Science Partner Journals

The Science Partner Journal (SPJ) program was launched in late 2017 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the nonprofit publisher of the Science family of journals.

The program features high-quality, online-only, Open Access publications produced in collaboration with international research institutions, foundations, funders, and societies. Through these collaborations, AAAS furthers its mission to communicate science broadly and for the benefit of all people by providing top-tier international research organizations with the technology, visibility, and publishing expertise that AAAS is uniquely positioned to offer as the world's largest general science membership society.

Organizations participating in the SPJ program are editorially independent and responsible for the content published in each journal. To oversee the publication process, each organization appoints editors committed to best practices in peer review and author service. It is the responsibility of the staff of each SPJ title to establish and execute all aspects of the peer review process, including oversight of editorial policy, selection of papers, and editing of content, following best practices advised by AAAS.

New titles participating in the program will launch on a regular basis, and participation in the program is kept to English-language publications. AAAS is actively seeking new partners across scientific disciplines.

Become a Partner

To publish as a Science Partner Journals (SPJ) member, an organization must apply and undergo an evaluation process, regardless of whether that organization seeks to create a new journal or bring to the program an existing title with a prestigious background.

Partner proposals are evaluated based on research quality, scope, and organizational fit with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The program welcomes all scientific disciplines but places an emphasis on new and important scientific research in growing or emerging fields.

Once AAAS and a potential partner organization both decide that a title belongs in the SPJ program, AAAS will act as contractual publisher and service provider for that partner organization. This includes providing editorial training, platform access, and marketing services.

Partners participating in the program will be editorially independent and responsible for the content published in each journal. However, AAAS is highly selective about partnerships and strongly recommends that each partner adopt the Committee on Publication Ethics and the Council of Science Editors or equivalent guidelines to establish a baseline set of practices and standards to which a partner is expected to adhere.

For more information about the program, please contact spj@aaas.org.

If you are interested in participating in the program, please complete the proposal form here and return to spj@aaas.org.

About AAAS

The Science Partner Journals are published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s oldest and largest general science organization. The nonprofit AAAS serves 10 million people through primary memberships and affiliations with some 262 scientific societies and academies.