Methods and Applications in Fluorescence™ (MAF) is the forum for original research articles, review articles and technical notes in the area of fluorescence spectroscopy, imaging, fluorescent probes, labels and materials. The journal was founded in 2012 by David Birch (Strathclyde; UK), Yves Mely (Strasbourg; France) and Otto Wolfbeis (Regensburg; Germany). Its focus is on both methods and (advanced) applications. The following topics are representative of its coverage.

Spectroscopy: luminescence spectroscopy of biomolecules, of natural and synthetic fluorophores, fluorescence lifetime and polarization, resonance energy transfer (FRET), correlation spectroscopy, quenching, upconversion, plasmonic interactions, multiphoton excitation, single-molecule spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy, advanced components and instrumentation, nanometry, etc.
Imaging: fluorescence microscopy, multi-photon microscopy, quantitative fluorescence microscopy (such as FLIM, FCS, FRAP, TIRF), single-molecule microscopy, super resolution microscopy (such as STED, PALM, STORM, GSD, SIM), 3D imaging; single plane illumination microscopy, in vivo fluorescence imaging; advanced devices and systems for imaging, etc.
Labels, probes and sensors: protein and DNA labels, intercalators, labels for neurotransmitters and hormones, probes for ions, luminescent chelates and metal— organic probes, bioconjugation, lanthanide fluorescence, fluorescent proteins; membrane and lipid probes, (molecular) chemical sensors and biosensors, enzyme probes, (bio)assays (diagnostic, sequencing, signalling, screening), etc.
Materials: nanomaterials including all kinds of dots, luminescent nanoparticles, nanotubes, clusters, luminescent polymers, lanthanide luminescence, etc.
The journal will not consider articles outlining routine uses of fluorescence with standard fluorescence techniques, (for example, for detection and quantification of compounds in various media, interaction studies with albumin), purely descriptive work, or synthesis without a demonstration of its use.