Physical Review Letters (PRL) is the world’s premier physics letter journal. It publishes short, high quality reports of significant and notable results in the full arc of fundamental and interdisciplinary physics research. PRL provides readers with the most influential developments and transformative ideas in physics with the goal of moving physics forward. We are the most cited physics journal — every two minutes someone cites a PRL. Authors gain high visibility, rapid publication, and broad dissemination of their work.
To maintain its mission of providing high-profile publication of important results in all areas of physics, PRL maintains strict acceptance criteria. In addition to being scientifically valid, published Letters must meet our criteria of impact, innovation, and interest by doing at least one of the following:
Open a new area of research, or new avenues of research within an established area, and therefore significantly influence the research of others.
Solve, or make essential steps towards solving, a critical outstanding problem.
If presenting a new technique, or methodology, it should play a pivotal role in future physics research, and make apparent its immediate consequences for physicists.
In rare instances a Letter may also be of unusual intrinsic interest to our broad audience.
Like all American Physical Society (APS) Physical Review journals, PRL is community driven and operated by physicists. This means that its mission, scope, and standards are ultimately established by the needs of our community, rather than commercial interests. PRL has a strong international scope with the majority of published articles, and active referees, originating from outside the United States of America.