home - login - register

Information for Authors

General Information

Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (PERC Proceedings) is published by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the Physics Education Research Topical Group (PERTG). The Physics Education Research Leadership and Organizing Council (PERLOC) oversees the publication of PERC Proceedings and shares the responsibility for overall policy matters with the editors of the PERC Proceedings. The editors of PERC Proceedings are responsible for the scientific content and editorial matters relating to the PERC Proceedings. The editors of the PERC Proceedings consist of three members of the PER community serving three-year terms - initially serving as the Assistant Editor, then Editor and finally Editor-in-Chief at the end of their term. One new editor is selected by PERLOC each year.

The PERC Proceedings provides a snapshot of the research being performed within the PER community and serves as the written record of the scholarly work presented at the annual Physics Education Research Conference. The PERC Proceedings accepts for publication papers related to the teaching and learning of physics at all levels of instruction and emerging areas of research including new methodologies and/or theoretical frameworks. Accepted papers have been found to be scientifically sound, important to the field, and in satisfactory form. The editors welcome submission not only of significant or final results, but also of preliminary research results and discussions of works in progress. The PERC Proceedings editors will implement this policy as fairly and efficiently as possible and without regard to national boundaries.

AAPT and PERTG, by sponsoring the PERC Proceedings, share the responsibility for the Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (PERC Proceedings) by providing financial support and advice on editorial policy, and provide input to help maintain the high standards of the PERC Proceedings.

Eligibility For Publication

In order for a paper to be eligible for submission to the PERC Proceedings, the paper's first author must make a presentation related to the paper at the annual Physics Education Research Conference (PERC). Work presented only at the main AAPT meeting is NOT eligible for submission to the PERC Proceedings. Additionally, in order to be eligible for publication, authors on the paper are required to make themselves available for participation in the peer review process. If an author is assigned one or more papers to review, delinquency in participation or failure to review is grounds for that author's manuscript to be removed from the Proceedings.

Submission Types

Paper submissions are categorized as either plenary or peer reviewed.

Plenary

Plenary paper submissions are related to presentations in a Plenary session. PERC Plenary speakers, including banquet speakers, are expected to submit a paper about their presentation in order to help document the work presented at the annual PERC. These papers can be submitted along with the standard peer review process OR directly submitted to the Assistant Editor within one month after the PERC.

Plenary papers are generally copy-edited by the Assistant Editor prior to publication. Interested Plenary presenters may submit their paper to be peer reviewed provided the paper is submitted by the peer review deadline. All plenary papers will appear in the Plenary section, regardless of their peer review status.

Peer Reviewed

Peer reviewed paper submissions are related to presentations in any session other than the Plenary sessions.

ALL peer reviewed papers will be reviewed with the understanding that such submissions may concern preliminary results and works-in-progress.

A person is only allowed to be the first author on two peer reviewed papers if one is for a Plenary session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can color be used in the papers?
Yes! The PERC Proceedings are in color as of 2013.

Why are peer reviewed papers due BEFORE the conference? Can I submit a peer reviewed paper AFTER the conference?
The deadline to submit the paper is BEFORE the conference in order to accommodate the double-confidential review process. This also means that the Proceedings will be published much closer to the conference itself. Absolutely NO papers will be accepted after the June 4th, 2021 deadline.

I want to purchase a hardcopy of the PERC Proceedings, how can I do so?
Hardcopies of the PERC Proceedings are no longer be available as of 2013. The PERC Proceedings are made available only online through PER-Central.

Who are the contacts for this year's PERC Proceedings?
The Editors are the primary contacts for questions related to this year's PERC Proceedings. Contact the editorial team at perc-proceedings@aapt.org. Further information is provided on the Editors' page.