Journal profile · ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Living Reviews in Solar Physics
ISSN 1614-4961 · Springer International Publishing · GERMANY · Founded 2004
Living Reviews in Solar Physics: CAS Zone 1 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 29.4; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; community-reported acceptance: hard; 4 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Living Reviews in Solar Physics is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics, Astro and Planetary Science and Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies, together about 65.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Astronomy and Astrophysics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Living Reviews in Solar Physics is a peer-reviewed, platinum* open-access journal, publishing reviews of research in all areas of solar and heliospheric physics. Articles are solicited from leading authorities and are directed towards the scientific community at or above the graduate-student level. The articles in Living Reviews provide critical reviews of the current state of research in the fields they cover. They evaluate existing work, place it in a meaningful context, and suggest areas where more work and new results are needed. Articles also offer annotated insights into the key literature and describe other available resources. Living Reviews is unique in maintaining a suite of high-quality reviews, which are kept up-to-date by the authors. This is the meaning of the word "living" in the journal's title. Living Reviews in Solar Physics attracts readers from the entire solar and heliospheric physics community. Graduate students can use the journal to start their initial literature surveys or to learn about fields peripheral to their own; researchers can use it to quickly find out about the most up-to-date results in fields in which they are not current, to track down bibliographic references that they have not recorded, or even to find areas in which their own skills can be applied in a new field; and lecturers can use it to find information and visual materials that can be used in presentations at all levels. Note: Please, submit your original research articles to our sister journal Solar Physics.While the majority of articles in Living Reviews in Solar Physics is commissioned by our editors, we do welcome proposals for additional reviews. * Platinum (also known as sponsored or diamond) open access journals allow immediate access to the content of the journal without the payment of a subscription fee or license. Authors pay no article publication charge and all the costs of publishing the journal are met by one or more sponsoring organizations.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Solar and Space Plasma DynamicsPhysics and Astronomy32.7%
- Astro and Planetary SciencePhysics and Astronomy19%
- Stellar, planetary, and galactic studiesPhysics and Astronomy13.7%
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamicsPhysics and Astronomy12.7%
- Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9%
- Solar Radiation and PhotovoltaicsComputer Science2%
- Geophysics and Gravity MeasurementsEarth and Planetary Sciences1.3%
- Astronomy and Astrophysical ResearchPhysics and Astronomy1.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Astronomy & Astrophysics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 29.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 51LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 8.87LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 11.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 98OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 29.67OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 4LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 101 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 64 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 114 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 363 |
| 2022 | 3 | 3 | 375 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 453 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 5 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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 acceptance (community reports)
- HardLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 weeksDOAJ ·
- 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 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, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented in Methods Model summary
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
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
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
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
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 ·- License & copyright Copyright
Copyright remains with authors (open access) Model summary
Articles in Springer Nature open access journals do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. 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 Living Reviews in Solar Physics, 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 International Publishing
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2004
- ISSN
- 1614-4961
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Living Reviews in Solar Physics
What CAS zone is Living Reviews in Solar Physics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Living Reviews in Solar Physics is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Astronomy & Astrophysics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Living Reviews in Solar Physics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 29.4; CiteScore 51, h-index 81.
What are the manuscript requirements of Living Reviews in Solar Physics?
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.
Which databases index Living Reviews in Solar Physics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Living Reviews in Solar Physics is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Living Reviews in Solar Physics open access, and what is the APC?
Living Reviews in Solar Physics is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .