In this study, we present the optical properties of the poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) films doped with tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq(3)). It has been found that the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the PVK film overlaps well with the absorption band of Alq(3). When excited at the absorption maximum of PVK, the doped PVK films show enhanced emissions from the Alq(3) component. The PL enhancement is considered to be due to energy transfer from PVK to Alq(3) in the doped PVK films by analyzing the PL, PL excitation, and time-resolved fluorescence spectra. The energy transfer efficiency is increased with increasing the concentration of Alq(3) in the doped PVK film according to time-resolved fluorescence spectra. The energy transfer process has been discussed according to the Forster mechanism. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1772-1777, 2009