American Astronomical Society Selects Institute of Physics Publishing As New Publishing Partner

    WASHINGTON, April 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American
 Astronomical Society has selected IOP Publishing Ltd. as the new publisher
 for its research journals. IOP will begin accepting manuscripts for
 publication in the Astronomical Journal in September of this year and will
 commence publishing the Astronomical Journal with the January 1, 2008
 issue. Contingent on a successful transition for the Astronomical Journal,
 the Astrophysical Journal Part I, Part II Letters and Astrophysical Journal
 Supplement Series are planned to begin production with IOP on January 1,
 2009.
     IOP was selected after an intensive review process, initiated with the
 issuance of a Request for Proposals in February of this year. An assessment
 committee, consisting of the editors of the Astrophysical Journal and
 Astronomical Journal, chair of the Society's publications board, external
 consultants and the Executive Officer, reviewed the submitted proposals.
 The AAS Council reviewed the report of the Assessment Committee and
 endorsed the process and the selected finalist during extraordinary session
 on April 16.
     AAS President J. Craig Wheeler said, "We are very pleased that the
 Institute of Physics Publishing will be the new publisher of our cherished
 and prestigious journals and are very optimistic that our new partnership
 will lead to a necessary and valuable evolution of what it means to publish
 science journals in the globally-connected electronic age."
     Michael A'Hearn, AAS Publications Board Chair stated, "We are
 particularly looking forward to working with IOP toward a joint vision of
 the future as publishing evolves rapidly in the coming years."
     Kevin Marvel, Executive Officer and chair of the Assessment Committee
 said, "IOP will be a great partner for the publication of the AAS journals.
 I look forward to working with IOP to truly enhance the usability and value
 of our journals to the research community. It should be easier to access
 and use the data that our authors present in our journals. IOP will work
 with us to expand the functionality of the journals while maintaining their
 high quality."
     Ken Lillywhite, business director of IOP said, "We are delighted to be
 publishing these journals for AAS and we are sure that this will lead to a
 long and fruitful relationship between both organizations. Astronomy is a
 crucial and central part of physics -- this collaboration re-enforces and
 enhances the link between our disciplines".
     The American Astronomical Society (http://www.aas.org) is the largest
 professional organization for research astronomers in the United States and
 publishes the leading journals in the field.
     The Institute of Physics (http://www.iop.org) is a not-for-profit
 organization dedicated to science. Its publishing company, IOP Publishing,
 is one of the world's leading specialist scientific publishers. Its growing
 output includes scholarly journals, technical magazines, and electronic
 products and services. IOP Publishing is based in Bristol, UK, and has
 editorial and marketing offices in the USA, Germany, China, Japan, and
 Russia.
     Media Contacts
 
     Dr. Kevin B. Marvel
     AAS Executive Officer
     202-328-2010x114, 703-589-7503
     marvel@aas.org
 
     Ken Lillywhite
     Business Director
     IOP Publishing
     +44(0)117 929 7481
     ken.lillywhite@iop.org
 
 

SOURCE American Astronomical Society