MRS Communications article types
Prospectives | Research Letters | Editorials | Commentaries | Correspondence | Submit MRS Communications papers here
Prospectives
Forward-looking short reviews. Authoritative and balanced but can deal with controversies or new and speculative areas of research for future consideration.
Technical Description:
- Generally invited, although unsolicited short proposals will be reviewed by editorial team
- 7,000-10,000 words, 8-10 printed pages
- Minimum of 5 and maximum of 10 figures and tables combined
- Supplemental and multimedia data encouraged
- Max. 100 references
Prospectives are a unique feature of this journal, offering succinct
and forward-looking reviews of topics of interest to a broad materials research
readership. Most Prospectives articles are invited by the editorial
board. However, interested authors can complete a proposal form and submit to mrc@mrs.org.
Research Letters
A concise presentation of a study with broad interest, showing novel results.
Technical Description:
- 6,000 word maximum, 6-8 printed pages
- Each figure or figure part is counted as 250 words
- Maximum of 4 figures and tables combined. Additional figures can be formatted as a multi-panel figure (A-B-C-D) or submitted as Supplementary Material
- Short 100 word abstract
- Max. 30 references
- Supplemental data encouraged
Editorials
Opinion piece, policy statement or general commentary, typically written by board of the publication or a guest of notable stature.
Technical Description:
- Generally written or invited by editorial team
- 500-1500 words, 1-3 printed pages
- Max. 15 references
- No supplemental data
Commentaries
An item whose subject or focus is another article or articles; this article comments on the other article(s).
Technical Description:
- Generally invited by editorial team, although unsolicited commentaries may be reviewed
- Accessible and non-technical style
- 500-1500 words, 1-3 printed pages
- Max. 15 references
- No supplemental data
Letter to the editor/ publication, typically commenting upon a published item.
Technical Description:
- Flexible format of general interest to readership – policy debates, announcements or matters arising from published material
- 500-1000 words, 1-2 printed pages
- Max. 10 references
- Supplemental data at editor discretion
- If critical of a previously published paper, original author will be given option to publish a reply (no automatic right to reply)