Authors are expected to conform to the SPIE Guidelines for Professional Conduct and Publishing Ethics.
The following requirements will permit you to determine if you can submit a paper to Optical Engineering.
Significance: Contributions should be substantial and significant in content, and may include substantive reviews of topics in optical engineering. We may decline to publish papers that report only incremental progress. Although a paper may be correct and appropriate for Optical Engineering, if it does not demonstrate, in the estimation of the reviewers and editor, sufficient new and important information to warrant publication, or provide a comprehensive review of the current state of the art, it will be declined. Manuscripts that are commercial in nature will not be considered.
Originality: Papers should describe the original work of the authors that has not been previously published in a refereed journal and is not currently under consideration for publication in another refereed journal. Any copying of text, figures, data, or results of other authors without giving credit is defined as plagiarism and is a breach of professional ethics. Such papers will be rejected and other penalties may be assessed.
Double Publication: Papers should not report work that the author has already published in another refereed journal. This is also an ethical violation. In this case, the author plagiarizes himself or herself. Such self-plagiarism will be rejected and other penalties may be assessed. Prior publication of essentially the same paper in a foreign language is not considered self-plagiarism.
Previously Rejected OE Papers: If you are submitting a new version of a paper that was previously submitted to Optical Engineering and was declined, there is an entry on the submission form to indicate this. Follow the instructions there, and in a cover letter, indicate the paper number and title, and briefly describe the changes that have been made to warrant a new submission.
Rejection by Another Journal: If the paper has been submitted to another journal and rejected and if you believe that submission to Optical Engineering would be more appropriate, you are urged to take into account any comments or suggestion for improvement from your previous submission. Our reviewers will usually find the faults identified by previous reviewers.
Conference Proceedings Papers: Submissions based on reports that have been submitted to or published in a conference proceedings should adhere to the following guidelines:
1. Distinction between proceedings and journal papers: Conference proceedings provide a vehicle for rapid reporting of ideas, techniques, and results. These reports may be somewhat incomplete and inconclusive. It is generally understood that their purpose is to provide snapshots of recent or continuing work. Journal papers, however, are expected to be more complete and polished, to contain comparisons of theoretical and experimental results, and to include comprehensive references to other work, substantial conclusions, etc.
2. Revision of conference proceedings manuscripts for journal submission: Proceedings manuscripts submitted to Optical Engineering should be substantively revised, expanded, and updated to reflect this difference in purpose between the two types of publications. However, there may be exceptions to this. Papers that already satisfy the purposes and requirements of both types of publications may be submitted to the journal with only minor revisions.
3. Copyright issues: SPIE copyright policy permits authors to submit their proceedings manuscripts to a journal. Authors wishing to submit papers that were presented at or published in a conference proceedings sponsored by organizations other than SPIE are responsible for ensuring adherence to the copyright policies related to that presentation or publication.
4. Disclosure: If a manuscript was previously published in a conference proceedings or is under consideration for publication in a conference proceedings or presentation at a conference, this information must be disclosed to the journal editor at the time of submission to Optical Engineering.
5. Journal submission format: All manuscripts submitted to Optical Engineering must be prepared according to the guidelines outlined in the information for journal authors.
