Journal profile · Astronomy & Astrophysics
General Relativity and Gravitation
ISSN 0001-7701 · eISSN 1572-9532 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1970
General Relativity and Gravitation: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.94; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,290; median 89 days to acceptance (99 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 164 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
General Relativity and Gravitation is published by Springer US 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 Cosmology and Gravitation Theories, Black Holes and Theoretical Physics and Relativity and Gravitational Theory, together about 57.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
General Relativity and Gravitation is a journal devoted to all aspects of modern gravitational science, and published under the auspices of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation. It welcomes in particular original articles on the following topics of current research: Analytical general relativity, including its interface with geometrical analysis Numerical relativity Theoretical and observational cosmology Relativistic astrophysics Gravitational waves: data analysis, astrophysical sources and detector science Extensions of general relativity Supergravity Gravitational aspects of string theory and its extensions Quantum gravity: canonical approaches, in particular loop quantum gravity, and path integral approaches, in particular spin foams, Regge calculus and dynamical triangulations Quantum field theory in curved spacetime Non-commutative geometry and gravitation Experimental gravity, in particular tests of general relativity The journal publishes articles on all theoretical and experimental aspects of modern general relativity and gravitation, as well as historical articles of special interest. GRG and CQG Exact Solutions Policy: In the field of classical relativity, the discovery of a new exact solution does not justify publication simply for its own sake. Justification for publishing a new solution would be provided by showing for example that it has an interesting physical application or unusual geometrical properties, or that it illustrates an important mathematical point. The onus is on the author to provide convincing evidence that the solution is in fact new.The development of a new technique or formalism for finding solutions of the field equations does not represent a sufficient advance to justify publication, unless the method is applied successfully. Article Types Research articles: presenting original research results Letters: summarizing new results of interest to researchers whose primary interest lies in nearby areas, but who would typically not be interested in complete derivations, details of numerical simulations, etc. (limited to 8 journal pages) Invited reviews: detailed status reports or short summarizing reviews Golden Oldies: republications of seminal papers, both, well-known or 'hidden treasures' A few selected papers will be marked Editor's Choice: the primary criteria will be original, high-quality research that is of wide interest within the community. Rejection & Acceptance On submission, manuscripts w
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Astronomy & Astrophysics
Editor-in-chief Eric PoissonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 4, Italy 4, Germany 3, Canada 3, United Kingdom 2 (28 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cosmology and Gravitation TheoriesPhysics and Astronomy26.1%
- Black Holes and Theoretical PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy21.5%
- Relativity and Gravitational TheoryPhysics and Astronomy9.8%
- Noncommutative and Quantum Gravity TheoriesPhysics and Astronomy7.8%
- Pulsars and Gravitational Waves ResearchPhysics and Astronomy6.1%
- Advanced Differential Geometry ResearchPhysics and Astronomy4.6%
- Geophysics and Gravity MeasurementsEarth and Planetary Sciences3.1%
- Astrophysical Phenomena and ObservationsPhysics and Astronomy2.8%
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 | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Particles & Fields | 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 | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Particles & Fields | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Particles & Fields | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
INSPECzbMATHCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.94LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.67LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 153OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,052OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.11OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 26.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 162LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 278,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,448 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 69 | 40 |
| 2025 | 164 | 105 | 448 |
| 2024 | 151 | 86 | 821 |
| 2023 | 130 | 79 | 1,070 |
| 2022 | 169 | 125 | 1,829 |
| 2021 | 117 | 93 | 1,240 |
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
89 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 55 days – 119 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 107 days
- Sample
- 99 articles with submission and acceptance dates (313 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 2,290 / EUR 3,190 | — | — | |
| 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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- editorialPapers submitted to General Relativity and Gravitation should be written in good English. The abstract should make clear what's new in the paper. Back to topLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Permissions required for previously published material Model summary
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in General Relativity and Gravitation, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1970
- ISSN
- 0001-7701
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9532
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about General Relativity and Gravitation
What CAS zone is General Relativity and Gravitation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, General Relativity and Gravitation is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Astronomy & Astrophysics / Physics, Multidisciplinary / Physics, Particles & Fields. 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 General Relativity and Gravitation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.94; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 153.
How long does peer review take at General Relativity and Gravitation?
Based on the dates recorded on 99 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 89 days (interquartile range 55–119 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 General Relativity and Gravitation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: 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 General Relativity and Gravitation based?
Of the 28 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (4), Italy (4) and Germany (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index General Relativity and Gravitation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, General Relativity and Gravitation is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists INSPEC, zbMATH and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is General Relativity and Gravitation open access, and what is the APC?
General Relativity and Gravitation is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,290.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .