Journal profile · Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
ISSN 0021-9606 · eISSN 1089-7690 · American Institute of Physics · UNITED STATES · Weekly · Founded 1933
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS: CAS Zone 2 · Chemistry (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.66; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 76 days to acceptance (199 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 85%; 2,325 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS is published by American Institute of Physics and is in Zone 2 of Chemistry in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Chemical Physics Studies, Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies and Spectroscopy and Laser Applications, together about 39.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Chemical Physics is an international journal that publishes cutting edge research in all areas of modern physical chemistry and chemical physics. The Journal also publishes brief communications of significant new findings, perspectives on the latest advances in the field, and Special Topics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical
Editor-in-chief Tianquan (Tim) LianPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Chemical Physics StudiesPhysics and Astronomy20.1%
- Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical StudiesPhysics and Astronomy13.4%
- Spectroscopy and Laser ApplicationsChemistry6.2%
- Material Dynamics and PropertiesMaterials Science5.7%
- Photochemistry and Electron Transfer StudiesChemistry4.6%
- Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamicsPhysics and Astronomy4.3%
- Atmospheric Ozone and ClimateEarth and Planetary Sciences3.9%
- Phase Equilibria and ThermodynamicsEngineering3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Chemistry Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Chemistry Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Chemistry Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | 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
- 3.66LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 314LetPub ·
- h-index
- 712OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 111,267OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.1%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 2,237LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 151,941 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,757 | 725 | 822 |
| 2025 | 2,325 | 947 | 6,991 |
| 2024 | 2,362 | 1,073 | 20,279 |
| 2023 | 2,000 | 1,209 | 20,726 |
| 2022 | 1,809 | 1,030 | 23,095 |
| 2021 | 1,956 | 1,098 | 35,047 |
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 PubMed · to
76 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 58 days – 101 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 199 articles with submission and acceptance dates (4,660 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 2.2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 85%LetPub ·
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 3,500 | — | — |
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 accepted7
- articleArticleLength not stated
- communicationCommunicationLength not stated
- perspectivePerspectiveLength not stated
- responseResponseLength not stated
- review articleReview ArticleLength not stated
- special topicSpecial TopicLength not stated
- tutorialTutorialLength not stated
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
- American Institute of Physics
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Weekly
- Founded
- 1933
- ISSN
- 0021-9606
- Electronic ISSN
- 1089-7690
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 165, Issue 10 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS is in Zone 2 of Chemistry, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Chemistry, Physical / Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Chemistry. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.66; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 712.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS?
Based on the dates recorded on 199 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 76 days (interquartile range 58–101 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “85%”. 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 JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,500.
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: .