Journal profile · Computer Science, Software Engineering
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems
ISSN 0164-0925 · eISSN 1558-4593 · Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1979
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems: CAS Zone 2 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.81; hybrid open access; median 284 days to acceptance (37 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 22 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems is published by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and is in Zone 2 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Logic, programming, and type systems, Formal Methods in Verification and Parallel Computing and Optimization Techniques, together about 46.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Artificial Intelligence. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS) is the premier journal for reporting recent research advances in the areas of programming languages and systems to assist the task of programming. Papers can be either theoretical or experimental in style, but in either case, they must contain innovative and novel content that advances the state of the art of programming languages and systems. Through dedicated tracks, we also invite strictly experimental papers (see the PL Experiments track), papers about programming languages-related tools and systems, and the application of such tools and systems in practice (see the Tools, Systems and Practitioner Reports track), tutorial and survey papers (see the Surveys and Tutorials track), and squibs, short, concise papers that highlight something non-obvious to the programming languages community (see the PL Squibs track). The scope of TOPLAS is broad, covering all aspects of programming languages and systems, including foundational principles, design, implementation, and applications.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Software Engineering
Editor-in-chief Alastair F. DonaldsonPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Logic, programming, and type systemsComputer Science21.3%
- Formal Methods in VerificationComputer Science12.8%
- Parallel Computing and Optimization TechniquesComputer Science12.4%
- Distributed systems and fault toleranceComputer Science7.8%
- Software Testing and Debugging TechniquesComputer Science5.8%
- Software Engineering ResearchComputer Science5.4%
- Logic, Reasoning, and KnowledgeComputer Science4.4%
- Security and Verification in ComputingComputer Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.81LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.62LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 144OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 929OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.39OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 39.62%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,300 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 12 | 3 |
| 2025 | 22 | 15 | 11 |
| 2024 | 14 | 13 | 57 |
| 2023 | 21 | 21 | 190 |
| 2022 | 25 | 24 | 184 |
| 2021 | 21 | 21 | 325 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
284 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 232 days – 357 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 88 days (37 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 373 days
- Sample
- 37 articles with submission and acceptance dates (46 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0164-0925
- Electronic ISSN
- 1558-4593
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 48, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems
What CAS zone is ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems is in Zone 2 of Computer Science, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Computer Science, Software Engineering. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.81; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 144.
How long does peer review take at ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems?
Based on the dates recorded on 37 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 284 days (interquartile range 232–357 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems open access, and what is the APC?
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .