Journal profile · Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Frontiers in Photonics
ISSN 2673-6853 · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Photonics: impact factor 1.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 11 weeks (community reports); 14 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Photonics is published by Frontiers Media S.A.. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Digital Holography and Microscopy, Photonic and Optical Devices and Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques, together about 27.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Photonics is an ESCI and Scopus-indexed research journal focusing on principles, methodologies, and technology that regard light and its exploitation in pursuing scientific and technological missions. Led by Field Chief Editor Prof Marco Peccianti (Loughborough University, UK), the journal explores the science and technology of light and its many applications in our lives, from farming to communications, addressing valid scientific and technological questions. Frontiers in Photonics aims to cover all the critical branches of Photonics, from the most fundamental to the applied research, including: biophotonics fiber optics integrated optics integrated photonic devices light sources and luminescent materials micro-opto mechanical systems neuromorphic photonics and photonic computing nonlinear optics optical clocks and references optical communications optical information processing and holography optical nanostructures optical sensors and imaging principles photonic complexity and scattering photovoltaic materials and devices plasmonics quantum optics terahertz and microwave photonics. The journal also encourages submissions which support and advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 7: affordable and clean energy, SDG 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure, and SDG 13: climate action. Furthermore, Frontiers in Photonics encourages the submission of addenda, replications and confutations of previously published articles in the form of Commentary or Brief Research Report Articles. Results incrementally above the art or embodiments of known methodologies and technologies are outside the scope of the journal. Frontiers in Photonics is committed to advancing developments in the field by allowing unrestricted access to articles, communicating scientific knowledge to researchers and the public alike, and linking together discoveries to enable the scientific breakthroughs of the future. Frontiers in Photonics is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, Hong Kong, China 2, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, Italy 2 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Digital Holography and MicroscopyPhysics and Astronomy11.2%
- Photonic and Optical DevicesEngineering10.2%
- Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy TechniquesMedicine6.3%
- Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesPhysics and Astronomy5.8%
- Advanced Optical Imaging TechnologiesEngineering5.8%
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy TechniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon ResearchEngineering4.9%
- Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic ImagingEngineering4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, CLOCKSS, Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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 (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 14OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 32OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 10LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 149 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 2025 | 14 | 14 | 47 |
| 2024 | 27 | 27 | 113 |
| 2023 | 24 | 24 | 120 |
| 2022 | 58 | 58 | 549 |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 112 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 11 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 11 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | CHF 1,950 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 1,950 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,125 | Yes | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Reference style
- Harvard
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Use of AI to create written or visual content
Authors should not list a generative AI technology as a co-author or author of any submitted manuscript. Generative AI technologies cannot be held accountable for all aspects of a manuscript and consequently do not meet the criteria required for authorship. If the author of a submitted manuscript has used written or visual content produced by or edited using a generative AI technology, this use mu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Safeguards against financial conflicts of interest
Only leading researchers acting as Associate Editors, who are not part of Frontiers' staff, can make acceptance decisions based on reviews performed by external experts acting as Community Reviewers or Reviewers. None have a financial incentive to accept articles, i.e. they are not paid for their role as Associate Editor or community Reviewer, and any award scheme is not linked to acceptances of m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright
Figures, tables, and images published under CC-BY; permission required for copyrighted third-party material. Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright
Open access under CC-BY version 4.0; author retains copyright. Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
CrossMark policy to maintain content and alert readers to changes. Model summary
Our rigorous, transparent peer review process combines expert review and constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.
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
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2673-6853
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Photonics
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Photonics?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 14.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Photonics?
Authors report an average review time of about 11 weeks. 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 Frontiers in Photonics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; Reference style: Harvard; Templates: LaTeX and Word. 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 Frontiers in Photonics based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3), Hong Kong, China (2) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Photonics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Photonics is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Photonics open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Photonics is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .