Journal profile · Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Journal of Heuristics
ISSN 1381-1231 · eISSN 1572-9397 · Springer US · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1995
Journal of Heuristics: CAS Zone 4 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.12; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 321 days to acceptance (69 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 37 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Heuristics is published by Springer US 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 Vehicle Routing Optimization Methods, Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms Research and Optimization and Packing Problems, together about 38.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The following areas are of interest to the journal: Adaptive Memory Programming Rafael Martí Universitat de València, Spain rafael.marti@uv.es Tabu search (TS), scatter search (SS) and path reliniking (PR) have become the focus of numerous comparative studies and practical applications. Fruitful discoveries about preferred strategies for solving difficult optimization problems have surfaced as a result. Advanced TS, SS and PR methods exploit a collection of memory components that are referred to as adaptive memory programming (AMP). AMP procedures embody a framework that goes beyond simple mechanisms to incorporate intensification and diversification strategies. The AMP area welcomes submissions that describe innovative applications or the development of new methodology for the use of memory within heuristic search procedures. Artificial Intelligence and Constraint Programming Pascal Van Hentenryck Brown University, USA pvh@cs.brown.edu This area covers heuristic search based on artificial intelligence techniques and their application to artificial intelligence planning, scheduling, design, constraint satisfaction, and game theory. It includes heuristics and metaheuristics for both systematic and local search in artificial intelligence. Of particular interest are heuristics based on constraint programming, a field that emerges from artificial intelligence and is an orthogonal and complementary approach to mathematical programming. This includes heuristics based on hybrid methods, e.g., those that combine local search and constraint programming or integrate constraint and mathematical programming. Combinatorial Optimization Alain Hertz GERAD, Canada Alain.Hertz@gerad.ca Erwin Pesch University of Siegen, Germany erwin.pesch@uni-siegen.de This area will act as an international forum for heuristic and metaheuristic research and development for combinatorial optimization problems. We welcome papers that present high quality, innovative and original research ideas and applications from across a wide spectrum of theoretical and applied research issues. Themes that are relevant to this area include (but are not limited to) graph theoretic problems and applications, sequencing and scheduling, engineering design, routing, cutting and packing, and set covering. In particular, we welcome inter-disciplinary approaches that attempt to work at the interface of relevant disciplines (such as Operational Research, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering and M
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Editor-in-chief Manuel LagunaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 4, Spain 3, United Kingdom 2, Japan 1, Germany 1 (13 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Vehicle Routing Optimization MethodsEngineering18.1%
- Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms ResearchComputer Science10.7%
- Optimization and Packing ProblemsEngineering9.7%
- Scheduling and Optimization AlgorithmsEngineering6.8%
- Advanced Multi-Objective Optimization AlgorithmsComputer Science6%
- Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics OptimizationEngineering5.1%
- Constraint Satisfaction and OptimizationComputer Science5%
- Scheduling and Timetabling SolutionsDecision Sciences4.7%
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, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | 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 CompendexINSPECDBLPCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, ACM Digital Library, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
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
- 2.12LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.05LetPub ·
- h-index
- 60LetPub ·
- h-index
- 91OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 571OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.53OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.39%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 90,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 885 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 | 17 | 12 |
| 2025 | 37 | 17 | 104 |
| 2024 | 17 | 6 | 89 |
| 2023 | 19 | 10 | 151 |
| 2022 | 20 | 8 | 161 |
| 2021 | 23 | 10 | 197 |
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
321 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 241 days – 436 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (69 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 355 days
- Sample
- 69 articles with submission and acceptance dates (69 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
- 5 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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints
- 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 statements
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 ·- 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 Heuristics, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Original work only; not under consideration elsewhere; co-author and institutional approval required. Model summary
Submission of a manuscript implies: that the work described has not been published before; that it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else; that its publication has been approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – at the institute where the work has been carried out.
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
- 1995
- ISSN
- 1381-1231
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9397
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Heuristics
What CAS zone is Journal of Heuristics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Heuristics is in Zone 4 of Computer Science, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence / Computer Science, Theory & Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Heuristics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.12; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 91.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Heuristics?
Based on the dates recorded on 69 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 321 days (interquartile range 241–436 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 Journal of Heuristics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Journal of Heuristics based?
Of the 13 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (4), Spain (3) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Heuristics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Heuristics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, DBLP and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Heuristics open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Heuristics 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .