- Manuscript Contents
Manuscripts should generally contain: title, author's name, address of author's institution, abstract, max. 6 key words, main text, acknowledgments, list of references, tables and figures. Figures can be submitted either as postscript files or as hard copies. Tables can be prepared in Latex format or sent as hard copies. The author should indicate the locations where the figures and tables should appear in the article. Manuscript pages should be numbered consecutively, as are the figures and tables.
Title
The title of the paper should be concise yet informative.
Authors and addresses
For every manuscript, all authors and all addresses should be listed. Addresses should contain e-mail addresses where possible. A number should precede each address and the authors' names should be marked with the appropriate numerical superscript(s).
Abstract
Authors should provide an abstract normally of not more than 200 words. The abstract should be self-contained, summarizing concisely the content and conclusions of the paper.
Key words
A maximum of 6 key words should be given following the Abstract. These should be selected from a list that is common to ApJ, A&A and MNRAS, and only key words that appear on the list are allowed.
Click here to download the key words list
Main Text
Manuscripts should be divided into numbered sections and subsections, starting with
``1. INTRODUCTION''. Subsections should be numbered, e.g., 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, etc.; appendices with A, B, etc. All sections must have a short descriptive title.
Abbreviations of concepts, methods, instruments, observatories, etc., may be used throughout the text but the full wording with the abbreviation in parentheses should be given once in the Abstract (if appropriate) and/or once at the first place of mention in the main text (usually in the Introduction).
Figures and tables
Figures submitted to the Journal must be of very good quality to ensure accuracy and clarity in the final published copy, and should preferably be in postscript form.
Artwork should be in good focus, with clean, clear numbers and letters and sharp black lines. Thin lines, particularly in figures requiring considerable reduction, should be avoided.
Line artwork
Authors are asked to bear in mind, when preparing their diagrams, the likely reduction that will be needed when the figure is placed in the journal page. It is important to ensure that the line thickness used will withstand a possibly significant reduction in size. This applies to all aspects of the figure, but dotted and dot-dashed lines can cause particular problems. Axis labelling and lettering, too, should be sized appropriately for the figure and its likely final size. Labelling that is far too large for a figure can also be problematic, and may look very odd on the printed page. Unsuitable artwork will be referred back to the author, inevitably leading to delay in publication, and authors will be charged for figures that have to be redrawn.
Tables
Tables published in the print version should be prepared using LaTeX. All tables must be mentioned explicitly by number and appear in correct numerical order in the body of the text. That is, Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 must each be mentioned in the text at least once, and the first mention of Table 3 should not precede the first mention of Table 2.
Mathematics
Italic and boldface should be used appropriately to identify physical or mathematical variables. In general, variables are set in light italic, vectors in boldface italic (no arrows).
Physical constants such as the speed of light, the Boltzmann constant, the Hubble constant and the solar mass are also set in light italic.
Differential d, complex i, exponential e, sin, cos, tan, log, etc., are Roman.
Sub/superscripts that are physical variables are italic, while those that are just labels are Roman (e.g. Ct, but Teff).
Equations should be punctuated as part of the sentence. Equations in appendices should be numbered (A1), (A2), (B1), etc.
Units
Standard abbreviations for SI units (e.g., m, km, mm) or natural units (e.g., AU, pc, light-year) should be used. Expressions of rate, such as kilometers per second, Joules per square meter, etc., should always be set as, e.g., km s-1, not km/s; J m-2, not J/m2.
The SI-derived unit for energy is Joule (J), but the erg is the unit of energy often used by astronomers by international agreement; and the magnetic unit is Tesla (T), but Gauss is still commonly used. Tesla (T) and Joule (J) are the preferred unit for RAA, but Gauss and erg are acceptable so long as the international astronomers continue to use them.
Units should be in Roman and separated from the number by a "$\backslash$", half-space -- e.g. 200\,keV.
The units of time are ms, s, min, h, d, yr, Gyr.
The units of distance are Å, nm, μm, mm, cm, m, km, AU(au), light-year, pc, kpc, Mpc.
The unit of arcseconds is arcsec when used to denote angular size or separation (e.g. "beamsize 12 arcsec", "30 arcsec west of the star"); use for positions (e.g. Dec. 30o\dg 29$'$ 23$''$) (similarly for arcminutes).
Avoid repeating units unnecessarily (e.g. "1.3 and 2.6 mm" rather than ``1.3 mm and 2.6 mm'').
The unit of magnitudes is "mag", not superscript "m".
Use the degree symbol "\dgree" except to denote e.g. areas, where deg2 may be more appropriate (e.g. "a survey area of 3 deg2").
Miscellaneous
"e.g., i.e., cf., etc.", are Roman. Letters denoting wavebands (e.g., UBV) are
set italic. Colour excess is set as, e.g., E(B-V). Letters denoting orbital states are set Roman. Ionized species should be denoted by small capitals, preceded by a thin space -- e.g., HeI; Computer software (e.g., CLOUDY -- {\sc cloudy}) should be in small capitals. Satellite names should be in italic (e.g., Ginga, IRAS). The correct bracket order is {[( )]}. Acronyms and abbreviations should be spelt out at the first occurrence, unless they are very well known.
Dates should be written in the order: year, month, and day; e.g., ``2000 January 1'', the month being written in full, except in tables, where the standard three-letter abbreviations for months are used without a period.
Figures and tables should be referred to as e.g., ``Fig. 1'' and ``Table 1'', unless they are from another paper, in which case ``fig. 1'' and ``table 1'' should be used.
- References
Authors should check carefully that all references in the text appear in the reference list, and vice versa; also that the dates and spelling of names are consistent between the text and the reference list. It is the responsibility of authors to ensure the accuracy of their references.
In the references list, use no bold or italic, use commas after author surnames, and use ampersand between the final two author names. Examples of correct styles for some common reference forms are given below.
Journal article
Lin, W. P., B{\"o}rner, G., & Mo, H. J. 2000, MNRAS, 319, 517
Author [Last name, First-name initials], Author, (add ampersand) Author, Year, Journal abbreviated title, Volume number, First page of article
``Letters'' are denoted by the prefix ``L'' on the page number (e.g. ApJ, 279, L23).
Book
Harwit, M., 1998, Astrophysical Concepts (3rd ed.; Berlin: Springer)
Author [Last name, First-name initials], & Author, Year, Title, Edition, if any; (City of publication: Publisher)
Article or chapter in an edited collection
Huchra, J. A. 1986, in Inner Space/Outer Space, eds., E. W. Kolb, et al. (Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press), 65
Author(s) [Last name, First-name initials], Year, in Collection title, Editors by first-name initials followed by last name (City of publication: Publisher), First page of article
Conference proceedings
Gunn, J. E., Knapp, G. 1993, in ASP Conf. Ser. Vol. 43, Sky Surveys., ed., T. B. Soifer (San Francisco: ASP), 267
Author(s) [Last name, First-name initials], Year, in Conference series title [ASP Conf. Ser., AIP Conf. Proc., IAU Colloq., IAU Symp., etc.] and number, Volume title, Editors by first-name initials followed by last name, ed., (City of publication: Publisher), First page of article
Preprints
Smith, A. B. 1999, preprint (astro-ph/9912345)
Author(s) [Last name, First-name initials], Year, preprint (preprint series and number)
Star catalogs
Hoffleit, D., 1982, The Bright Star Catalogue (New Haven: Yale Univ. Obs.)
Author(s) [Last name, First-name initials], Year, Catalog title (City of publication: Publisher)
Private communications and papers in preparation
Papers in preparation and information obtained through private communications should be cited in the text but should not be included in the reference list.
For journal articles, list the short title of the periodical. IAU abbreviations should be used. The following are some acronyms used for frequently cited journals:
