Frequency: 4 issues per year.

Journal of Radiological Protection publishes articles (in English) on all aspects of radiological protection, including non-ionising as well as ionising radiations. Fields of interest range from research, development and theory to operational matters, education and training. The very wide spectrum of its topics includes: dosimetry, instrument development, specialized measuring techniques, epidemiology, biological effects (in vivo and in vitro) and risk and environmental impact assessments.

Paper

Full reports of original research on a theoretical or practical subject. The work covered should be substantive in nature and the description should be comprehensive, allowing the reader to follow the study throughout all its stages, so that the work could be repeated from the description given in the paper. The context of the study within the general body of knowledge of the subject should also be given. A paper should not normally exceed the equivalent of 8500 words, including tables and illustrations.

Review

An authoritative article which comprehensively summarizes the current state of knowledge in a particular area of relevance to radiological protection.

Note

A brief report of a single piece of work or technique or a short discussion of some aspect of radiological protection which adds to the existing literature. Notes can add information to previously published papers, or contain the early important results from work which is later written up as a paper. A note should not normally exceed the equivalent of 2500 words, including tables and illustrations.

Practical matter article

An account of a particular radiological protection problem encountered in industry, medicine or the environment, and a description of the resolution of this problem. Practical Matter articles are intended to provide assistance to those operational health physicists, hospital physicists, etc, who may encounter the same, or a similar, problem in their work.

Opinion article

Allows the discussion of an issue of topical interest in radiological protection which is broader and less formal than would be acceptable in a Paper or Review. Opinion articles should be concise and deal with a specific matter of relevance.

Memorandum

A report from an authoritative committee or organisation which provides information for those working in radiological protection.

Letter to the Editor

Comments upon work published previously in the Journal, or comments upon matters of interest, such as proposed changes to legislation or to international recommendations. A title for the Letter should be included. Letters to the Editor should be clearly marked 'For Publication'. If a Letter to the Editor comments upon an article previously published in the Journal (with the exception of another Letter to the Editor), then the author(s) of that article will be invited to reply to the Letter, and the Reply will normally appear in the same issue of the Journal in which the Letter is published.

 

Assessment Procedure

On receipt, submitted articles will be acknowledged and a reference number assigned which will appear in all future correspondence. Articles other than Opinion articles and Letters to the Editor will be sent to two independent experts in the subject, who as referees, advise the Editor on the acceptability of the article. Authors may be asked to revise their papers in the light of the referees’ comments. When submitting a revised version of the manuscript, clearly marked as such, a covering letter should be included detailing the response to each of the referee’s comments on a point-by-point basis. Reasons must be given for not adopting any points made by the referees. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to obtain the agreement of co-authors for any amendment made to the original manuscript.

 

If referees give conflicting advice, a third senior referee may be asked to act as an adjudicator. If the referees recommend rejection, the author may appeal to the Editorial Board for further consideration.

If a manuscript under revision is not received within six months, the article will be taken to have been withdrawn, unless the authors have previously written to explain any longer delay.

Letters to the Editor and Opinion articles are published at the Editor’s discretion, although the Editor may seek the advice of an independent expert.

Journal of Radiological Protection is the official journal of the Society for Radiological Protection.