Journal profile · Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Journal of Combinatorial Optimization
ISSN 1382-6905 · eISSN 1573-2886 · Springer US · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1997
Journal of Combinatorial Optimization: CAS Zone 4 · Mathematics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.88; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 360 days to acceptance (55 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 130 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Combinatorial Optimization is published by Springer US and is in Zone 4 of Mathematics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Graph Theory Research, Complexity and Algorithms in Graphs and Optimization and Search Problems, together about 38.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Computational Theory and Mathematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Combinatorial Optimization is dedicated to advancing and promoting both the theory and applications of combinatorial optimization—a multidisciplinary research area at the intersection of applied mathematics, computer science, and operations research. This field extends into various domains, including computational complexity, computational biology, communication networks, management science, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The journal encompasses complexity analysis, algorithm design, including ML-based approaches, for optimization problems, numerical experiments, and problem discovery, with practical applications in science and engineering. Key Features: Scope: The journal covers all theoretical, computational, and applied aspects of combinatorial optimization, providing a comprehensive platform for researchers and practitioners in the field. Reviews and Special Issues: In addition to research papers, the journal publishes reviews of relevant books and special issues dedicated to specific topics in combinatorial optimization. Author Satisfaction: A survey revealed that 100% of authors expressed their intent to definitely or probably publish in the journal again, reflecting a high level of satisfaction among contributors. By offering a forum for refereed papers, the Journal of Combinatorial Optimization contributes significantly to the ongoing development of combinatorial optimization. It plays a crucial role in disseminating cutting-edge research and fostering collaboration across disciplines, ensuring its relevance to a broad audience of scholars and professionals.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Editor-in-chief My T. ThaiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 14 in mainland China (about 15%); most named United States 45, Mainland China 14, Hong Kong, China 7, Canada 4, Japan 3 (95 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Graph Theory ResearchComputer Science17%
- Complexity and Algorithms in GraphsComputer Science10.8%
- Optimization and Search ProblemsComputer Science10.5%
- Graph Labeling and Dimension ProblemsComputer Science6.7%
- Scheduling and Optimization AlgorithmsEngineering5.8%
- Computational Geometry and Mesh GenerationComputer Science5.2%
- Optimization and Packing ProblemsEngineering5.1%
- Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics OptimizationEngineering4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Mathematics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Mathematics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Mathematics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | 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
EI CompendexINSPECzbMATHDBLPCurrent ContentsPublisher 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
- 0.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 919OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.36%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 128LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 174,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,751 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 89 | 29 | 24 |
| 2025 | 130 | 25 | 167 |
| 2024 | 151 | 55 | 254 |
| 2023 | 125 | 19 | 571 |
| 2022 | 126 | 22 | 583 |
| 2021 | 153 | 34 | 1,023 |
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
360 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 255 days – 517 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 384 days
- Sample
- 55 articles with submission and acceptance dates (259 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 84 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 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
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
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
All original research must include a Data Availability Statement. Data Availability Statements should provide information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found. Statements should include, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. When it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when in…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
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 Journal of Combinatorial Optimization, 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
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 1382-6905
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-2886
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Combinatorial Optimization
What CAS zone is Journal of Combinatorial Optimization in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Combinatorial Optimization is in Zone 4 of Mathematics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications / Mathematics, Applied. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Mathematics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Combinatorial Optimization?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.88; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 66.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Combinatorial Optimization?
Based on the dates recorded on 55 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 360 days (interquartile range 255–517 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 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 Journal of Combinatorial Optimization?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Journal of Combinatorial Optimization based?
Of the 95 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 14 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (45), Mainland China (14) and Hong Kong, China (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Combinatorial Optimization?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Combinatorial Optimization is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, zbMATH, DBLP and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Combinatorial Optimization open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Combinatorial Optimization is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,190.
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: .