Physics GRE Discussion Forums

i am writing a paper on a particular physics topic. i have completed my engg degree and waiting for my joining. i am researching at home doing theoretical research on a topic. (I KNOW IT IS VERY TOUGH BUT..)

I WANT TO know that if i send a paper to a top physics journal like PRL Would it accept my paper. (coz d name of my institutuion wont be dere coz at home )

PS: i wanna knw it coz if dey dont accept paper like dis i wud invest my time sumwere else..

How could we possibly know, when you provide no information about the paper? It shouldn't come as a surprise that whether or not you get published depends largely on what you write.

That said, with that kind of english you have zero chance of being published in any English language anything (journal, tabloid, website, you name it). I also suspect that without a solid physics background - which engineering degree usually does NOT provide - there is no possibility that you can write anything that will get published in any semi-decent journal. In addition if your name is not known to anyone and you are the only author (or other authors are no-names too) and you are not linked to anything that could be considered a research institute, it definitely does not help.

I understand that for people coming to physics from unconventional routes publishing a paper in a famous journal seems like a easy way to stardom, but please do not consider that a real possibility. It is not very probable that you are the next Einstein and by living in your dreams you make it much harder to actually becoming a real non-crackpot physicist. Just suck it up and either complete a physics degree or at least do research with some real scientist as a lab tech or whatever.

thnx for ur reply dude but i was not saying whether i can publish a paper ..i was asking whether i am qualified to publish a paper ..

if , suppose, i write a paper and send it to publication i was asking would it be rejected outright because i am not from any physics institute. that was my question..

PS; it is important for me because if that is the case i would invest my time somewhere else .

I don't know, but I find it very difficult to believe they wouldn't at least read the abstract and if it is promising, maybe even read the article itself and then decide about reviewing it properly. It would be really stupid to reject a paper automatically because the author isn't affiliated with an institute. That of course does not guarantee that they will not do just that.

kushraghav, if you had any brains at all, you would just go to the PRL website and look at what their requirements are for the papers they publish. You don't *have* to belong to any institution, the content is the only thing that matters. Journals like PRL will only accept papers with broad impact, that are highly relevant, and that make a significant contribution to the field. Good luck with your original research in theoretical physics.

@grae..

well thanks for your reply although the use of incendiary language was completely unnecessary. i know it is next to impossible but i am not among the quitters.

kushraghav wrote:@grae.. well thanks for your reply although the use of incendiary language was completely unnecessary.

I disagree. I think it was highly necessary.

kushraghav wrote:@grae..

well thanks for your reply although the use of incendiary language was completely unnecessary. i know it is next to impossible but i am not among the quitters.

Please understand it is not difficult in a way that by trying hard enough you can guarantee success. No matter how hard you try, if you don't have the background _and_ IQ necessary, you have zero point zero zero zero zero etc chance of success. Missing either of those will block you out for sure and if you are not sure you have them, trying is waste of your time. Of course, trying can be good in determining where you stand, but spare yourself from disappointment and don't assume you will get published if you just pour enough hours into game. There is a personal upper limit for a quality of an article which you no matter how much time you use cannot breach, only approach.

You should remember that not even that many graduate students have publications, even though they have necessary background, good mentoring and proven mental ability. Assuming you can get a paper in a prestigious journal such as PRL even though they can't perhaps ever, can be considered an insult of their existence.

schwiss wrote:How could we possibly know, when you provide no information about the paper? It shouldn't come as a surprise that whether or not you get published depends largely on what you write...

That said, etc...

Wow, this was a great post. Hit the nail on the head in every way and used far fewer paragraphs than it would've taken me to write the same thing, lol. I'm giving this some physics weight . Hopefully schwiss will become a frequent poster in the upcoming admission season.

As for kushraghav, I concur that you should invest your time in something that doesn't have a minuscule chance of working.

kushraghav wrote:i am writing a paper on a particular physics topic. i have completed my engg degree and waiting for my joining. i am researching at home doing theoretical research on a topic. (I KNOW IT IS VERY TOUGH BUT..)

I WANT TO know that if i send a paper to a top physics journal like PRL Would it accept my paper. (coz d name of my institutuion wont be dere coz at home )

PS: i wanna knw it coz if dey dont accept paper like dis i wud invest my time sumwere else..

so when are you planning to apply for grad school?

@blackcat

well i want to get a publication be4 i attempt that. The question i was asking has been completely ignored
i asked do publications like PRL accept paper from authors with no association with research institute. like i have seen authors writing their name and then the name of their institute. IF i send my paper what would i write there.

I know i can go to the PRL website and get information. but my doubt is not cleared. THATS WHY I ASKED HERE .
i worry whether my paper would be rejected outright when the journal editors see no affiliation with any physics institute.
plz help.

kushraghav wrote:The question i was asking has been completely ignored

I answered your question already. Your powers of logic and observation underwhelm.

grae313 wrote:You don't *have* to belong to any institution, the content is the only thing that matters.

Having your name associated with reputable scientists or a reputable institution helps a lot, but if someone submits something truly groundbreaking in theoretical physics as the sole author with no affiliations, that won't stop it from being published.

@grae

thanks for your reply but i aimed that query at blackcat. i want to consult others too because i want to get a holistic opinion. no offence . you have been a great help too. thanks a lot.

OK, since one opinion doesn't satisfy you, I've spent a few minutes doing your research for you, you lazy piece of turd.

Gregory Chaitin, a now famous mathematician published without affiliation when he was very young.

Many people in history, like Oliver Heaviside and William Crookes had "no affiliation" and worked in laboratories that they had set up at home.

From the Progress in Physics website: "No scientist shall be prevented from presenting papers at conferences, colloquia or seminars, from publication in any media, from access to academic libraries or scientific publications, from attending scientific meetings, or from giving lectures, for want of an affiliation with an academic institution, scientific institute, government or commercial laboratory, or any other organization."

Here's An article documenting publications in the journal Pramana - Journal of physics between 1982 and 2006. There were 59 unaffiliated publications.

I guarantee you that if you solve some major problem in physics theory, it won't matter if you have an affiliation or not. However, if you try to publish something inconsequential, you will be laughed at. If you are truly smart enough to do groundbreaking physics work from home, you'll have no problem becoming a famous physicist. However, you'll need to get a lot better at answering your own questions before that will ever happen.

thanks grae..although i am deeply appalled by the use of some derogatory terms.
thanks a lot for your help. my query is resolved.

grae313 wrote: However, you'll need to get a lot better at answering your own questions before that will ever happen.

Not to mention spelling. I could barely even read what this guy was saying.

kushraghav wrote:@blackcat

well i want to get a publication be4 i attempt that. The question i was asking has been completely ignored
i asked do publications like PRL accept paper from authors with no association with research institute. like i have seen authors writing their name and then the name of their institute. IF i send my paper what would i write there.

I know i can go to the PRL website and get information. but my doubt is not cleared. THATS WHY I ASKED HERE .
i worry whether my paper would be rejected outright when the journal editors see no affiliation with any physics institute.
plz help.

no i was asking this question because i wanted to know when are you REALLY planning to go to grad school?.. are you just going to work on your publication no matter how long it takes, and only then you will apply for grad school?
don't you think that would delay your PhD?? without getting along with the people working at the frontier areas of your research field, without knowing where the current research is going, if you think you can get your paper in PRL, then either you will be hailed as the next einstein, or you will spend the rest of your life in India working in your company. Even Einstein had the mathematical background necessary for his work. in comparison you have no formal training in physics or mathematics.
I am just giving you a heads up though.. its upto you to take it or leave it..

@blackcat

you are absolutely right. i have given this issue much thought and i have decided that i would first pursue a masters degree from a top institute in my country. There is a entrance exam for that which would be held in feb. next year.
i however would be undergoing training conducted by the s/w firm i am placed in during that period.
so i would give it with proper preparation in feb 2011.
if that would be the case i would be 26 (i am 22 now)when i finally get admit into a phd program in united states.
i am worried about that aspect. is it normal for ppl to start their phd at 26..???

kushraghav wrote:i am worried about that aspect. is it normal for ppl to start their phd at 26..???

Not abnormal. I know graduate students who started PhD programs here around that age.

you lazy piece of turd.

Hahahaha !!!

Since you seem to want more than one opinion, I will give you mine : Listen to grae313.

kushraghav wrote:@blackcat

you are absolutely right. i have given this issue much thought and i have decided that i would first pursue a masters degree from a top institute in my country. There is a entrance exam for that which would be held in feb. next year.
i however would be undergoing training conducted by the s/w firm i am placed in during that period.
so i would give it with proper preparation in feb 2011.
if that would be the case i would be 26 (i am 22 now)when i finally get admit into a phd program in united states.
i am worried about that aspect. is it normal for ppl to start their phd at 26..???

i presume you are talking about JEST, but are you aware that even if you get through it you can only apply for an integrated PhD course after your B.Tech? that too i think in HRI, IMSc and 2-3 other institutes, there are no terminal MSc course.

@Blackcat

i am from india and we have GATE here as a entrance to get into m.tech/ms programs. we have some of the highly prestigious colleges which admit thru this test. and i wud give it in feb 2011. hope i do well.

kushraghav wrote:@Blackcat

i am from india and we have GATE here as a entrance to get into m.tech/ms programs. we have some of the highly prestigious colleges which admit thru this test. and i wud give it in feb 2011. hope i do well.

oh ok!! i had a misconception that gate was only for m.tech..

kushraghav wrote:I WANT TO know that if i send a paper to a top physics journal like PRL Would it accept my paper.

Yes, PRL will accept your paper and publish it if it meets their rather stringent standards. I know this. A paper I sent to PRL got rejected for being too mathematical so I added more physics and sent it to PLB where it survived its first review; now I'm revising it. An earlier paper I sent to Found. of Phys. just got accepted and will appear in a week or so. And I got a paper published in IJMPD last year from it getting an honorable mention at the annual gravity essay contest. So yes, it can be done, you can publish papers without being in academia. And I don't have a PhD, but am thinking of getting one, which is why I joined this forum.

A short list of the things you have to do to publish in the top journals:

(a) Learn physics.
(b) Figure out something that's surprising, and that adds on to stuff that other people are working on.
(c) Learn how to write LaTeX, which is the language in which these papers are written.

Physics is very competitive so you have to work very hard at learning it and at coming up with something new. But the existence of the internet makes this far easier than it ever has been before.

The journals are competing on the basis of "impact factor" so you want to write an article that is likely to be cited by other physicists. That means that it is almost impossible to publish (at the top journals) a paper that defines some an entirely new way of looking at physics. This is also true for those in academia but to a lesser degree. This is why it is imperative that your paper add on to stuff on which other people are already working.

If you look at the stuff that gets published, you will find that theoretical papers (which is where amateurs are going to publish unless you've got a hell of a garage going on) need to have some sort of math problem in them that is non trivial and kind of cool that you found a solution.

kushraghav wrote:@grae..

well thanks for your reply although the use of incendiary language was completely unnecessary. i know it is next to impossible but i am not among the quitters.

kushraghav wrote:@blackcat

well i want to get a publication be4 i attempt that. The question i was asking has been completely ignored
i asked do publications like PRL accept paper from authors with no association with research institute. like i have seen authors writing their name and then the name of their institute. IF i send my paper what would i write there.

I know i can go to the PRL website and get information. but my doubt is not cleared. THATS WHY I ASKED HERE .
i worry whether my paper would be rejected outright when the journal editors see no affiliation with any physics institute.
plz help.

I find it amusing that a guy who uses words like incendiary spells before as be4!

I don't understand... Why not attach yourself to a theory group at a university nearby? You can learn a lot from people who are actually in research - it makes a huge difference to have a mentor, and people you can talk to for feedback. One thing about research is that you'll need to have some basic knowledge, which you pick up in classes and such, and you'll also need to know exactly what is not already known. That's what research is all about. It's hard to know what the outstanding questions are if you're sitting at home thinking. For that reason alone, it's good to attach yourself to a group.

Otherwise, without an affiliation, it's exceedingly difficult to publish. Especially PRL. That's a high-impact journal (without being a first-rate journal like Science/Nature/NaturePhysics). They want not only new stuff, but stuff that people are interested in... It's hard to know what people are interested in at home. Also, it's difficult to not get sidetracked and go down crazy alleys. That's where peers and mentors come in. It's hard to have that at home, unless you happen to have friends/family in the subfield you're working in.

schwiss wrote:It is not very probable that you are the next Einstein and by living in your dreams...

Oh and don't forget, Einstein finished his PhD. Thesis in 1905, when he published his four remarkable papers - so even Einstein himself worked with other people doing research.

Kushraghav,

Ignore the uncouth asses. No one has a monopoly on what is right and what is wrong. Remember this -

"You are what your deep-driven desire is
As your desire is, so is your will
As your will is, so is your deed
As your deed is, so is your destiny"

Take heart. Trudge on.