Journal profile · Physics, Mathematical
Inverse Problems
ISSN 0266-5611 · eISSN 1361-6420 · IOP Publishing Ltd. · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1985
Inverse Problems: CAS Zone 3 · Mathematics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.03; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,325; median 198 days to acceptance (92 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 175 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Inverse Problems is published by IOP Publishing Ltd. and is in Zone 3 of Mathematics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Numerical methods in inverse problems, Microwave Imaging and Scattering Analysis and Advanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering, together about 44.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An interdisciplinary journal combining mathematical and experimental papers on inverse problems with numerical and practical approaches to their solution.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Mathematical
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Numerical methods in inverse problemsMathematics27%
- Microwave Imaging and Scattering AnalysisEngineering10.7%
- Advanced Mathematical Modeling in EngineeringComputer Science6.4%
- Sparse and Compressive Sensing TechniquesEngineering5%
- Electrical and Bioimpedance TomographyEngineering4.6%
- Geophysical Methods and ApplicationsEngineering3.9%
- Medical Imaging Techniques and ApplicationsMedicine3.9%
- Ultrasonics and Acoustic Wave PropagationEngineering3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Mathematical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Mathematical | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Mathematics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Mathematical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | 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
- 2.03LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 100LetPub ·
- h-index
- 164OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,254OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 66.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 174LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,443 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 134 | 116 | 12 |
| 2025 | 175 | 98 | 230 |
| 2024 | 181 | 129 | 778 |
| 2023 | 171 | 164 | 1,063 |
| 2022 | 137 | 105 | 1,137 |
| 2021 | 144 | 108 | 1,552 |
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
198 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 137 days – 237 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 212 days
- Sample
- 92 articles with submission and acceptance dates (362 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Desk decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 69 daysPublisher 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 3,325 / EUR 2,765 / GBP 2,410 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted3
- accepted manuscriptsAccepted manuscriptsLength not stated
- open accessOpen accessLength not stated
- review articlesReview articlesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Open all abstracts, in this tabThe following article is Open accessInvertibility of the Fourier Diffraction Relation in Raster Scan Diffraction TomographyPeter Elbau and Noemi Naujoks 2026 Inverse Problems View article, Invertibility of the Fourier Diffraction Relation in Raster Scan Diffraction TomographyPDF, Invertibility of the Fourier Diffraction Relation in Raster Scan Diffraction TomographyO…
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
- IOP Publishing Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0266-5611
- Electronic ISSN
- 1361-6420
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Inverse Problems
What CAS zone is Inverse Problems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Inverse Problems is in Zone 3 of Mathematics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Physics, Mathematical / Mathematics, Applied. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Mathematics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Inverse Problems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.03; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 164.
How long does peer review take at Inverse Problems?
Based on the dates recorded on 92 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 198 days (interquartile range 137–237 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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.
Which databases index Inverse Problems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Inverse Problems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Inverse Problems open access, and what is the APC?
Inverse Problems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,325.
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: .