Journal profile · Mathematics-Mathematical Physics
Frontiers in Physics
ISSN 2296-424X · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Physics: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.18; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 455 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Physics is published by Frontiers Media S.A. and is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Complex Network Analysis Techniques, Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies and Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence, together about 18.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Physics explores the entire field of physics, from experimental to computational to theoretical physics. This multidisciplinary journal is led by Field Chief Editor Professor Alex Hansen (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway) and indexed in Scopus, Web of Science (SCIE), the DOAJ, the Astrophysics Data System (SAO/NASA ADS), and more. From subatomic particles to the physics of earthquakes, Frontiers in Physics seeks to understand the behavior and constitution of all matter and forces that form the building blocks of the universe. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: accelerator physics atomic and molecular physics biophysics chemical physics and physical chemistry complex physical systems condensed matter physics fluid dynamics high-energy and astroparticle physics medical physics and imaging nuclear physics optics and photonics physical acoustics and ultrasonics plasma physics radiation detectors and imaging social physics soft matter physics space, stellar, and solar physics statistical, computational, and mathematical physics quantum engineering and technology. Manuscripts that focus on engineering problems without connection to general physical principles are not suitable for publication in this journal. Furthermore, manuscripts on medical treatments, patient care, surgical procedures, or healthcare economics are also not suitable for publication by the journal. Manuscripts that primarily deal with the development and application of machine learning technologies in non-physics domains, or the operation and optimization of power grids, also do not fall within the scope of this journal. Finally, Frontiers in Physics is firmly committed to peaceful scientific advancement and will not publish manuscripts describing research that focuses on methods to harm people or promote violence. Authors submitting to Frontiers in Physics are responsible for ensuring clarity and precision in their work. While Generative AI tools can be utilized to enhance the language and presentation of a manuscript, they should not be relied upon to solve scientific problems or create original content to an extent that would lead to the inclusion of AI technologies as co-authors. All use of Generative AI tools must be transparently disclosed in line with Frontiers' author guidelines. Frontiers’ journals require that manuscripts primarily comprising computational studies of public data, must include appropriate validation. Please refer to t
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Mathematics-Mathematical Physics
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 19%); most named Mainland China 3, United Kingdom 3, United States 2, Norway 2, Germany 1 (16 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Complex Network Analysis TechniquesPhysics and Astronomy7.5%
- Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesPhysics and Astronomy6.2%
- Opinion Dynamics and Social InfluencePhysics and Astronomy5.1%
- Quantum Information and CryptographyComputer Science4.9%
- Photonic and Optical DevicesEngineering4.6%
- Fractional Differential Equations SolutionsMathematics4.4%
- Metamaterials and Metasurfaces ApplicationsMaterials Science4.2%
- Radiation Therapy and DosimetryMedicine4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexWeb of ScienceINSPECPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Astrophysics Data System, 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
- 2.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- h-index
- 89OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,906OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 418LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,816 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 284 | 284 | 83 |
| 2025 | 455 | 455 | 1,023 |
| 2024 | 552 | 552 | 2,826 |
| 2023 | 916 | 916 | 6,184 |
| 2022 | 1,425 | 1,425 | 13,760 |
| 2021 | 848 | 848 | 12,892 |
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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 2,550 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 2,550 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,795 | 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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Reference style
- Harvard
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access
- 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
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
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 ·
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
- 2296-424X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Physics
What CAS zone is Frontiers in Physics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Frontiers in Physics is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Physics, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Physics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.18; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 89.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Physics?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 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 Physics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; Reference style: Harvard; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Physics based?
Of the 16 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 19%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (3), United Kingdom (3) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Physics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Physics is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Web of Science and INSPEC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Physics open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Physics 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .