American Physical Society

The American Physical Society (APS) is a nonprofit professional organization representing physicists and the broader physics community. Founded in 1899, it promotes the advancement and diffusion of knowledge in physics through scholarly publishing, scientific meetings, professional programs, education, public engagement, and science policy advocacy. It is one of the most influential physics societies in the world and serves members working in universities, government laboratories, industry, and other research institutions. APS is best known for its portfolio of peer-reviewed journals. The Physical Review family covers major areas of physics, while Physical Review Letters publishes concise and consequential results across the discipline. Reviews of Modern Physics publishes authoritative review articles, and specialized titles address fields including condensed matter, nuclear physics, particle physics, atomic and molecular physics, plasma physics, gravitational physics, fluids, statistical physics, quantum information, and computational methods. APS also operates open-access and community-oriented publishing initiatives, including Physical Review X and the Physical Review Research and Physical Review Applied programs. Its publishing activities are a central part of the society's role in organizing and distributing the scientific record. The society convenes physicists through large annual meetings, topical meetings, unit activities, and international collaborations. These events provide venues for presenting new research, recruiting, networking, and discussing emerging areas such as quantum information, materials science, astrophysics, biological physics, and climate-related research. APS divisions, topical groups, forums, and sections allow members to participate in communities organized around particular specialties or professional interests. APS also confers major prizes, medals, fellowships, and other honors. Its awards recognize research achievement, contributions to education, public service, industrial physics, and career advancement. The society's fellowship program recognizes members who have made notable contributions to physics or to the work of the organization. Through these activities, APS helps establish professional standards and public visibility for physicists. Beyond publishing and meetings, APS supports physics education and workforce development. Its programs include resources for teachers and students, career information, mentoring, inclusion and diversity initiatives, and public communication of physics. The society also engages with policymakers and the public on federal research funding, scientific infrastructure, workforce issues, climate and energy policy, and the importance of evidence-based decision-making. Its policy work is conducted as a scientific advocacy function rather than as a commercial lobbying brand. APS is governed as a membership nonprofit rather than as a listed company. It has no publicly traded shares or ticker. Its principal stakeholders are individual members, institutional partners, authors, reviewers, meeting participants, educators, students, and the wider scientific community. The organization has maintained an international reach even though it was founded in the United States and remains headquartered there. Its present identity combines the functions of a learned society, a scholarly publisher, a conference organizer, an award-granting institution, and a public voice for physics.

The American Physical Society was founded in 1899 by physicists seeking a national professional organization for the emerging American physics community. Its early work centered on creating a forum for researchers and establishing mechanisms for communicating scientific results. The society's first journal, Physical Review, began publication in 1913 and eventually became one of the most important physics periodicals in the world. APS later assumed responsibility for additional journals and expanded its publishing program as physics divided into increasingly specialized research fields. During the twentieth century, APS developed from a small learned society into a broad professional institution. The growth of American universities, industrial laboratories, and federally supported research strengthened the society's membership base. APS responded by creating divisions, topical groups, and forums for different subfields and professional communities. It also developed regular national meetings, including the March Meeting and April Meeting, which became major venues for presenting research in condensed matter, materials, particle, nuclear, atomic, astrophysical, and other areas of physics. The society's publication portfolio broadened substantially. Physical Review Letters, founded in 1958, provided a rapid-publication channel for significant findings across physics. Reviews of Modern Physics became a major source of authoritative review literature. Specialized Physical Review journals were subsequently organized around fields such as condensed matter, nuclear physics, particle and gravitational physics, fluids, statistical physics, and quantum information. In the digital era, APS moved its journals and submission systems online and introduced additional open-access titles, including Physical Review X, while continuing to operate established subscription and hybrid publications. APS has also served as an institution for professional recognition. It administers prizes, medals, awards, and fellowships honoring research, education, public service, industrial achievement, and contributions to the physics community. The society's awards have helped connect scientific accomplishment with public visibility and have supported the careers of researchers at different stages. Its membership and fellowship structures provide professional identity and peer recognition beyond the publication process. Education, outreach, and public policy became increasingly important parts of APS's mission. The society supports teachers, students, early-career researchers, and people entering or returning to the physics workforce. It publishes explanatory material and organizes programs intended to improve public understanding of physics. APS also engages with government and policymakers on research funding, scientific facilities, education, workforce development, energy, climate, and other questions where physics expertise is relevant. These activities reflect the society's status as both a learned organization and a public-facing scientific institution. In the twenty-first century, APS has focused on maintaining the quality and reach of its journals while adapting to open science, digital discovery, reproducibility, data practices, and changing expectations around access to publicly funded research. It has also emphasized inclusion, diversity, professional conduct, and the health of the physics workforce. Its headquarters is in College Park, Maryland, while its members, authors, editors, meeting participants, and partner institutions are distributed internationally. APS remains active as a nonprofit membership society whose principal functions are scholarly communication, scientific convening, recognition, education, and advocacy for physics.

1. 2011Physical Review X launched

   APS introduced a fully open-access journal covering physics broadly.

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2. 1958Physical Review Letters launched

   The journal created a rapid route for communicating important results across the discipline.

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3. 1929Reviews of Modern Physics established

   APS added a review journal intended to synthesize major developments across physics.

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4. 1913Physical Review begins publication

   APS began publishing Physical Review, the foundation of its later journal program.

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5. 1899American Physical Society founded

   Physicists established APS as a national professional society to advance and disseminate knowledge of physics.

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A leading nonprofit learned society and publisher for the global physics community, combining authoritative research dissemination with professional community-building, recognition, education, and science advocacy.

• Physical Review journalsScholarly publishing1913

  APS publishes a family of peer-reviewed journals covering major physics fields. The portfolio includes broad titles and specialized publications serving communities in condensed matter, nuclear, particle, gravitational, atomic, molecular, optical, plasma, fluids, statistical, biological, and quantum physics. The journals provide research articles, letters, reviews, and other scholarly formats, with both traditional and open-access pathways.

• Physical Review LettersResearch journal1958

  Physical Review Letters is APS's cross-disciplinary rapid-communication journal. It publishes concise reports of important results across physics and is designed for findings that warrant rapid dissemination to a broad scientific audience.

• Reviews of Modern PhysicsReview journal1929

  Reviews of Modern Physics publishes substantial review articles that explain and evaluate important areas of physics. Its articles are used by researchers and students as authoritative entry points into established and rapidly developing fields.

• APS March MeetingScientific meeting

  The March Meeting is a large APS scientific conference associated especially with condensed matter, materials, nanoscience, and related research. It provides presentations, poster sessions, networking, professional programming, and opportunities for researchers to exchange results.

• APS April MeetingScientific meeting

  The April Meeting brings together researchers in areas including astrophysics, particle physics, nuclear physics, gravitation, and related disciplines. It combines scientific sessions with policy, education, career, and community programming.

• APS Physics education and outreach

  United States · International

  APS runs education, teacher-support, student, public-engagement, and workforce programs intended to improve understanding of physics and strengthen participation in the field.

  Outcome. These programs extend APS's role beyond publishing and meetings into education, career development, and public communication.

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• APS science policy and advocacy

  United States

  APS communicates with policymakers and the public about federal research support, scientific infrastructure, education, workforce development, energy, climate, and evidence-based policymaking.

  Outcome. The society provides policy statements, analysis, and opportunities for physicists to engage with government while maintaining its nonprofit scientific-society role.

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• 2011Launch of Physical Review XProduct launch

  Changing expectations around access to research created demand for high-quality open-access physics publishing.

  What changed. APS launched Physical Review X as a fully open-access journal covering physics broadly.

  Aftermath. The title became part of APS's broader transition toward a mixed publishing portfolio that includes open-access and traditional models.

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• Expansion of open-science publishingStrategy

  Researchers, funders, and institutions increasingly expect wider access to scholarly work and improved digital research services.

  What changed. APS has expanded open-access titles, author-access options, and digital publishing infrastructure across its journal portfolio.

  Aftermath. APS now combines established subscription and hybrid journals with fully open-access publications and related research-discovery services.

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• 2020APS launches Physical Review Research

  APS added Physical Review Research as a fully open-access journal covering physics across disciplinary boundaries.

  Product launch
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• 2018APS appoints Jonathan Bagger as chief executive officer

  Jonathan Bagger became the society's chief executive, succeeding in the leadership of APS administration and operations.

  Leadership change
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• 2011APS expands open-access publishing with Physical Review X

  Physical Review X was introduced as a fully open-access journal for high-impact research across physics.

  Product launch
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• 2010APS expands its scholarly publishing portfolio

  The society introduced Physical Review X as an open-access journal, expanding its publishing activity into broad interdisciplinary physics research.

  Product launch
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• 1958APS launches Physical Review Letters

  Physical Review Letters was established as a venue for rapid communication of important results across the physics discipline.

  Product launch
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• 1913American Physical Society publishes the first issue of Physical Review

  The society began publishing Physical Review, which became one of the core journals in modern physics and later developed into a large family of specialized titles.

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• 1899American Physical Society founded

  Physicists established the American Physical Society to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics.

  Other
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• APS adopts a new publishing and open-science direction

  APS has continued adding open-access and author-access pathways while developing new journal and research-discovery services for the physics community.

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1. American Physical Society: About and history
2. American Physical Society
3. APS Journals
4. Physical Review Letters: About
5. Reviews of Modern Physics: About
6. APS Education
7. APS Policy
8. Physical Review begins publication
9. Physical Review X launched
10. APS launches Physical Review Research
11. APS appoints Jonathan Bagger as chief executive officer
12. APS expands its scholarly publishing portfolio