Journal profile · Nuclear Science & Technology
Annals of Nuclear Energy
ISSN 0306-4549 · eISSN 1873-2100 · Elsevier Ltd · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly
Annals of Nuclear Energy: CAS Zone 3 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.54; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,820; review about 123 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 807 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Annals of Nuclear Energy is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 3 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nuclear reactor physics and engineering, Nuclear Materials and Properties and Nuclear Physics and Applications, together about 53.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Annals of Nuclear Energy provides an international medium for the communication of original research, ideas and developments in all areas of the field of nuclear energy science and technology. Its scope embraces nuclear fuel reserves, fuel cycles and cost, materials, processing, system and component technology (fission only), design and optimization, direct conversion of nuclear energy sources, environmental control, reactor physics, heat transfer and fluid dynamics, structural analysis, fuel management, future developments, nuclear fuel and safety, nuclear aerosol, neutron physics, computer technology (both software and hardware), risk assessment, radioactive waste disposal and reactor thermal hydraulics. Papers submitted to Annals need to demonstrate a clear link to nuclear power generation/nuclear engineering. Papers which deal with pure nuclear physics, pure health physics, imaging, or attenuation and shielding properties of concretes and various geological materials are not within the scope of the journal. Also, papers that deal with policy or economics are not within the scope of the journal. Please read these guidelines for papers submitted to Annals which deal with computer codes and simulations.This journal welcomes contributions that support and advance the UN's sustainable development goals, in particular SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Nuclear Science & Technology
Editor-in-chief Liangzhi CaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 11 in mainland China (about 22%); most named United States 17, Mainland China 11, Italy 6, South Korea 3, Japan 2 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nuclear reactor physics and engineeringEngineering27.8%
- Nuclear Materials and PropertiesMaterials Science15.1%
- Nuclear Physics and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy10.6%
- Nuclear Engineering Thermal-HydraulicsEngineering10.3%
- Graphite, nuclear technology, radiation studiesMaterials Science5.9%
- Nuclear and radioactivity studiesEngineering5.3%
- Heat transfer and supercritical fluidsEngineering3%
- Risk and Safety AnalysisDecision Sciences2.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nuclear Science & Technology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nuclear Science & Technology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nuclear Science & Technology | 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
- 2.54LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54LetPub ·
- h-index
- 104OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,150OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 763LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,273 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 699 | 217 | 197 |
| 2025 | 807 | 160 | 2,066 |
| 2024 | 749 | 187 | 3,935 |
| 2023 | 549 | 145 | 4,245 |
| 2022 | 630 | 131 | 6,333 |
| 2021 | 753 | 182 | 7,991 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
123 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 12 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 123 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,820 / EUR 2,640 / GBP 2,260 / JPY 349,760 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,130 | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
- Recent Advances and Future Directions in Severe Accident ResearchDeadline
- Non-Destructive Assay and Evaluation Methods for Nuclear Waste Management and Radioactive MaterialsDeadline
- Reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, reactor safety, material and conceptual design of nuclear heat cogeneration systemsDeadline
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted6
- original researchAnnals of Nuclear Energy provides an international medium for the communication of original research, ideas and developments in the field of nuclear energy. In …Length not stated
- review articleAnnals of Nuclear Energy provides an international medium for the communication of original research, ideas and developments in the field of nuclear energy. In …Length not stated
- review articlesOccasionally the Editors will accept review articles of a subject of special current interest.Length not stated
- technical noteAnnals of Nuclear Energy provides an international medium for the communication of original research, ideas and developments in the field of nuclear energy. In …Length not stated
- technical notesSuch papers will be called Technical Notes.Length not stated
- technical papersIn addition to Technical Papers, the Editors will also consider short papers describing intermediate results of continuing investigations, which are of interest…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Authorship criteria Model summary
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- ISSN
- 0306-4549
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-2100
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Annals of Nuclear Energy
What CAS zone is Annals of Nuclear Energy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Annals of Nuclear Energy is in Zone 3 of Engineering, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Nuclear Science & Technology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Annals of Nuclear Energy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.54; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 104.
How long does peer review take at Annals of Nuclear Energy?
The publisher reports about 123 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 12 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Annals of Nuclear Energy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Annals of Nuclear Energy based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 11 (about 22%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), Mainland China (11) and Italy (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Annals of Nuclear Energy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Annals of Nuclear Energy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Annals of Nuclear Energy open access, and what is the APC?
Annals of Nuclear Energy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,820.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .