Journal profile · COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Information Retrieval Journal
ISSN 1386-4564 · eISSN 2948-2992 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · 4 issues per year · Founded 1999
Information Retrieval Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.07; hybrid open access; APC about USD 1,520; median 127 days to acceptance (157 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Information Retrieval Journal is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 4 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Information Retrieval and Search Behavior, Topic Modeling and Web Data Mining and Analysis, together about 38% of its articles. Its main subfields are Artificial Intelligence and Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Discover Computing (formerly Information Retrieval Journal) is a fully open access, peer-reviewed journal that supports multidisciplinary research and policy developments across all fields relevant to computer science. The journal aims to be a resource for researchers, policy makers and the general public for recent advances in computer science, and its uses in research development and society. As a fully open access journal, we ensure that our research is highly discoverable and instantly available globally to everyone. The journal particularly welcomes work that aims to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Topics Topics welcomed at Discover Computing include but are not limited to the following: Foundational computing theories: Algorithms, data structures, computational complexity Automata theory, graph theory, formal languages Turing machines, P vs NP problem, lambda calculus Modern computing architectures and systems: Quantum computing, distributed systems, parallel computing Microarchitecture, multicore processors, memory hierarchies Cloud computing, edge computing, serverless architectures Human-computer interaction: User experience (UX), user interface (UI), accessibility Cognitive ergonomics, adaptive systems, virtual reality User-centered design, haptic feedback, gesture recognition Artificial intelligence and machine learning: Neural networks, deep learning, reinforcement learning Natural language processing, computer vision, robotics Generative adversarial networks (GANs), transfer learning, explainable AI Cybersecurity and privacy: Cryptography, firewall, intrusion detection systems Digital forensics, malware analysis, blockchain security Data anonymization, end-to-end encryption, zero trust architectures Emergent technologies: Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, smart cities Drones, autonomous vehicles, wearable tech Societal impacts of computing: Digital ethics, algorithmic bias, technological unemployment Digital divide, accessibility, information equity Digital literacy, e-governance, surveillance capitalism Content types Discover Computing welcomes a variety of article types – please see our submission guidelines for details. The journal also publishes guest-edited Topical Collections of relevance to all aspects of computer science and its applications. For more information, please follow up with our journal
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Information Retrieval and Search BehaviorComputer Science16.4%
- Topic ModelingComputer Science13.1%
- Web Data Mining and AnalysisComputer Science8.5%
- Natural Language Processing TechniquesComputer Science6.5%
- Semantic Web and OntologiesComputer Science5.1%
- Recommender Systems and TechniquesComputer Science5%
- Text and Document Classification TechnologiesComputer Science4.9%
- Advanced Text Analysis TechniquesComputer Science4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Information Systems | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Information Systems | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
INSPECDBLPDOAJPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, ACM Digital Library, 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
- 2.07LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.61LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54LetPub ·
- h-index
- 80OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 436OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.42OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.43%LetPub ·
Volume
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 765,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 695 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19 | 2 | 27 |
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 98 |
| 2022 | 17 | 10 | 208 |
| 2021 | 16 | 14 | 232 |
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
127 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 162 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (157 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 147 days
- Sample
- 157 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,012 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 1,520 / EUR 1,140 / GBP 1,040 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | EUR 1,140 / USD 1,520 / GBP 1,040 / EUR 1,890 / USD 2,190 / GBP 1,590 | — | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted14
- brief reportWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- case studyWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- commentComment articles can focus on policy, science and society, or purely scientific issues. They should be of immediate interest to a broad readership and should be…Length not stated
- data noteWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- full research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- matters arisingMatters Arising articles are interesting and timely scientific or academic comments and clarifications on original research papers published in the journal.Length not stated
- methodologyMethodologies should present a new experimental or computational method, test or procedure. The method described may either be completely new, or may offer a be…Length not stated
- original paperWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- original research paperWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- perspectiveA Perspective is a scholarly review and discussion of the primary research literature that does not meet the criteria for a review article because: the scope is…Length not stated
- registered reportRegistered Reports are a publication format in which the research question and the quality of methodology are peer reviewed before the data are collected and an…Length not stated
- researchResearch articles present new scientific results within the scope of the journal that have not been published previously and are not being considered for public…Length not stated
- research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- reviewReview articles provide critical accounts and comprehensive surveys of topics of major current interest within the scope of the journal.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Human-Centered Generative AI Systems: Interactive Computing for Knowledge and Decision Support
Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving from standalone content-generation tools into interactive computing systems that retrieve...
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Step 4 - Understand your copyright
If your submission is accepted for publication, you will need to sign a licence agreement with Springer Nature to allow us to publish your article. According to this agreement:authors of articles published in this journal retain the copyright of their articles.authors grant Springer Nature a licence to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.authors retain full re-use rig…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Discover Computing, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top Did you find what you were looking for? Share feedback.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Step 3 - Understand the peer review policy
Single-anonymous peer review procedure. Model summary
This journal follows a single-anonymous peer review procedure, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Peer review process All manuscripts undergo technical checks upon submission. Manuscripts that pass technical checks undergo suitability checks by our in-house editorial team. Eligible manuscripts are …
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 Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- Founded
- 1999
- ISSN
- 1386-4564
- Electronic ISSN
- 2948-2992
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Information Retrieval Journal
What CAS zone is Information Retrieval Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Information Retrieval Journal is in Zone 4 of Computer Science, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Information Systems. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Information Retrieval Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.07; CiteScore 6.2, h-index 80.
How long does peer review take at Information Retrieval Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 157 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 127 days (interquartile range 98–162 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; 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 Information Retrieval Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Cover letter: 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.
Which databases index Information Retrieval Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Information Retrieval Journal is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists INSPEC, DBLP and DOAJ; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Information Retrieval Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Information Retrieval Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 1,520.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .