Authors who conduct research outside of their own country or utilise resources outside of their community should be aware of the real and potential power imbalances and ethical issues. This particularly applies to authors in high-income countries who undertake research projects in lower-income countries.
IOPP recognises this is typically driven at the funding level; however, authors have a responsibility to act ethically and equitably regardless of a funding mandate. The quality of research may be negatively impacted when authors fail to collaborate with lower-resourced parties.
- Authors should seek ethics approval from local institutions and communities where the research is being conducted and work collaboratively with them throughout the research process and dissemination stages.
- IOP Publishing follows the authorship criteria set out by the International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria, should be listed in the Acknowledgement section
- IOPP is a proud adopter of the TRUST Code and Authors are encouraged to follow the recommended guidelines in the Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships throughout all stages of a research project
IOPP Editors review cover letters, justification statements, and acknowledgements to ensure inclusive, equitable, and ethical practises have been considered. If IOPP Editors have queries or concerns about how local communities have been involved in the writing of manuscripts, or research phase, they will reach out to the authors for further information. This may delay the peer review and may prevent publication if responses are not satisfactory.
At IOP Publishing, we have developed the Duplicate Review Checker (DRC), a machine-learning-powered tool that helps detect duplicate peer review reports.
Duplicate reviews, where the same review is submitted for multiple manuscripts, are problematic because they do not provide a unique and critical assessment of each manuscript. This can undermine the reliability of the peer review process.
The DRC automatically identifies potential duplicate review activity and alerts editorial teams, enabling early intervention to help safeguard the integrity of peer review.
The tool is integrated into IOPP’s publication workflow and is used across all IOPP’s proprietary journals and selected partner journals. All reviewer data and review content remain confidential.
To ensure the peer review process remains fair for both authors and reviewers, any suspected duplicate review is referred to IOPP’s Research Integrity team for investigation. If duplicate review activity is confirmed, the review is discarded and new reviewers are appointed to provide an independent assessment of the manuscript.
The Institute of Physics (IOP) offers three membership grades to reflect your experience and engagement in physics:
Associate Member (AMInstP):
Perfect for those at the beginning of their physics journey:
- Undergraduates
- Apprentices
- Trainees
- Associated professionals.
Member (MInstP)
For those with an established career in academics of professional sectors:
- Graduates
- Postgraduates
- PhD candidates
- Experienced professionals
Fellow (FInstP)
A prestigious grade awarded to acclaimed physicists in recognition of their impactful and significant achievements within the physics world.
How to join
- Visit the Institute of Physics membership page.
- Choose the membership grade that matches your experience.
- Select “Join now” under the relevant grade.
- Follow the onscreen prompts to complete your application.
Once submitted, you will receive confirmation and next step guidance from the IOP membership team.
You can find more details about our membership grades, annual fees, and additional information by visiting this link: Institute of Physics
If you have any further questions, please contact our Customer Service team.
An IOP Member is an individual who belongs to the UK and Ireland’s professional sector and accomplished society of physics. The Membership encompasses a wide range of people involved in academia, industry, research and anyone who has an interest or association with Physics.
The membership is graded to reflect an individual’s education, engagement or interest. Each grade provides access to a range of benefits, including:
- Professional development opportunities
- International recognition and community standing
- Access to IOP networks, events and resources
- Support for career progression
- Connection to a global physics community
An IOP member helps advance physics by supporting innovation, discovery, research, scientific development and is keen to make a difference in the world.
If you have any further questions, please contact our Customer Service team.
Physics World is one of the leading magazines for the global physics community. Each monthly issue features articles from top physicists and science writers, covering:
- In-depth features and analysis
- The latest physics news and research developments
- Investigations, debates and expert opinion
- Career advice and guidance
- Book and literature reviews
- Multimedia content
- The much-loved Lateral Thoughts column, offering lighter, offbeat essays on physics and the people behind it
Launched in 1988, IOPscience provides access to the full Physics World archive. The archive contains more than 11,000 searchable articles in PDF format, available for convenient online or offline use.
If you have any further questions, please contact our Customer Service team.
Before you can access Physics World content, a user profile will need to be set up.
How to set up your account:
- Visit the Registration page: Click the following link Physics World Register. This will take you directly to the Physics World website.
- Enter your email address: You will be prompted to provide your email address in the relevant field.
- Activate your account: You will then receive an email containing a URL. Click this link to set your password and opt into any newsletters and marketing material.
If you experience any issues throughout this process, please contact the Customer Services and a member of the team will be happy to assist.
What determines what you can access
Your society membership unlocks a specific set of entitlements. These usually differ in two ways:
- Which journal(s) you can read
- How many years of content are available to you
Because each society negotiates its own arrangement, two members logging in through IOPscience may see very different levels of access even though both are “society members.”
How access typically differs between societies
This is where most confusion comes from. Some societies provide access to one journal, while others include a full archive.
- IPEM members — Access to Physics in Medicine & Biology (PMB)
- LMS members — Access to titles such as Nonlinearity
- ASP members — Access to Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP),
-
- Coverage: current year plus the previous ten years.
- JSFM members — Access to Fluid Dynamics Research (FDR)
- IOP Members (full IOP membership) — Access to all IOPowned journals
-
- Content years: all available content years (which is the broadest access we offer).
If you are expecting access to multiple journals or full archives but your society membership only includes one title or a limited range of years, the system will show restricted access because that reflects the entitlement set by your society.
How to check what you should have
If you’re not sure which society you’re a member of, or what your membership includes, there are a few easy ways to confirm:
- Look at your society’s membership confirmation or welcome email
- Check the membership benefits section on your society’s website
- Review any login details the society provided for IOPscience
And if you’re still unsure, our Customer Services team can look up your membership type and confirm exactly what you should be able to access
As an JSFM member, you get access to the Fluid Dynamics Research (FDR) on the IOPscience platform.
What is included with your JFSM membership
-
-
- Complete FDR archive access
- You can read every volume from 1986-2026 (and new 2027 content as it publishes)
- Free-to-read and Open Access content
if you need any help or information, please contact the Customer Service team.
As an ASP member, you get access to the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP) on the IOPscience platform.
What is included with your ASP membership:
- PASP online access
- You can read all PASP content from the current year plus the previous ten years.
- For example: in 2026 you will have access to content from 2016-2026
- Free-to-read and Open Access content
if you need any help or information, please contact the Customer Service team.
As an ASP member, you can access all related content through the IOPscience website.
If you are not yet an ASP member
To join the ASP community, visit the Join the ASP Community! page and follow the sign-up steps. Once you complete the membership application, the ASP team will pass your details to our Customer Service team. They will set up your access to the journal Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (PASP). You will receive an email with your access instructions.
Accessing PASP on IOPscience
You can find current and archived PASP issues here: https://iopscience.org/pasp
As a technical member of the ASP, you receive uninterrupted access to PASP.
How to sign in:
- Go to the IOPscience login page:
- Enter your username and password.
Once logged in, you will have access to:
- The current year of PASP
- Plus to previous ten years of content
If you need any help accessing your subscription or are unsure which email address is linked to your ASP membership, please contact the Customer Service team.
