The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on experimental, theoretical, applied, and mathematical physics and related areas.

Originally, Annalen der Physik was published in German, then a leading scientific language.

The importance of Annalen der Physik unquestionably peaked in 1905 with Albert Einstein's Annus Mirabilis papers.

In the 1920s, the journal lost ground to the concurrent Zeitschrift für Physik.

During Nazi Germany, it was considered to represent "the more conservative elements within the German physics community", alongside Physikalische Zeitschrift.

[5] As a result of the 2012 relaunch, Annalen der Physik changed scope and updated the membership of the editorial board.