---
name: progress-in-aerospace-sciences
description: Use when targeting Progress in Aerospace Sciences or deciding whether an aerospace review article fits this venue. Encodes the journal's fit as a review venue, the comprehensive-survey and synthesis bar, the not-primary-research scope, official-submission re-check, and desk-reject heuristics.
---

# Progress in Aerospace Sciences (progress-in-aerospace-sciences)

## Journal positioning

Progress in Aerospace Sciences is a leading archival **review journal** spanning
aerospace science and engineering — aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, flight
dynamics and control, and space systems. It publishes authoritative, comprehensive
survey articles that synthesize the state of a field, organize what is known, and
chart open problems; many articles are scoped or invited. The defining expectation is
a **scholarly review**, not a primary-research result: the contribution is critical
synthesis and perspective, not a new experiment, simulation, or theorem. A standard
original-research manuscript — even an excellent one — is a poor fit and belongs in a
primary-research aerospace journal. This skill is a **fit / venue-selection /
re-framing** tool. It does not replace the journal's current official author
guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live Progress in Aerospace Sciences Guide
for Authors.

## When to trigger

- The author names Progress in Aerospace Sciences for a review or survey of an
  aerospace topic and wants a fit/framing check.
- A manuscript must be re-framed as a comprehensive, critical review rather than a
  primary-research report.
- The author is deciding whether their planned article is a review fit here versus a
  primary-research aerospace venue, and whether to seek a pre-submission scope/invite.
- The author needs the journal's review-synthesis bar and desk-reject heuristics.

## Scope & topic fit

- Aerodynamics and fluid dynamics in aerospace: high-speed/hypersonic flows, flow
  control, aeroacoustics — reviewed comprehensively across the literature.
- Propulsion and energy: air-breathing and rocket propulsion, combustion, and emerging
  propulsion concepts, synthesized critically.
- Aerospace structures and materials: structural mechanics, fatigue, composites in
  airframes, and structural health monitoring as a reviewed field.
- Flight dynamics, guidance, navigation, and control: vehicle dynamics and autonomy
  surveyed across methods and applications.
- Space systems and astronautics: spacecraft systems, orbital mechanics, re-entry, and
  mission/technology trends.
- Cross-cutting and emerging aerospace topics (e.g., electrification, advanced air
  mobility, design methods) where a synthesizing review is timely.

## Method & evidence bar

- The central object is a **comprehensive, critical review** that organizes a field —
  not original experiments, simulations, or proofs presented as the contribution.
- Coverage must be broad and current: the survey should represent the literature
  fairly, including competing approaches, and identify consensus and open questions.
- Synthesis must add value beyond a reference list: taxonomy, comparative analysis,
  unifying framework, and a forward-looking perspective.
- Any figures, tables, or data are organizing devices (comparisons, roadmaps,
  classifications) drawn from the surveyed literature, properly attributed.
- Scope must be well-bounded and justified; an over-broad or shallow survey, or a
  narrow one masquerading as comprehensive, is a weak fit.
- Citations must be accurate and representative; the review's authority rests on
  balanced, complete coverage.

## Structure & house style

- Long-form review structure: framing introduction, thematically organized sections,
  comparative synthesis, open challenges, and outlook — re-check article types and any
  invitation/proposal process on the live guide.
- The introduction states the scope, why a review is timely, and what the survey
  contributes beyond existing reviews.
- Tables and schematic figures that compare methods, summarize trends, and map the
  field are central; original-data plots are generally not the point.
- Sectioning should let a reader navigate the field; depth and balance across
  subtopics matter more than novelty of any single result.
- A substantial, well-curated reference list is expected; supplementary material, if
  any, supports the survey rather than presenting new findings.

## Official-submission checklist

- Before giving submission-ready advice, read `../../resources/source-basis.md` and
  `../../resources/official-source-map.md`; start from the Elsevier anchors, then
  cite the current Progress in Aerospace Sciences Guide for Authors page you checked.
- Search the live site for "Progress in Aerospace Sciences guide for authors" and
  follow the current Elsevier/Editorial Manager version.
- Re-check whether a pre-submission proposal or editor invitation is expected, and the
  accepted article types (review/survey).
- Re-check length, figure/table, and reference expectations for a long-form review.
- Confirm permissions for any reproduced figures and the data/citation-accuracy
  expectations.
- Re-check competing-interests, funding, author-contribution (CRediT), and AI-use
  disclosure requirements.
- If the live official instructions conflict with this skill, the official
  instructions win.

## Pre-submission self-check

- [ ] The manuscript is a comprehensive, critical review — not primary research presented as a survey.
- [ ] Scope is well-bounded, justified, and timely relative to existing reviews.
- [ ] Coverage is broad, current, and balanced across competing approaches.
- [ ] The synthesis adds a taxonomy, comparison, or framework beyond a reference list, with a forward outlook.
- [ ] Tables/figures organize and compare the literature and are properly attributed.
- [ ] Any pre-submission proposal/invitation expectation and the review article type have been checked on the live guide.

## Common desk-reject triggers

- A primary-research manuscript (new experiment, simulation, or theorem) submitted as if it were a review.
- A narrow or shallow survey that does not comprehensively cover the field.
- A reference-list-style review with no synthesis, taxonomy, or critical perspective.
- Unbalanced coverage that omits competing approaches or recent literature.
- Scope creep or an ill-defined topic that cannot be reviewed authoritatively.
- Submitting without checking whether a proposal/invitation is expected for the topic.

## Re-routing decision

- Primary aerospace fluid-dynamics research with new physics → `journal-of-fluid-mechanics`.
- Primary aerospace-structures/materials research (composites) → `composites-part-b-engineering`.
- Primary flight-control theory with provable guarantees → `ieee-transactions-on-automatic-control`.
- Primary metallurgy/materials research for aerospace alloys → `acta-materialia`.
- Highest-impact broad-audience review or perspective → a flagship multidisciplinary review/perspective venue (e.g., `science-advances` for primary advances).

## Output format

```text
[Fit] High / Medium / Low (one-line reason)
[Target] Progress in Aerospace Sciences
[Topic tags] <2–3 closest aerospace subtopics>
[Review scope] <the bounded field surveyed and why it is timely, in one line>
[Synthesis value] <taxonomy / comparison / framework / outlook the review adds>
[Top risk] <the single most likely reason for rejection — usually "this is primary research">
[Official items to re-check] <proposal/invitation / article type / length / permissions / disclosures>
[Re-route suggestion] <if it is primary research, a better-matched venue>
```