Journal of Spectroscopy publishes papers that report the theory and application of spectroscopy across all disciplines, including biology, chemistry, engineering, medicine, materials science, physics, and space science. Articles may contribute to fundamental research, or be highly applied, and must report important experimental results or relate to the development of new methods and instrumentation. All spectroscopic techniques lie within the scope of the journal.

As well as original research, the Journal of Spectroscopy also publishes focused review articles that examine the state of the art, identify emerging trends, and suggest future directions for developing fields.