Instead, we may review the issue and, where appropriate, add an Editor’s Note, correction, clarification, or update to the article. This may be done to address factual errors, unclear wording, missing context, outdated information, citation issues, or concerns about scientific accuracy. Our aim is to maintain transparency while preserving the publication record and the author’s original contribution. In serious cases, the JYP reserves the right to take further editorial action if necessary.

HELP WITH SCIENTIFIC WRITING​

Young students who have a clear, relevant idea but need help turning it into a proper scientific article may request an informal online meeting with a JYP team member by email. This process is completely free of charge, and is not a formal mentoring commitment. Meetings are subject to the availability of our team members, so we cannot guarantee that every request will be accepted. However, where possible, we are happy to guide students on scientific writing, structure, clarity, and basic physics reasoning. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during any online meeting.

If the idea is original, unpublished, or sensitive, we advise authors to be cautious about how much detail they share before they are ready to submit or publish it. The JYP cannot take responsibility for protecting undeveloped ideas shared informally before submission. 

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE​

We do not encourage authors to rely on AI tools to write their articles. To a limited extent, AI may be used to improve wording, grammar, or readability, but the final article must always be carefully checked and verified by the author. The author is fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, references, and scientific content of the submitted work.

 

Submissions containing fake or hallucinated references, obvious AI-generated filler, prompt-like phrases, copied AI responses, or scientifically unreliable AI-generated content will be rejected. Authors who repeatedly submit such work may be warned, and continued misconduct may result in the JYP no longer considering future submissions from these authors. Our aim is to support genuine student thinking, not to publish automated or unverified material. Before preparing a submission, authors should ask themselves: “What does this work add to scientific thinking? Will a young student or non-expert find it genuinely intriguing, or will a physics student find it inspiring and informative, in a way that cannot be reproduced by AI using a few prompts?” If the answer is no, the submission is unlikely to have meaningful value.

 

 

 

The Journal of Young Physicists is an online, student-led, not-for-profit organization which offers young students the opportunity to get their physics articles reviewed and (if accepted) published. The JYP is committed to popularizing physics and fostering the growth of young physicists. 

© 2020 - Present by the Journal of Young Physicists. All rights reserved.

Authors retain the rights to their respective articles. See our publication disclaimer.

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