Journal profile · Multiple
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
ISSN 0096-3402 · eISSN 1938-3282 · Taylor & Francis
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nuclear Issues and Defense, Human auditory perception and evaluation and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 31.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists engages science leaders, policy makers, and the interested public on topics of nuclear weapons and disarmament, climate change, growing energy demands, and disruptive technologies. It has been published continuously since 1945, when it was founded by former Manhattan Project physicists after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago. One of the driving forces behind the creation of the Bulletin was the amount of public interest surrounding atomic energy at the dawn of the atomic age. To convey the particular peril posed by nuclear weapons, the Bulletin devised the Doomsday Clock in 1947. The Doomsday Clock appeared on the Bulletin’s first cover when it transitioned from a newsletter to a magazine. Its original setting was seven minutes to midnight. The Clock, now set at two minutes to midnight, is recognized as a universal symbol of threats to humanity from a variety of sources: nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, climate change, and disruptive technologies. In 2007 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, the magazine industry equivalent of an Oscar for Best Picture. The Bulletin also was named one of four 2009 finalists for the Lumity Technology Leadership Award, presented by Accenture to a nonprofit organization that is effectively applying innovative technologies. Today, the Bulletin supplements its cutting-edge journalism with interactive infographics and videos and amplifies its messages through social media platforms. It can be found in over 15,000 leading institutions across the globe. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor. Although the Bulletin does not undertake a formal peer review process, unsolicited articles that are found suitable for further consideration are sent to members of our expert network for their assessment.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Sharon WeinbergerPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nuclear Issues and DefenseSocial Sciences17.1%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.7%
- Nuclear and radioactivity studiesEngineering6.7%
- Twentieth Century Scientific DevelopmentsArts and Humanities6.3%
- Science, Research, and MedicineMedicine5.7%
- Earthquake and Disaster Impact StudiesSocial Sciences4.4%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.8LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.45LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.45Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 578OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.43OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.66%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 42LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 311,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 311,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,371 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48 | 14 | 5 |
| 2025 | 66 | 17 | 97 |
| 2024 | 57 | 15 | 142 |
| 2023 | 55 | 22 | 363 |
| 2022 | 55 | 18 | 297 |
| 2021 | 66 | 17 | 310 |
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
- Acceptance to publication
- 36 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discovera…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor. Although the Bulletin does not undertake a formal peer review process, unsolicited articles that are found suitable for further consideration are sent to members of our expert network for their assessment. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor. Although the Bulletin does not undertake a formal peer review process, unsolicited articles that are found suitable for further consideration are sent to members of our expert network for their assessment.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0096-3402
- Electronic ISSN
- 1938-3282
- Society / sponsor
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 82, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
What CAS zone is Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category International Relations / Social Issues. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.8; CiteScore 3.1, h-index 62.
What JCR quartile is Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology.
Which databases index Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists open access, and what is the APC?
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .