Journal profile · Physics, Multidisciplinary
Chinese Physics Letters
ISSN 0256-307X · eISSN 1741-3540 · IOP Publishing Ltd. · PEOPLES R CHINA · Monthly
Chinese Physics Letters: CAS Zone 1 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.69; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,500; median 42 days to acceptance (15 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 87%; 350 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Chinese Physics Letters is published by IOP Publishing Ltd. and is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies, Quantum Information and Cryptography and Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates, together about 19.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Chinese Physics Letters provides rapid publication of short reports and important research in all fields of physics and is published by the Chinese Physical Society and hosted online by IOP Publishing.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesPhysics and Astronomy7.1%
- Quantum Information and CryptographyComputer Science6.6%
- Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein CondensatesPhysics and Astronomy5.5%
- Photonic and Optical DevicesEngineering5.4%
- Physics of Superconductivity and MagnetismPhysics and Astronomy4.7%
- Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle InteractionsPhysics and Astronomy4.7%
- Quantum and electron transport phenomenaPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
- Quantum optics and atomic interactionsPhysics and Astronomy4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
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
- 4.69LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 91OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,755OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.85%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 341LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 19,438 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 241 | 208 | 140 |
| 2025 | 350 | 92 | 1,346 |
| 2024 | 250 | 107 | 2,080 |
| 2023 | 252 | 233 | 3,223 |
| 2022 | 203 | 166 | 2,594 |
| 2021 | 254 | 205 | 4,422 |
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
42 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 30 days – 54 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 24 days (15 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 71 days
- Sample
- 15 articles with submission and acceptance dates (679 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)
- about 5.1 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 87%LetPub ·
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 2,500 / EUR 2,400 / GBP 2,000 | — | — |
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
- IOP Publishing Ltd.
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0256-307X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-3540
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Chinese Physics Letters
What CAS zone is Chinese Physics Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Chinese Physics Letters is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Physics, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Chinese Physics Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.69; CiteScore 6.2, h-index 91.
How long does peer review take at Chinese Physics Letters?
Based on the dates recorded on 15 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 42 days (interquartile range 30–54 days); authors report an average review time of about 5.1 months; the community-reported acceptance is “87%”. 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 Chinese Physics Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Chinese Physics Letters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Chinese Physics Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Chinese Physics Letters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .