Journal profile · PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Journal of Physics Communications
ISSN 2399-6528 · IOP Publishing · United Kingdom
Journal of Physics Communications: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC about USD 1,975; median 103 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); 50 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Physics Communications is published by IOP Publishing and is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Quantum Information and Cryptography, Quantum and electron transport phenomena and Quantum Mechanics and Applications, together about 19.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Physics Communications™ publishes high-quality research in all areas of physics and builds on the strength and prestige of the Journal of Physics series. The journal does not make a subjective assessment on the potential future significance of a paper, instead providing a rapid platform for communicating research that meets high standards of scientific rigour and contributes to the development of knowledge in physics. All physics-related research is in scope, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies. All types of results can be published, provided they contribute to advancing knowledge in their field, including negative results, null results and replication studies.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Quantum Information and CryptographyComputer Science7.6%
- Quantum and electron transport phenomenaPhysics and Astronomy6%
- Quantum Mechanics and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy6%
- Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein CondensatesPhysics and Astronomy4.8%
- Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical MechanicsPhysics and Astronomy4.6%
- Physics of Superconductivity and MagnetismPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
- Topological Materials and PhenomenaPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
- Quantum Mechanics and Non-Hermitian PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceINSPECCASPublisher website
Other: Astrophysics Data System
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
- 2.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- h-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 341OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,452 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 58 | 58 | 6 |
| 2025 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| 2024 | 67 | 67 | 172 |
| 2023 | 55 | 55 | 361 |
| 2022 | 124 | 124 | 640 |
| 2021 | 197 | 197 | 1,184 |
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
103 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 81 days – 134 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 116 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (120 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 10 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer review, Single anonymous 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 1,325 / EUR 1,585 / USD 1,975 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,880 / EUR 1,510 / GBP 1,260 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,790 / EUR 1,440 / GBP 1,200 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | GBP 1,200 / EUR 1,440 / USD 1,790 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- License & copyright Copyright and Permissions
The following information is available to help you with our copyright and permissions policies. Copyright Reusing IOP Published content Reusing third party material in new IOP content Creative Commons Licences CCC Republication service STM Permissions guidelines Permissions FAQs
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Journal of Physics Communications is a fully open access journal. Articles are published under a CC BY (Creative Commons Attribution) licence. Articles are freely available to everyone to read and reuse immediately upon publication, provided attribution to the author is given. Publication is funded by article publication charges (APCs). For more information on IOP Publishing’s open access policies…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
The following summary describes the peer review process for Journal of Physics Communications, using the ANSI/NISO Standard Terminology for Peer Review: Identity transparency: single-anonymous, double-anonymous (author choice) Reviewer interacts with: Editor Review information published: review reports (author and reviewer opt in), author/editor communication, reviewer identities (reviewer opt in)…
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
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2399-6528
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Physics Communications
What CAS zone is Journal of Physics Communications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Physics Communications is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Physics, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Physics Communications?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 103 days (interquartile range 81–134 days); authors report an average review time of about 10 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Physics Communications?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Cover letter: Required. 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.
Which databases index Journal of Physics Communications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Physics Communications is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, INSPEC and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Physics Communications open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Physics Communications is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,975.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .