Physical Review Letters Formatting Requirements: Complete Author Guide

PRL has one of the shortest abstract limits of any major journal: 600 characters, not 600 words, in the APS Style Guide. This translates to roughly 75-100 words, depending on word length.

The abstract must be:

• A single paragraph

• Unstructured (no headings)

• No more than 600 characters (the APS Style Guide limit for PRL)

• Free of displayed equations and tables, with no numbered references (put source listings directly in the abstract text)

• Self-contained (understandable without reading the paper)

In 600 characters, you need to state the problem, describe what you did, and report your main result with a number. There's no room for context or implications. Here's the level of compression required:

"We measure the branching fraction of B meson decays to tau lepton pairs using 362 fb-1 of electron-positron collision data. The measured value, (1.73 +/- 0.24) x 10-3, exceeds the standard model prediction by 2.8 sigma, suggesting possible new physics contributions."

That's approximately 300 characters. You have about twice this much space. Every character matters.

PRL titles should be concise, specific, and informative. There's no formal character limit, but long titles are discouraged. Common PRL conventions:

• Use specific quantities or results in the title when possible (titles that open "Observation of", "Measurement of" or "Evidence for" and then name the result)

• Avoid generic phrases like "A Study of" or "Investigation into" followed by a topic

• Don't use abbreviations unless universally understood in physics (QCD, QED, etc.)

Author information in PRL follows APS conventions:

• All author names listed

• Institutional affiliations, either grouped by address or with superscript numbers

• A byline footnote with the post-publication contact author's email address (strongly encouraged)

• Collaboration name listed if applicable (e.g., "The ATLAS Collaboration")

For large collaboration papers (common in particle physics and gravitational wave astronomy), APS permits a group (Collaboration) name in addition to the full list of author names, set in parentheses between the end of the author list and the list of institutions. APS asks collaborations to follow its collaboration submission guidelines so that long author lists are extracted correctly. The CMS and ATLAS papers at PRL routinely have thousands of authors.

APS does not publish a limit on the number of figures, but each figure counts against the 3,750-word limit as a word equivalent. Most PRL papers include 3-4 figures.

Figure requirements:

• Resolution: APS advises setting the resolution of the drawing software as high as possible (preferably 600 dpi or higher) and submitting photographs as high-resolution .jpg or .png files

• Preferred formats: .ps, .eps, .jpg and .png

• Size: plan for a single-column width (8.5 cm or 3 3/8 in), or 1.5 or 2 columns for more detailed figures

• Lettering: the smallest capital letters and numerals should be at least 2 mm high when sized for the journal page

• Color figures are free online; color in print is charged ($1,090 for a single figure, $595 for each additional)

• Do not submit images generated or modified by generative AI or AI-assisted tools

Table requirements:

• Use LaTeX table environments (tabular) or Word table editor

• Keep column headings simple

• Use a single horizontal rule to separate the column headings from the entries

• Avoid vertical rules

• Footnotes use superscript lowercase letters

• Units in column headers

Physics-specific figure conventions:

• Error bars must be clearly visible and explained in the caption

• Theoretical predictions overlaid on data should be distinguishable (different line styles, not just colors)

• Axes must be labeled with quantities and units

• Log scales should be indicated clearly

• Color choices should be colorblind-accessible when possible

PRL uses the APS reference style, which is handled automatically by REVTeX and BibTeX. References are cited using bracketed numbers.

Key formatting rules:

• Citations in text use bracketed numbers: [1], [2,3], [4-7]

• References numbered consecutively in order of appearance

• Author names: initials and surname (e.g., A. B. Smith)

• Journal titles abbreviated following the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI)

• Include volume (bold), first page or article ID, and year in parentheses

• DOI links are inserted by APS production staff, not displayed in the reference

Example references:

[1] A. B. Smith, C. D. Jones, and E. F. Williams, Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 012345 (2025).

[2] A. B. Smith and C. D. Jones, Phys. Rev. D 111, 054001 (2025).

[3] A. B. Smith, Ph.D. thesis, MIT, 2024.

Note the APS formatting: journal title not italicized (unlike chemistry journals), volume in bold, article number without "p." prefix, year in parentheses at the end. APS journal abbreviations are specific: "Phys. Rev. Lett." (not "PRL"), "Phys. Rev. D" (not "PRD"), "Phys. Rev. A" etc.

The APS style guide says APS follows the Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index (CASSI) for standard journal abbreviations. When using REVTeX with BibTeX, the default .bst style file that REVTeX 4.2 calls in for the journal handles the reference style. If you're using Zotero or another reference manager, export to BibTeX and let REVTeX format the output.

APS publishes Supplemental Material (SM) with every Physical Review journal at no charge. SM is useful information that is not essential to understanding the paper's main results, such as multimedia files, parameters used in or produced by calculations, details of sample preparation, and derivations of equations.

How it works:

• Published alongside the article on the APS website as a single deposit with its own URL

• Linked from the published paper

• Can be submitted with the manuscript so the editors and referees can see it during review

• Cited in the reference list as "See Supplemental Material at [URL will be inserted by publisher] for [brief description]"

• Should contain material that supports but isn't essential to the main argument

Data and code: APS advises sharing data and software through an established repository such as Zenodo, Dryad or Figshare and citing it in the Data Availability Statement, rather than using Supplemental Material or personal websites.

For a typical PRL paper, Supplemental Material might include:

• Detailed derivation of a key equation summarized in the main text

• Additional systematic checks or control measurements

• Extended data tables

• Monte Carlo simulation details

APS advises REVTeX 4.2 with the 'prl' journal option and prefers LaTeX source files, although a PDF is all that is needed to send a paper for peer review.

LaTeX submissions (preferred for source files):

• Use the revtex4-2 document class

• Install via your TeX distribution (TeX Live, MiKTeX) or from CTAN

• Key document class options: \documentclass[prl,twocolumn]{revtex4-2}

• Use BibTeX; REVTeX 4.2 calls in the default .bst style file for the journal

• REVTeX handles column layout, font sizes, equation numbering, and reference formatting

• A PDF is enough at submission; APS requests the source files (.tex, figures, and the .bbl content) when the paper is accepted

Word submissions (accepted, but rarely used in production):

• Word 2007 or later in .docx format; APS provides no Word template or Word technical support

• Use standard Windows fonts such as Times New Roman

• Use MathType for equations and Word's Table Editor for tables, and do not embed them as objects

• APS converts the source to XML for production

• Check equations and tables carefully after conversion

LaTeX is the right choice for PRL. Physics papers typically contain equations, Greek symbols, subscripts/superscripts, and specialized notation that Word handles poorly. REVTeX is specifically designed for APS journals and produces correctly formatted output with minimal manual intervention.

If you're new to LaTeX, the time investment to learn it pays off immediately for PRL and other physics journals. REVTeX templates with example documents are available from the APS author resources page.

PRL has several unique conventions and requirements that authors from other fields or journals should know.

1. 600-character abstract, not 600-word. This is the single most surprising requirement for authors unfamiliar with PRL. It forces extreme conciseness. Plan your abstract carefully and count characters, not words.

2. Length is measured in words. The limit is 3,750 words, counting figures, tables and displayed equations as word equivalents; APS says this works out to about four journal pages for the core of the paper. Up to two pages of End Matter do not count.

3. A short list of article types. Most submissions are Letters. PRL also publishes Comments and Replies (750 words), editor-commissioned Essays and Errata. There are no Original Articles, Communications, or Reviews, and the Letter format is the same regardless of subfield, from quantum computing to astrophysics.

4. Editors' Suggestions. About one published PRL paper in five receives an "Editors' Suggestion" designation, which means the editors consider the paper particularly noteworthy. This is determined after acceptance and isn't something authors apply for.

5. Physical Review companion papers. Many PRL authors publish a companion paper in one of the Physical Review journals (A, B, C, D, E, X) with the full details of their work. The PRL Letter presents the main result concisely, while the companion paper provides full methods, extended analysis, and detailed discussion. This is common and accepted practice.

Equations are a major component of most PRL papers. REVTeX handles them well, but there are specific conventions:

Displayed equations count toward your word limit at 16 words per row (32 words per row for two-column equations). Minimize the number of displayed equations by putting intermediate steps in the Supplemental Material.

Use standard notation from your subfield. PRL covers all of physics, so notation conventions vary. Condensed matter papers use different conventions from particle physics papers. Follow the standards established in your area.

PRL uses the APS online submission system. For a new submission, prepare:

1. A PDF of the paper: all text and figures in a single file. APS says a PDF is all that is needed to send the paper for peer review.

1. Supplemental Material (if any): a separate PDF, cited in the reference list.

1. The 100-word justification: APS asks authors to provide a 100-word justification of why the paper meets PRL's criteria.

1. Cover letter: the context of the results, a summary of key findings, relevant submission history at Physical Review, and any recommended or excluded referees.

1. Referee suggestions (optional): APS encourages suggestions and does not set a number.

APS asks for source files (REVTeX or LaTeX preferred, Word also accepted) and figure files after acceptance. If your paper is determined to be overlength at submission, you will be asked to shorten it.

The most frequent issues with PRL submissions:

• Exceeding the 3,750-word limit (if APS determines the paper is overlength at submission, you will be asked to shorten it)

• Abstract exceeding 600 characters

• Submitting in Word when LaTeX would be far more appropriate

• Not using the revtex4-2 class (using article class or another template)

• Figure resolution too low, especially for data plots

• References not using standard journal abbreviations (APS follows CASSI)

• Including too many displayed equations that could go in Supplemental Material

• Supplemental Material that is essential to the main argument (it shouldn't be)

Across our Physical Review Letters pre-submission reviews, four patterns consistently predict formatting desk-screen failure at Physical Review Letters (PRL). The patterns below are the same ones the journal's handling editors and outside reviewers flag at first-pass triage.

Scope-fit ambiguity in the abstract. Physical Review Letters editors move fastest on manuscripts whose contribution is obviously aligned with broad-impact physics advance communicable across physics subfields within 4 pages. The named failure pattern: a manuscript found overlength at submission is sent back to be shortened before review. Check whether your abstract reads to Physical Review Letters's scope

Methods package incomplete for the journal's reviewer pool. Physical Review Letters reviewers expect specific methodological detail. Papers framed for a single physics subfield rather than a cross-physics audience are more likely to be judged too specialized. Check if your methods package is reviewer-complete

Reference-list and clean-citation failure mode. Reference lists are worth checking for retracted papers before submission. Check whether your reference list is clean against Crossref + Retraction Watch

Subfield framing mismatch in the cover letter and abstract. Across our Physical Review Letters pre-submission reviews, the most common late-stage rejection driver is not a formatting error at all: the cover letter and abstract argue for importance inside one physics subfield rather than across physics generally, and PRL's editors screen for that gap before an outside referee sees the manuscript.

A paper that would be a strong fit for Physical Review B, C, D, or E on its own merits still gets returned when it is framed as a PRL submission without that broader claim. The fix is usually a one-sentence rewrite of the abstract's opening claim, not new data: state what changes for physicists outside the subfield before describing the specific measurement or model. Check whether your cover letter and abstract argue broad-impact physics

For manuscripts targeting Physical Review Letters, four patterns generate the most consistent desk-rejection outcomes.

Letter exceeds the length limit. PRL's limit is 3,750 words for the core of the paper, which APS says works out to about four journal pages, and figures, tables and displayed equations count as word equivalents. APS's length guide says a REVTeX 4.2 paper of about four pages is likely to conform, so compiling in REVTeX is a quick check.

A paper determined to be overlength at submission is sent back to be shortened, and cutting a paper from 5.5 pages to 4 pages often requires reconceiving the presentation, not just trimming sentences.

Significance claim does not reach PRL's broad-interest standard. PRL's editorial policy says Letters should be of broad interest. Editors apply a strict significance filter: the result must be relevant to physicists outside the immediate sub-specialty, not just to specialists in the specific area. Manuscripts where the advance is incremental within a sub-field, or where the significance is clear only to specialists, are declined.

Editors frequently note in declination letters that the work belongs in Physical Review B, C, D, or E rather than PRL.

REVTeX source not ready for production. APS needs only a PDF to send a new submission for peer review, and asks for REVTeX or LaTeX source files (Word is also accepted) after acceptance. Authors who plan to use REVTeX should test compilation with a clean LaTeX installation and the APS REVTeX template well before that point, because APS converts the source to XML for production.

Supplemental Material exceeds scope or is not self-contained. PRL allows supplemental material that is published online alongside the letter. A common error is using the supplemental to present results that should be in the letter itself, or uploading a supplemental that references the main text for context and cannot be read independently. A paper must stand on its own without Supplemental Material, so critical results cannot live only there. If the supplemental is essential to evaluate the main claims, the manuscript is not properly scoped for letter format.

A Physical Review Letters formatting and readiness check evaluates manuscript structure, page limit compliance, and breadth of significance against these desk-rejection patterns before you submit.

Or see example reports before you finalize.