IEEE Photonics Journal

Starting July 2021, papers are published in the IEEE two-column format. A template is available to guide Authors in the preparation of the manuscript and in estimating the total number of pages. Click here for the IEEE Template Selector. 

Manuscripts are submitted in *PDF or in Microsoft Word form for review, and in LaTex for later processing by IEEE publications. Authors can submit supplemental multimedia files, such as animation, movies, data sets, sound files, and other forms of enhanced, multi-media content. Authors are encouraged to use high-quality color graphics. In addition, Authors can store their data in IEEE DataPort https://ieee-dataport.org.

The Journal uses a ‘Graphic Abstract’ as the cover page, and Authors are required to submit one piece of artwork or identify a figure in the paper that best describes the results of their work. 

The use of artificial intelligence (AI)–generated text in an article shall be disclosed in the acknowledgments section of any paper submitted to an IEEE Conference or Periodical. The sections of the paper that use AI-generated text shall have a citation to the AI system used to generate the text.

IEEE Tools for Authors offers a reference validation tool to check the format and completeness of references. Analyze your article’s LaTeX files prior to submission to avoid delays in publishing. The IEEE LaTeX Analyzer will identify potential setbacks such as incomplete files or different versions of LaTeX. The use of these tools simplifies the copy-editing process which in turn reflects into a faster time-to-publication. 

English language editing services can help refine the language of your article and reduce the risk of rejection without review. IEEE Authors are eligible for discounts at several language editing services; visit IEEE Author Center to learn more. Please note these services are fee-based and do not guarantee acceptance.

All IEEE Journals require an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) for all Authors. ORCID is a persistent unique identifier for researchers and functions similarly to an article’s Digital Object Identifier (DOI). ORCIDs enable accurate attribution and improved discoverability of an Author’s published work. Researchers can sign up for an ORCID for free via an easy registration process on orcid.org. Learn more at http://orcid.org/content/about-orcid or in a video at https://vimeo.com/97150912. Authors who do not have an ORCID in their ScholarOne user account will be prompted to provide one during submission.

Author submissions are done through the IEEE Author Portal. Click here to the IEEE Author Portal. 

The login and password for IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, IEEE/Optic Publishing Group Journal of Light Wave Technology, or IEEE Journal of Display Technologies will also work on the IEEE Photonics Journal IEEE Author Portal site. 

Submissions are reviewed by the Editorial Office for completeness and language proficiency. Submissions that are deficient will be sent back to the Authors. Articles are screened for plagiarism before being sent for review. 

During the submission process, Authors select one of the 12 Technical Areas that best identifies the subject of their paper, and the manuscript is assigned to the corresponding Senior Editor (SE).

Authors are encouraged to suggest an Associate Editor (AE) to handle the review process. The Editor in Chief (EiC) will consider this suggestion, however, he/she reserves the option to use other AEs based on their loads. The file of the AE’s names and their area of expertise is available in the IEEE Author Portal https://ieee.atyponrex.com/journal/pj-ieee in the ‘Instructions and Forms’ tab. 

Upon submission, your manuscript will be checked for formal template compliance before the Senior Editor examines the paper for scope compliance, language proficiency, as well as basic technical content and novelty. Out-of-scope papers, as well as papers of insufficient technical content or quality, may be immediately rejected upon consultation within the Editorial Board. Additional information on the journal scope and topic categories can be found here https://ieeephotonics.org/publications/photonics-journal/.

After passing these initial editorial steps, the Senior Editor assigns your manuscript to an Associate Editor who is an expert in the respective paper’s topic area. Authors also have the opportunity to suggest a preferred Associate Editor (or to exclude certain Associate Editors as “non-preferred”) upon submission. We will always honor non-preferred Associate Editor selections if these are based on clear precedence that could lead to a potentially biased review process. (The mere fact that an Associate Editor may also be a competitor working in the exact same field as your paper is not a reason for exclusion.) We will try to honor preferred Associate Editor choices, but only if your preferences make technical sense and if the current Associate Editor workload permits the assignment.

The Associate Editor selects a minimum of two reviewers who are experts in the field of your paper. Authors can track the status of their submission at any time through their Author Portal. Please note that all technical work performed in this paper handling process, including all work performed by the Editor-in-Chief, the Senior Editors, the Associate Editors, and the Reviewers, is based on volunteers. While we constantly strive to keep reviewing times to a minimum, we place strong emphasis on technical quality. The average turn-around time (from submission to decision) is currently about 77 days.

PJ allows for one revision cycle. Should your manuscript require more than one revision, it may be rejected, but you are encouraged to resubmit so you can fully address all reviewer concerns.

Once accepted, your paper will be placed on-line in the queue for the journal within 2-3 days. At that point it can be fully referenced using the digital object identifier (DOI), even if it hasn’t yet appeared in a printed issue.

The articles in this journal are peer reviewed in accordance with the requirements set forth in the
IEEE Publication Services and Products Board Operations Manual (https://pspb.ieee.org/images/files/files/opsmanual.pdf, section 8.2.2). Each published article is reviewed by a minimum of two independent reviewers using a single-anonymous process, where the identities of the reviewers are not known to the authors, but the reviewers know the identities of the authors. Articles will be screened for plagiarism before acceptance.

Appeals must be directed to the EiC, in the form of a letter that clearly explains the rationale for the appeal. The submitted documentation should also include a copy of the rejection letter and of the reviews. The IEEE appeal process calls for the establishment of an independent group of evaluators that will review the Authors’ rebuttal, the decision of the AE, and the Reviewers comments. The process takes on average 6-8 weeks. Once the EiC has reached a decision, it will be communicated to the authors by email.

Publishing within IEEE is governed by Principles of Scholarly publishing developed in 2007 and found at:
http://www.ieee.org/web/publications/rights/PublishingPrinciples.html

IEEE Statement on the Appropriate use of Bibliometrics:
https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/bibliometrics-statement.html

Why does PJ request an Impact Statement and what should it look like?

IEEE Photonics Journal seeks manuscripts which will be of interest to our readers and have long reaching impact on the photonics community. In less than 500 characters, including spaces, please describe the importance of your paper and how it compares to existing understanding of phenomenon or to existing devices, systems, or applications. Your description should make clear how your manuscript advances knowledge in some significant way. Your Impact Statement should quickly convince an editor or reviewer that your work is not only novel but also makes a leap in thought, performance, or application.

Are authors allowed to use AI to generate text for a submission?

Yes, if there is proper disclosure of information. The use of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in an article (including but not limited to text, figures, images, and code) shall be disclosed in the acknowledgments section of any article submitted to an IEEE publication. The AI system used shall be identified, and specific sections of the article that use AI-generated content shall be identified and accompanied by a brief explanation regarding the level at which the AI system was used to generate the content.

The use of AI systems for editing and grammar enhancement is common practice and, as such, is generally outside the intent of the above policy. In this case, disclosure as noted above is recommended.

Under no circumstances is it permitted to use AI tools to fabricate/manipulate data, code, figures or other research output with the intention of falsifying/distorting research results.

I have some material in my paper that has already been published in another paper. What do I need to do to re-use it in my PJ submission?

In general, reproduction of previously published material should be avoided if possible, and earlier work should instead be referenced in your current submission. To reproduce previously published material, you need to do all the following:

• Obtain written permission from the contact or lead author of the previous publication.
• If the previous publication is not an IEEE publication, obtain written permission from the copyright holding organization to reproduce the material. This also applies if you reproduce your own work published under a third party’s copyright.
• Clearly indicate in your submission the material that is being reproduced.
• State in the introduction of your paper in how far your work goes beyond previously published work which you partially reproduce in your JLT submission.

Requesting permission through IEEE

Permission to reuse IEEE content, including use in a thesis or dissertation, must be given through the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service, using IEEE Xplore.

1. Please locate the content beginning at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp.
2. Once on the abstract page of the article, please locate the “Request Permission” link in the left navigation panel.
3. You can also find the copyright symbol directly on the article Table of Content.
4. If you find there are none of these links, you should open the free front pages of the content to determine if there is another rights holder, as this is an indication that IEEE is not the intellectual-property rights holder and cannot grant permission for reuse.
5. If the links are there, please choose one, as this will take you to the permission application page.

If you are not able to use the RightsLink service, permission licensing may also be obtained through www.copyright.com.

If you experience difficulty with the RightsLink service, please contact the customer care group at customercare@copyright.com or write to IEEE Publications at pubs-permissions@ieee.org. 

What is the evolutionary publishing paradigm?

IEEE supports evolutionary publishing of an author’s own body of work, such as submitting a first account of the work to a conference, a second, more detailed analysis to a Letters publication, and a third, significantly extended version or a summary of several related pieces of prior work to a full-length journal. The guiding principle for evolutionary publishing is that a reader must have a significant advantage of reading the next evolutionary stage of publication compared to having access to earlier stages. As such, simple 1:1 reproduction of prior work does not justify a new submission. Whenever re-using prior results, it is mandatory to (1) minimize direct 1:1 overlap in text and figures wherever possible, (2) properly reference all earlier paper(s) whenever copies of text and figures are made, and (3) highlight in the introduction the technical advances of the new submission with respect to earlier work or the rationale behind summarizing multiple prior conference papers in a full-length journal paper. Papers that do not follow these guidelines will be immediately rejected without review.

Why was my paper immediately rejected without reviews?

The first hurdle every new submission must pass is the editorial screening. Several reasons might lead to immediate rejection in this phase, before any reviewers have been assigned:

1. The author(s) have followed the IEEE guidelines for style.
2. The author(s) have not obviously violated IEEE Policies.
3. The article is comprehensible (in other words, not so poorly written that it is unreadable).
4. The subject and contents of the article meet the scope of the periodical or a specific issue.
5. The article meets a minimum criterion for technical substance established for the periodical. 

Why is it taking longer than expected to get reviews for my paper?

This publication is entirely based on volunteers doing the technical part of the work, including the Editor-in-Chief, the Deputy Editors, the Associate Editors, and the Reviewers. While we strive to provide the fastest possible review times, we do not compromise on the quality of our reviews. Finding diligent yet responsive expert reviewers can sometimes be difficult, which may result in longer review times.

We are always looking to expand the reviewer pool. Please consider becoming a speedy, high-quality reviewer yourself.  

Why was my paper rejected but not all the reviewers suggested rejection?

The decision about a paper’s acceptance or rejection is not a simple majority vote between reviews but is a complex process, weighing multiple factors of which the reviews are as important as the technical judgment of the Editorial Board. Please also note that if we believe a paper requires such extensive revisions that we don’t think these can be addressed in a major revision phase, we may decide to reject the paper in its current state. Furthermore, if a revised paper fails to address the reviewer concerns, we may decide to reject the paper at that point. 

How do I appeal a decision to reject my paper?

No process is perfect, and we certainly do make occasional mistakes in our decisions, although we try not to. If you have strong technical arguments as to why you think our decision was wrong and your paper should be published, please send a rebuttal letter to our staff, laying out your technical arguments. The Editorial Board will then examine the case and reach a decision as to whether the paper will be allowed for revisions. However, please note that a rebuttal process is involved and requires several members of the Editorial Board to examine your paper in detail. Depending on the case, this may take a substantial amount of time. As an alternative, you can refrain from a formal rebuttal but rather address all reviewer comments to their full extent and re-submit your paper, indicating that this is a re-submission, attaching a detailed response to the original reviews, and indicating the changes you made to your manuscript. The handling Associate Editor will then examine whether your re-submission incorporates substantial enough revisions for another review process to make sense. 

Can I publish my paper on TechRxiv or ArXiv as well as in this publication?

In general, we advise against the use of on-line repositories. This is a sufficiently fast publication that such pre-publication mechanisms should not be necessary. Should you still want to use on-line repositories (such as TechRxiv or ArXiv), please note that (1) you must reference your originally uploaded TechRxiv or ArXiv paper in your new submission, (2) upon submission of an article, you must update any previously posted version of your submitted article with a prominently displayed IEEE copyright notice, and (3) upon publication of an article, you must replace any previously posted electronic versions of the article with either (a) the full citation to the new paper with its Digital Object Identifier (DOI), or (b) the accepted version with the DOI (not the IEEE-typeset version). Upon your request, IEEE will make available to you the preprint version of your article that you can post and that includes the DOI, IEEE’s copyright notice, and a notice indicating the article has been accepted for publication.

How soon can I cite my “Early Access” article after acceptance?

Early Access articles are intended to help authors get published as quickly as possible. Early Access articles are accepted and peer-reviewed but may not be fully edited or assigned to a publication issue or volume. All Early Access articles are fully citable (by DOI) as soon as they appear in IEEE Xplore.

Early Access articles are available online much sooner and are normally posted on IEEE Xplore within 1 week of authors uploading their final files upon acceptance.

How do I become a reviewer for this publication?

To be considered as a reviewer, you must create an account for the IEEE PJ Author Portal Site. Once you create the account, your name will be added to a pool of potential reviewers. You may also submit your publication list and your areas of expertise to our staff to forward to the journal Editor-in-Chief. For further information IEEE Reviewer Information visit the IEEE Author Center. Your volunteer work will be highly appreciated!

Are reviewers allowed to use AI during the peer review process?

No. IEEE policy states the following regarding the use of AI by peer reviewers: Information or content contained in or about a manuscript under review shall not be processed through a public platform (directly or indirectly) for AI generation of text for a review. Doing so is considered a breach of confidentiality because AI systems generally learn from any input.

How do I become an Associate Editor?

Choosing Associate Editors is at the heart of ensuring the high-quality standards of this publication. As such, the selection process is extremely selective and must pass several stages of quality control and voting, where topical, geographic, institutional, and gender diversity within the Editorial Board are also taken into account. If you would like to contribute as an Associate Editor and you believe that you are a suitable candidate whose technical background and expertise compare favorably with existing members of the Editorial Board, please send an email with your cv and publication list to our staff. 

Who should I contact about corrections to errors in my published paper?

If you find an essential technical mistake in your own published paper, please submit “Comments/Corrections” to the IEEE Author Portal for this publication indicating the paper and the mistake in it and writing a short clarification that corrects the mistake. This document will be examined within the Editorial Board and published accordingly. If you discover a mistake in another author’s publication, it is good practice to inform the other author of the mistake and initiate a dialogue. As an outcome of this dialogue, the other author may choose to publish an “Comments/Corrections”, or you may choose to publish a “Comments/Corrections” on the paper in question. For further questions, contact our staff.

What is the new IEEE Copyright Form (eCF) and how does it affect me?

The new eCF has expanded features that meet the evolving publishing world. The eCF now provides additional publishing agreements such as the Open Access Publishing Agreement, and the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors submitting to hybrid journals now will be given a clear explanation of publishing options and will have an opportunity to select their preferred publishing model (Traditional or Open Access). The eCF has also added extensive information sidebars throughout the process to help instruct authors about each step, and an overall streamlined process.

As with the original eCF, the eCF2 allows authors to choose from a variety of languages (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish), and will provide authors with an opportunity to reassign the eCF to another author or agent if necessary.

Read more about the IEEE eCF here and here.

How soon after acceptance do I need to send final files?

Authors have 1 week to upload final files after notification of acceptance.