For Authors

Author Style Guide & Templates

When preparing the manuscripts, the authors should follow the style guide and template of Advanced Photonics.

 

1. Manuscript Templates

To make your initial submission process as easy as possible, as well as to make it easier for the editors and referees to review your manuscript, for the initial submission we only require a single document containing the manuscript and figures, along with any supporting multimedia files. The document may be in MS Word, LaTeX, or PDF. The figures and their captions should be placed within the manuscript, near the first mention each figure in the text. Upon acceptance, authors will be asked to submit individual figure files and a properly formatted manuscript for use in production.

Microsoft Word: A Microsoft Word template (.docx) is available to assist you with formatting. Use MathType for equations. Or, if using MS Word 2007 or later, the native equation editor can be used, but the document must be saved as .docx. Backsaving to .doc format will convert all equations to low-resolution graphics, which cannot be used for typesetting. Please note that all accepted papers are professionally typeset; the template is intended only as a guideline for author convenience, and it is not necessary to rigidly adhere to the format.

LaTeX: A LaTeX template (.zip) is available to assist you with formatting, or you can use the Overleaf authoring tool explained below. LaTeX submissions should include the manuscript, a locally compiled PDF, the bibliography, all referenced style files (such as .cls, .bst, .sty, etc.), and all figures and tables. Please note that all accepted papers are professionally typeset; the template is intended only as a guideline for author convenience, and it is not necessary to rigidly adhere to the format.

The template is now available in the Overleaf authoring tool.

 


 

2. Parts of a manuscripts

The research articles manuscript should be ordered as follows:

1. Title page containing all author names and affiliations
2. Abstract followed by keywords
3. Text (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions.)
4. Acknowledgments
5. References.

 

Title

The title of your paper should be descriptive and concise.

  • Acronyms should be spelled out.
  • Titles should not begin with the articles A, An, or The.
  • Avoid use of the words "new" or "novel" in the title.
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Authors and Affiliations

Provide full author names, including given name and family name. These names will be used in official databases and indexes. Initials are not allowed for the given name. Provide full affiliations, including institution, department, street address, city, postal code, and country. An email address should be provided for the corresponding author, and this person should be noted with a footnote.

 

Abstract

The abstract should be a summary of the paper and not an introduction (200 words maximum). Because the abstract may be used in abstracting journals, it should be self-contained (i.e., no numerical references) and substantive in nature, presenting concisely the objectives, methodology used, results obtained, and their significance. For further guidelines, please read the brief article titled " How to Write an Abstract," by Philip Koopman. (Courtesy of Philip Koopman, Carnegie Mellon University.) Abstracts should not make claims of novelty, as publication implies novelty.

 

Nontechnical Research Summary

The online submission form has an optional field to include a short nontechnical summary of your research (200 words maximum) and its potential applications. (This item does not need to be included in the actual manuscript file; you will be asked to add it on the submission form.) Nonspecialist readers should be able to understand the language used and the significance of the work. The summary should provide an accurate description of the importance of the research without overstating the potential impact of the paper. This research summary may be used by the journal for promotion of significant work.

 

Subject terms or keywords

Keywords are required. Please provide 3-6 keywords related to your paper.

 

Text

Type manuscript double-spaced, in a single column, using a readable font size (for example, 12-point type). Please add page numbers. Note the following style points:

  • Journal style does not permit use of bold and italic font for emphasis; these styles should be reserved for formatting math.
  • Words should be spelled using American English.
  • Spell out all abbreviations and acronyms at first use.
  • Metric units should be used unless to do so is not feasible or would result in a serious loss of clarity.
  • Footnotes are not allowed.
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Equations

Create equations using MathType or Equation Editor 3.0. If using Word 2007 or later, the native equation editor can be used, but the document must be saved as .docx. When equations built with Microsoft's Editor are back-saved to the .doc format, they are converted to low-resolution graphics and will not be usable for composition. To use MathType or the old Equation Editor 3.0, you will need to select Object on the Text section of the Insert tab and then select MathType/Equation Editor in the drop-down menu. Variables should be written in italic font.

 

Biographies

Biographies of authors are published with each paper. Manuscripts should include a brief professional biography not to exceed 75 words. Authors are also encouraged to add their biography and photograph to their online SPIE profile on the SPIE website at http://spie.org/profiles/home.

 

Appendices

Any figures, tables, or equations in appendices should continue the numbering sequence established in the body of the paper. Appendices may not be comprised of only tables and figures; they must also include explanatory text and captions.

 

Disclosures

Conflicts of interest should be declared under a "Disclosures" header, above Acknowledgments. If the authors have no competing interests to declare, then a statement should be included declaring no conflicts of interest. For assistance generating a disclosure statement, see the form available from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors website: http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/.

 

Acknowledgments/Funding Sources

Use this section to identify people who have aided the authors in accomplishing the work presented and to acknowledge sources of funding. Include grant numbers and the full name of the funding body. Funding information will be deposited to FundRef.

 

References

The purpose of a reference is to make the source easy for the reader to locate. To this end, each reference should provide as much information as is available. The basic elements of a reference include author names (including first initials), article/chapter title, journal or book title, volume number, issue number, page range, and year of publication. References are professionally copyedited on accepted manuscripts to conform to journal style, and authors do not need to spend a lot of time adapting references to the journal's reference format, so long as all of the required information is present.

References to published literature should be listed at the end of the manuscript and numbered consecutively in the order of their citation in the text. In-text citations can use superscript or bracketed reference numbers. Private communications or unpublished reports should be treated as references. Click here for sample book, journal, and Internet references. For references with three or fewer authors, list all authors. For references with four or more authors, list the first author only followed by "et al."

 


 

3. Artwork Preparation

General Figure Guidelines: Figures must be submitted in EPS, TIFF, PNG, or PDF format for publication. We cannot accept application files, i.e., Corel Draw, Microsoft Word, etc. Number all figures in the order that they appear in the text. All figure parts/panels must be labeled (a), (b), etc. Submit high-resolution figures. The quality of the published figure is only as good as the original file—it cannot be improved by the typesetter.

SPIE strongly discourages the use of the Lena (Lenna) image in SPIE journals. Authors are advised to use other suitable images to illustrate and compare image processing algorithms. Authors who submit manuscripts containing the Lena image to an SPIE journal will be encouraged to replace the image with a substitute image. As of 1 July 2019, SPIE journals will no longer consider new submissions containing the Lena image without convincing scientific justification for its use.

Figure Permissions: If the figure is derived from a previously published image, the author must obtain permission from the original copyright holder, who may be the publisher and/or the author. Once permission is granted, the figure caption should include the line "Reproduced with permission, courtesy of [copyright owner]," or the publisher's required copyright statement. Many permissions can be obtained via the Copyright Clearance Center.

 

Figure Requirements:

File types: EPS, TIFF, PNG, PDF, or PS

Dimensions: Figures will be reduced to a maximum width of 3 and 5/16 in. for single-column layout, and a maximum width of 6 and 3/4 in. for two-column layout.

Background: Avoid graphs with shaded, transparent, or grid backgrounds. The background should be white.

Colored lines: All line art should be distinguishable in grayscale. If colored lines are used, please add symbols or dot-dash textures to distinguish lines in all graphs.

Line weight: Ensure that line weights will be 0.5 points or greater in the final published size. Light-colored lines do not show up when printed in grayscale.

Alpha channel: No

Compression: LZW with .tiff files

Resolution: 300-600 pixels per inch (ppi). Enlarge to 150% to check for jagged or blurry lines, indicating low resolution.

Layers: Flattened, no layers

Color mode: RGB or CMYK

Text: No smaller than 8 pt. Use a clear and readable font such as Times, Arial, or Symbol.

Captions: Do not include in image file. Captions should be listed separately within the manuscript and contain descriptions of all labeled figure parts (a), (b), etc.

File size: Should not exceed 2-3 MB per figure

Multipart figures: All parts should be included in one file, on one page. For example, if Figure 1 contains three parts (a, b, c), then all of the labeled parts should be combined in a single file for Figure 1.

 

Author Submission guideline

All manuscripts should be submitted through the Advanced Photonics ScholarOne online system (https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/ap). You will need to create an account before you submit, unless you already have a ScholarOne account for other CLP journals, including Chinese Optics Letters and High Power Laser Science and Engineering.

When completing the online submission form, please follow these guidelines:

1. Submission Method:

If uploading an EndNote manuscript via this system, sections of the submission process can be populated automatically.

2. Manuscript Information:

  • The Title & Abstract should match your uploaded manuscript. You may use the “Special Characters” function to insert a special character.
  • Enter three to six keywords for the submission. Select one subject from the existing list.
  • The Cover Letter can be entered directly into the system or uploaded as a separate file in .docx or .pdf format.

3. Authors:

  • All the authors’ names, institutions, and email addresses should be added. Only one author can be selected as the corresponding author.
  • Use the function “Find using Author’s email address” when adding a co-author. If no co-author is found, please click “create a new co-author” to add the information for this author yourself.

4. Please view the PDF and HTML proof before submitting.

  • Please note that all items marked with an asterisk (*) are required.
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Peer Review Process

 

1. First Review

Manuscripts are screened by the editorial office regarding the manuscript format and the duplication rate. Manuscripts are then preliminarily evaluated by the editors-in-chief and editorial board members to ensure they meet the journal's rigorous scientific standards and are eligible for peer review. The manuscript might be unsubmitted or rejected in this step.

This step averages 1-2 weeks and may extend under special occasions.

 

2. Peer Review

Manuscripts that meet these criteria are single-blind reviewed by at least two referees. The referees provide detailed comments and recommendations to help the editorial board members arrive at the appropriate editorial decision.

This step averages 30-40 days and may extend under special occasions.

 

3. Author Revision

Authors should carefully address all reviewer comments when submitting a revised manuscript.

The revision time is 10/20 days, and may extend under special occasions.

 

4. Re-review

Revised manuscripts are evaluated by the editorial board members and may be sent to the original or new referees.

This process averages 15-30 days, and may extend under special occasions.

 

5. Appeal:

Authors may appeal to the editorial office (advphoton@siom.ac.cn) to reconsider a rejection decision if they believe that the reviewers have seriously misjudged the manuscript. All appeals will be given careful consideration. The editorial board members and/or editors-in-chief will determine if further consideration is merited or if the original decision should stand.

*Submissions from members of the editorial board are handled by an editorial board member who is not connected with the manuscript to ensure that such submissions receive an objective and unbiased evaluation. Information about the review process for such submissions is redacted from the view of any editors who are authors of the paper within the journal's online submission and review system.

 

Status in online system

When checking the Author Center, the author could probably see the following status:

 

Awaiting EO Decision:

The submission is in the format and quality check by editorial office, editor-in-chiefs and editorial board members before peer review.

Or all the required comments have been received. The editor is checking the comments and will make a recommendation soon.

 

Awaiting Reviewer Scores:

In general occasions, at least two reviewers are required in first round peer review.

 

Minor/Major Revision:

The review comments have been sent to the authors in decision letter. Please check the mailbox of the contact author.

 

Reject:

The rejection comments have been sent to the authors in decision letter. Please check the mailbox of the contact author.

 

Accept:

Authors of papers being accepted will receive the formal acceptance acknowledgement including the article processing charge and expecting publishing issue. Please check the mailbox of the contact author.

*After submitting the revision version, the paper enters the re-review process (ADM not assigned in this step).

 

Article processing charge

All Advanced Photonics articles will be published with open access (CC BY).

The article publication charge (APC) will be waived in the first year.