Policies

Professional and Ethical Standards for the AAS Journals

As implicit conditions for publishing in any of the AAS Journals, authors are expected to adhere to basic standards of professional ethics and conduct that are common across all areas of scholarly publishing.

AAS Journal Software Policy

AAS Journals have adopted a policy that reflects the importance of software to the astronomical community, and the need for clear communication about such software which ensures that credit is appropriately given to its authors. The policy provides clear guidelines for citing software in all articles, and supports the publication of descriptive articles about software relevant to research in astronomy and astrophysics.

Author Name-Change Policy

The AAS has adopted a new policy that will allow authors to change their names on previously published research. The policy covers changes to names, pronouns, author photographs, and contact details. We also provide advice for authors who change their names in the AAS Publishing publication record.

The Astrophysical Journal Letters Requirements

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.

The Planetary Science Journal Policies and Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal must generally be prepared in the same way and must meet the same criteria as for all articles published in the AAS journals.  The following specific policies and guidelines govern the submission and review of PSJ manuscripts.

Research Note Preparation Guidelines

Submissions to RNAAS should be brief communications — 1,500 words or fewer, with no more than a single figure or table (but not both) — and should be written in a style similar to that of a traditional journal article, including references, where appropriate.

Complaints Procedure

To submit a complaint as a AAS Journal author, referee, or reader, please follow the complaints procedure to ensure timely handling of your concern.

Policy on Computational Notebooks

Much of the community served by the AAS Journals makes use of computational notebook tools (tools that combine text, code, and richer media in a single document), such as Jupyter, to develop and share code used in research. This short policy is intended to help those who wish to share their work this way, alongside the publication of a paper.