Astrophysical Journal Letters

Scope Statement

The Astrophysical Journal Letters is the premier journal for rapid publication of high-impact astronomical research. ApJL publishes brief reports on the most influential developments across astronomy and astrophysics. The journal specializes in articles that are timely, containing new discoveries and results that have a significant immediate impact on other researchers. Articles published in ApJL are self-contained, including context that is generally understandable by scientists who are not specialists in the particular fields.

Preparation Guidelines and Policies

Manuscripts submitted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters must generally be prepared in the same way and must meet the same criteria as for all articles published in the AAS journals. However, a Letter should report results of significantly greater importance and potential impact than typically published in other AAS journals. The results should have a significant immediate impact on a number of other investigators, and they should be of broad current interest in astronomy.

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History

The Astrophysical Journal Letters began in 1967 as a Part 2 of The Astrophysical Journal, whose editor at the time was Nobel Laureate S. Chandrasekhar. He cited the need for a separate publishing schedule that allowed astrophysicists to rapidly publish short notices of their “spectacular developments in astronomy,” (S. Chandrasekhar, 1967, ApJ, 148, 1).