Highly luminescent rare earth (R3+) doped alkaline-earth tungstates MWO4:R3+ (M2+: Ca, Sr and Ba, R3+: Eu, Tb, Gd) were prepared with a room temperature coprecipitation method. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XPD), thermal analysis (TG), infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV excited photoluminescence. The as-prepared MWO4:R3+ particles belong to the tetragonal scheelite phase, and are well crystallized and are of the average size of 16-48 nm. The excitation and emission spectra of the materials were recorded at 300 and 77 K temperatures. The luminescent materials exhibit intense red (Eu3+) and green (Tb3+) colors under UV excitation. The excitation spectra of the Eu3+ doped materials show broad bands arising from the ligand-to-metal charge transfer transitions (O2- -> W-VI and O2- -> Eu3+) as well as narrow bands from 4f-4f intraconfigurational transitions of Eu3+. 4f-4f emission data of the Eu3+ and Tb3+ in the MWO4 host matrices as well as the values of emission quantum efficiencies of the D-5(0) level and the 4f-4f experimental intensity parameters of Eu3+ ion are presented and discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.