Physics Writing Revtex

Contract

• Input: paper content, journal choice.
• Output: compiled PDF + source package + figure checklist.
• Side effects: none.
• Dependencies: none.
• Stop condition: PDF compiled; checklist complete.
• Risk: low.
• Boundary: formats and prepares; does not write scientific content.

Physics Paper Writing — RevTeX and Formats

Prepare a physics paper in the target journal format — RevTeX (APS), IOP, AIP — with figures meeting conventions and a submission package.

When to use

• A physics result needs to be submitted to a journal.
• A preprint needs to be formatted for arXiv or a conference.
• Figures need to match journal conventions.

Process

1. Choose journal and format

• APS / Physical Review — RevTeX template (revsym, revtwo, aps.
• IOP — iopart class.
• AIP — aip / aip-cp class.

Download the template; check page limit and figure rules.

Completion criterion: template downloaded; rules noted.

2. Write the structure

Standard sections for physics papers:

• Title, authors, affiliations.
• Abstract (≤ 150 words for APS; check journal rules).
• Introduction (context, problem, previous work).
• Theory / Model (with equations, variables defined).
• Method / Experiment.
• Results (figures, data, analysis).
• Discussion (interpretation, comparison, limitations).
• Conclusion (key result, future work).
• References (BibTeX; check journal citation style).
• Acknowledgements (funding, collaborations).

Completion criterion: structure complete.

3. Figures

Journal rules vary; common conventions:

• Resolution: 300 dpi for raster, vector (PDF / EPS) preferred.
• Colour mode: CMYK for print, RGB for online; check journal.
• Line thickness: 0.5–1pt; avoid hairlines (too thin for print).
• Font size: consistent with body text (often 9pt in print).
• Labels: use \label / \ref for cross-references; avoid ambiguous numbering.

Completion criterion: figures comply with checklist; all cross-references resolved.

4. Compile and check

• Compile .tex with pdfLaTeX / LuaLaTeX; fix errors.
• Check reference list for duplicates / missing entries.
• Verify equation numbering; fix broken references.
• Check page count; trim or expand to meet limits.
• Check that the abstract contains no references to figures or equations (APS rule).

Completion criterion: compiled PDF; all checks passed.

5. Submission package

Prepare:

• Source .tex + .bib + .sty + figure files.
• Compiled .pdf.
• Metadata file (title.tex, abstract.tex, keywords.tex).
• README.md describing file structure.

Completion criterion: package saved; all files present.