Journal profile · Physics, Nuclear
Nuclear Fusion
ISSN 0029-5515 · eISSN 1741-4326 · IOP Publishing Ltd. · AUSTRIA · Monthly
Nuclear Fusion: CAS Zone 1 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.02; fully open access; APC about USD 2,725; median 137 days to acceptance (102 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 584 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nuclear Fusion is published by IOP Publishing Ltd. 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 Magnetic confinement fusion research, Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics and Fusion materials and technologies, together about 57.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nuclear Fusion publishes articles making significant advances to the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion. The journal scope includes: -the production, heating and confinement of high temperature plasmas; -the physical properties of such plasmas; -the experimental or theoretical methods of exploring or explaining them; -fusion reactor physics; -reactor concepts; and -fusion technologies. The journal has a dedicated Associate Editor for inertial confinement fusion.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Nuclear
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Magnetic confinement fusion researchPhysics and Astronomy30.9%
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamicsPhysics and Astronomy13.3%
- Fusion materials and technologiesMaterials Science12.9%
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and DiagnosticsPhysics and Astronomy7.8%
- Superconducting Materials and ApplicationsEngineering7%
- Particle accelerators and beam dynamicsEngineering6.7%
- Plasma Diagnostics and ApplicationsEngineering4.1%
- Solar and Space Plasma DynamicsPhysics and Astronomy3.8%
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 | Physics, Fluids & Plasmas | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Fluids & Plasmas | 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 | Physics, Fluids & Plasmas | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
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
- 4.02LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.27LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 105LetPub ·
- h-index
- 188OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 8,528OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.91OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 36.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.93%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 557LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,400 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 514 | 514 | 257 |
| 2025 | 584 | 584 | 1,690 |
| 2024 | 645 | 645 | 4,868 |
| 2023 | 418 | 418 | 4,438 |
| 2022 | 426 | 333 | 5,851 |
| 2021 | 561 | 419 | 10,991 |
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
137 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 99 days – 176 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 157 days
- Sample
- 102 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,243 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | GBP 2,275 / EUR 2,635 / USD 2,725 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,595 / EUR 2,510 / GBP 2,165 | — | — |
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 prepare7 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
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5
- letterWhen you submit to a journal you will be asked to select an article type for your manuscript. The most common article types are Paper Reports of high-quality or…Length not stated
- original articleWhen you submit to a journal you will be asked to select an article type for your manuscript. The most common article types are Paper Reports of high-quality or…Length not stated
- original researchWhen you submit to a journal you will be asked to select an article type for your manuscript. The most common article types are Paper Reports of high-quality or…Length not stated
- research articleWhen you submit to a journal you will be asked to select an article type for your manuscript. The most common article types are Paper Reports of high-quality or…Length not stated
- reviewWhen you submit to a journal you will be asked to select an article type for your manuscript. The most common article types are Paper Reports of high-quality or…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, License & copyright, Preprints
- Data availability
Encourages submission of supplementary material and research data at submission; supplementary files receive DOIs and are published alongside the article. Model summary
IOP Publishing encourages authors to submit supplementary material and/or research data at submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Authors must obtain written permission from copyright holders for reused figures. Model summary
Note that it is also your responsibility to obtain written permission from the copyright holder for any figures you have reused from elsewhere.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint pre-publication policy allows sharing preprints anywhere at any time, subject to restrictions on copyright transfer and exclusive licensing. Model summary
IOP’s Preprint pre-publication policy allows authors to share a Preprint of their article anywhere at any time, subject to two restrictions.
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 Ltd.
- Country or region
- AUSTRIA
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0029-5515
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-4326
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nuclear Fusion
What CAS zone is Nuclear Fusion in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nuclear Fusion is in Zone 1 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Physics, Fluids & Plasmas; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Nuclear Fusion?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.02; CiteScore 6.7, h-index 188.
How long does peer review take at Nuclear Fusion?
Based on the dates recorded on 102 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 137 days (interquartile range 99–176 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 Nuclear Fusion?
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: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Nuclear Fusion?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nuclear Fusion is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Nuclear Fusion open access, and what is the APC?
Nuclear Fusion is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,725.
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: .