The American Astronomical Society has selected IOP Publishing Ltd. as the new publisher for its research journals. IOP will begin accepting manuscripts for publication in the Astronomical Journal in September of this year and will commence publishing the Astronomical Journal with the January 1, 2008 issue. Contingent on a successful transition for the Astronomical Journal, the Astrophysical Journal Part I, Part II Letters and Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series are planned to begin production with IOP on January 1, 2009.
IOP was selected after an intensive review process, initiated with the issuance of a Request for Proposals in February of this year. An assessment committee, consisting of the editors of the Astrophysical Journal and Astronomical Journal, chair of the Society’s publications board, external consultants and the Executive Officer, reviewed the submitted proposals. The AAS Council reviewed the report of the Assessment Committee and endorsed the process and the selected finalist during extraordinary session on April 16.
AAS President J. Craig Wheeler said, “We are very pleased that the Institute of Physics Publishing will be the new publisher of our cherished and prestigious journals and are very optimistic that our new partnership will lead to a necessary and valuable evolution of what it means to publish science journals in the globally-connected electronic age.”
Michael A’Hearn, AAS Publications Board Chair stated, “We are particularly looking forward to working with IOP toward a joint vision of the future as publishing evolves rapidly in the coming years.”
Kevin Marvel, Executive Officer and chair of the Assessment Committee said, “IOP will be a great partner for the publication of the AAS journals. I look forward to working with IOP to truly enhance the usability and value of our journals to the research community. It should be easier to access and use the data that our authors present in our journals. IOP will work with us to expand the functionality of the journals while maintaining their high quality.”
Ken Lillywhite, business director of IOP said, “We are delighted to be publishing these journals for AAS and we are sure that this will lead to a long and fruitful relationship between both organizations. Astronomy is a crucial and central part of physics – this collaboration re-enforces and enhances the link between our disciplines”.
The American Astronomical Society (www.aas.org) is the largest professional organization for research astronomers in the United States and publishes the leading journals in the field.
About IOP Publishing
The Institute of Physics is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to science. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing, is one of the world’s leading specialist scientific publishers. Its growing output includes scholarly journals, technical magazines, and electronic products and services. IOP Publishing is based in Bristol, UK, and has editorial and marketing offices in the USA, Germany, China, Japan and Russia.
