astronomy-and-astrophysics
Astronomy & Astrophysics (astronomy-and-astrophysics)
Journal positioning
A&A is published by EDP Sciences on behalf of a consortium of mostly European countries and is the European flagship journal covering all of astronomy and astrophysics. Its defining character is comprehensive scope paired with high observational and methodological rigor: A&A publishes the full range of the field — stellar physics, the interstellar medium, galaxies, cosmology, the Sun and heliosphere, planets and exoplanets, and instrumentation — and is especially strong on observational surveys, data-rich analyses, and instrument/method papers. It maintains a dedicated Letters section for urgent, significant short results alongside full-length research articles. A&A rewards careful, reproducible analysis with complete description of data reduction, calibration, and uncertainties; it is a working journal of record for the community, not a venue that prioritizes headline novelty over completeness. Readership is the international astronomy community, with a strong European base. This skill is a fit / venue-selection / re-framing tool. It does not replace the journal's current official submission guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live author instructions on the A&A/EDP Sciences site.
When to trigger
- The author names A&A as the target venue for a complete astronomy or astrophysics research article or a Letter.
- A manuscript is an observational survey, instrumentation/method paper, or data-driven astrophysical analysis and the author is choosing between A&A, The Astrophysical Journal, The Astronomical Journal, and MNRAS.
- A short, time-critical but significant result needs the A&A Letters section.
- The author needs A&A's data-reduction-documentation norms, language-editing expectations, and section conventions, plus desk-reject criteria, before submission.