Successful Letters in Physical Review Letters, a talk by Serena Dalena, Associate Editor

Successful Letters in Physical Review Letters - An Editor’s perspective: Colloquium by Serena Dalena, Associate Editor, Physical Review Letters.

The talk was recorded at Chalmers University of Technology 20 April 2017.

Abstract of the talk:
Physical Review Letters publishes over 20,000 pages of scientific content per year while maintaining its presence as the premier physics journal. The purpose of this talk is to shed light into PRL editorial process and policy and address the many questions frequently raised by the thousands of active authors, referees and readers. How do the editors determine which papers to publish in PRL? What how-tos should you know as an author and a referee? Why should you submit your work to us? How are journals in general and PRL in particular reorienting amid increasing competition and other challenges?

Serena Dalena's top-three best tips to authors:
1. Good communication between the authors and the editors is fundamental, and it starts with the cover letter, that should always be included in your submission. Explain shortly, in no more than two paragraphs, what the main result is and why it is important. Try also to clarify any differences in respect to previous works.

2. Writing a good Letter:
Abstract: Explain what the result is and why it is important, plus possibly a sentence or two of introduction, motivation, methods, caveats.

Introduction: Give sufficient background so the general reader can understand what you did and why you did it.

Body: Try to be clear, use for example heuristic explanations, but making a strong case for the result takes precedence.

Conclusion: Summarize what you did, note key equations and specific results. If there is a main numerical result, quote it there. Go back and make sure the abstract contains the most important results. Describe what is next.

Generally I would suggest to ask a colleague that is not a specialist of your work to read the paper and give you some feedback. Clarity is essential for a good Letter.

3. Maintain always a formal and collegial tone when replying to the referee’s reports, and make changes to the manuscript accordingly. Should you have any concerns, let the editor know.