Journal profile · Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences
Journal of Open Research Software
ISSN 2049-9647 · Ubiquity Press · United Kingdom
Journal of Open Research Software: fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 21 weeks (community reports); 39 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Open Research Software is published by Ubiquity Press. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Scientific Computing and Data Management, Computational Physics and Python Applications and Research Data Management Practices, together about 43.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Open Research Software (JORS) features peer reviewed Software Metapapers describing research software with high reuse potential. JORS primarily publishes articles on research software that is either developed in the course of empirical research or explicitly designed to enable reproducible research. JORS also publishes full-length research papers that cover different aspects of creating, maintaining and evaluating open source research software. The aim of the section is to promote the dissemination of best practice and experience related to the development and maintenance of reusable, sustainable research software. We also seek to ensure that the associated software is professionally archived, preserved, and openly available. Equally importantly, the software and the papers will be citable. See below for submission guidelines and peer-review criteria for each section.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 16, United Kingdom 11, Germany 5, Australia 2, Hong Kong, China 1 (42 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Scientific Computing and Data ManagementDecision Sciences20.4%
- Computational Physics and Python ApplicationsComputer Science13.8%
- Research Data Management PracticesComputer Science9.4%
- Environmental Monitoring and Data ManagementEarth and Planetary Sciences6.2%
- Software Engineering Techniques and PracticesComputer Science4.9%
- Data Analysis with RComputer Science4.5%
- Parallel Computing and Optimization TechniquesComputer Science3.8%
- Data Visualization and AnalyticsComputer Science3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library and Information Sciences | Q3 | 151/296 | 49th |
| Information Systems | Q3 | 353/519 | 32nd |
| Software | Q4 | 395/503 | 21st |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, CNKI, J-Gate, OCLC, CLOCKSS, Crossref
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- h-index
- 41OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 132OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.02OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 406 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67 | 67 | 1,616 |
| 2025 | 39 | 39 | 1,961 |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | 2,008 |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 1,863 |
| 2022 | 13 | 13 | 1,716 |
| 2021 | 35 | 35 | 1,582 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 21 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | GBP 865 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 400 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 350 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | GBP 824 / GBP 891 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
Article types accepted4
- issues in research softwareThe Issues in Research Software section publishes peer reviewed papers that cover different aspects of creating, maintaining and evaluating open source research…Length not stated
- research paperJORS also publishes full-length research papers that cover different aspects of creating, maintaining and evaluating open source research softwareLength not stated
- software metapaperfeatures peer reviewed Software Metapapers describing research software with high reuse potentialLength not stated
- software metapapersJORS publishes software papers, which do not contain research results but rather a concise description of research software, and where to find it.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Self-archiving
- AI use
AI use: The journal follows the publisher's policy regarding the use of AI at any stage of the publishing process. Model summary
The Journal of Open Research Software follows the publisher's policy regarding the use of AI at any stage of the publishing process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest
Software and papers are citable Model summary
the software and the papers will be citable
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Ubiquity Press, the journal’s publisher, is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP). The Press recognises its responsibility as a guardian of the scholarly record and takes an active role in establishing standards and policies in publication ethics. T…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Model summary
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.Authors are able to enter into separate, additiona…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
APC waivers: Discounts or full waivers may be offered to authors who do not have funds available to pay the APC. Model summary
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Authors of articles published in Journal of Open Research Software remain the copyright holders and grant third parties the right to use, reproduce and share the article according to the Creative Commons license agreement. …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
Self-archiving: Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online prior to and during the submission process. Model summary
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
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
- Ubiquity Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2049-9647
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Open Research Software
How long does peer review take at Journal of Open Research Software?
Authors report an average review time of about 21 weeks. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Open Research Software based?
Of the 42 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), United Kingdom (11) and Germany (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Open Research Software?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Open Research Software is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Open Research Software open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Open Research Software is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .