Petrophysics Journal


 Recent Petrophysics Journals

SPWLA publishes the journal Petrophysics bi-monthly in February, April, June, August, October and December. Petrophysics contains original contributions on theoretical and applied aspects of formation evaluation, including both open hole and cased hole well logging, core analysis and formation testing. Digital Subscription is included with Membership annual dues, printed copies available by subscription order,  library and non-member subscription available for purchase $320.00 per year (6-issues, calendar year).

Article submission information:


Submitting a paper 

Papers may be articles, technical notes, case studies, reviews, or tutorials. Papers are submitted using the SPWLA online paper system Editorial Manager link .  Readers are encouraged to download the Petrophysics Instructions to Authors   for information on manuscript organization, journal style, and author fees. Please make sure that your paper manuscript includes a nomenclature section. High-res pictures aren't required at the time of submission of the initial manuscript for review, however, high-res images (300 dpi) are required at the time paper is ready for publishing.

Review process
Papers that comply with the goals of the journal are assigned to an Associate Editor who solicits three reviews and, based on these reviews, decides whether the paper should be accepted, revised, or rejected. Reviewers are given Guidelines and complete an Evaluation Form. Once accepted the author needs to make an Assignment of Copyright to the SPWLA.   PeerTrack Instructions for Associate Editors

Author fees for technical articles and case studies

All articles printed and published digitally in full color and are subject to a fee  structure implemented by SPWLA Board of Directors to support the cost of Petrophysics Journal editing and production. The editorial fee is a per technical article charge that is assessed on the lead author: $1,500 for SPWLA members; $2,000 for nonmembers; $750 for authors employed by nonprofit or academic institutions. Authors who have insufficient resources to pay these fees can apply for a hardship waiver at the time their paper is accepted for publication. Billing will take place after composition of the paper is complete. No charges are assessed if a submitted manuscript is not published.  

Author fees for review articles and tutorials

Tutorials and review articles form valuable scientific literature as they provide a comprehensive overview, summary, and integrate the findings of existing literature. So, readers can form an idea about the knowledge on a topic without having to read all the published works in the field. Well-written tutorials are popular, have a high impact, and receive a lot of citations. If the tutorial is selected a fee of $1,000 structure implemented by SPWLA Board of Directors to support the cost of Petrophysics Journal editing and production will be billed when the publication is published.  Additionally, SPWLA will also offer a 1-year complimentary membership to the lead author. This is a small token of appreciation for the effort our members put into writing high-quality tutorials/review articles.

Paper Exposure
Technical papers published in SPWLA Petrophysics Journal are assigned a DOI number, digital copies emailed to all active members of the Society on release date, subscription of print copies made available to members and libraries, and immediately included in the SPWLA and OnePetro digital libraries. 

Frequently asked questions 

ls there a deadline to submit papers for review?
There isn't any specific deadline for general articles - the journal accepts papers for review all year long. For the "Best of SPWLA Symposium" Issue and Special Issues on specific topics, there are deadlines to make sure all articles make through the review process before the publication date.
ls a nomenclature section required for journal papers?
Yes, nomenclature section is a requirement for all submissions that have abbreviations/acronyms and symbols within the document, especially when equations are involved. Although nomenclature section isn’t required for symposium papers, the Petrophysics journal is our flagship product and for consistency, we need the nomenclature section when the manuscript is submitted for review.
Do I need to submit high-res figures separately with my manuscript?
High-res images (300 dpi) aren't required initially at the time of submitting the manuscript for review. Once the paper is ready for publishing, we need high-res images separately for typesetting the article.
How do I access previously published papers?
All papers published are available for download through the SPWLA digital Library. CD and DVD collections can be purchased through the SPWLA store.

Reader survey forms  (pdf format   MSWord format)
Letters to the editor are welcomed, whether they are intended for publication or comments and questions.

Discussions of previous papers are also appropriate. The author of the paper will normally be offered the option of submitting a response.
Copyright assignment form