Journal of Fluid Mechanics

The Journal of Fluid Mechanics is a leading scientific journal in the field of fluid mechanics. It publishes original work on theoretical, computational and experimental aspects of the subject. The journal is usually referred to by its initials JFM by academics in the field. Within citations, it is typically abbreviated to J. Fluid Mech. All submitted articles undergo rigorous peer-review before being published.

The journal is published by Cambridge University Press, and retains a strong association with the University of Cambridge and, in particular, the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) where the administrative staff are based. Volumes are published twice a month in a single-column B5 format. As of 2007, each volume has about 500 pages and of the order of 20 full papers. Articles are also made available online, either with a subscription or on a pay-per-article basis.

The journal was founded in 1956 by the late Professor George Batchelor, who remained the editor for some forty years. He started out as the sole editor, but later a team of associate editors provided assistance in arranging the review of articles. From 2000 there have been two joint editors, one a member of DAMTP and the other from an American University. As of March 2007, there are 18 other associate editors.

In 2000, in an effort to reduce the then average review time of 15–16 months and to dispel the myth of the journal not looking favourably on shorter papers, a 'fast-track' scheme was introduced (Davis & Pedley, 2000). The scheme (which is still in operation as of 2007) allows for the speedier, though no less rigorous, review of papers under 10 sides in length, with the aim of publishing within 3–4 months.

In 2006, CUP launched an online Digital Archive, allowing access to scanned PDF copies of all the articles published from 1956 to 1996. (From this point, articles had been placed online when published.) As with the regular online versions, access is provided on a subscription or pay-per-article basis.