Journal profile · Operations Research & Management Science
Operations Research Letters
ISSN 0167-6377 · eISSN 1872-7468 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly
Operations Research Letters: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.93; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,960; review about 231 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 110 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Operations Research Letters is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Optimization and Search Problems, Advanced Queuing Theory Analysis and Scheduling and Optimization Algorithms, together about 23.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Computational Theory and Mathematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Operations Research Letters (ORL) is committed to the rapid review and fast publication of short articles on all aspects of operations research and analytics. ORL welcomes pure methodological papers and applied papers with firm methodological grounding. All articles are restricted to at most eight journal pages, with the option to relegate proofs and additional material to an online appendix. The main criteria for the papers to be published are quality, originality, relevance, and clarity. The journal's traditional strength is in methodology, including theory, modelling, algorithms, and computational studies. Please find below a full description of the areas covered by the journal.Area EditorsApproximation Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization Problems Area Editor: Leah Epstein Associate Editors: M. Chrobak, K. Elbassioni, M. Feldman, J. Hurink, N. Olver, J. Sgall, J. Verschae The area covers all issues relevant to the development of efficient approximate solutions to computationally difficult problems. This includes worst case analysis or competitive analysis of approximation algorithms, and complexity results.Submissions can be articles consisting of theoretical work in the area, or articles combining significant theoretical contributions of mathematical flavor with computational investigations of heuristic approaches. Articles in the area of discrete optimization that do not belong to the scope of other areas may be submitted to this area as well.Computational Social Science Area Editor: Vianney Perchet Associate Editors: A. Drutsa, P. Mertikopoulos, R. Smorodinsky This area publishes papers focusing on data-driven procedures, either from a theoretical or an applied perspective, in operation research, games, economics and other social science. The scope includes: sample/computational complexity of mechanisms, learning in games/OR/social science, empirical solutions with AI algorithms (such as, but not limited to, deep learning techniques) of complex problems, etc. Continuous Optimization Area Editor: Hector Ramirez Associate Editors: M.F. Anjos, L.M. Briceno, D. Dadush, G. Eichfelder, D. Jiang, D. Orban, F. Schoen Papers in all fields of continuous optimization that are relevant to operations research are welcome. These areas include, but are not restricted to, linear programming, nonlinear programming (constrained or unconstrained, convex or nonconvex, smooth or nonsmooth, finite or infinite-dimensional), complementarity problems, variational inequ
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Operations Research & Management Science
Editor-in-chief Wolfram WiesemannPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 19, Canada 11, United Kingdom 10, Hong Kong, China 8, Germany 6 (90 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Optimization and Search ProblemsComputer Science8.2%
- Advanced Queuing Theory AnalysisBusiness, Management and Accounting8.1%
- Scheduling and Optimization AlgorithmsEngineering6.8%
- Advanced Optimization Algorithms ResearchMathematics6.7%
- Supply Chain and Inventory ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting6.1%
- Optimization and Packing ProblemsEngineering5.7%
- Complexity and Algorithms in GraphsComputer Science5.6%
- Vehicle Routing Optimization MethodsEngineering4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 0.93LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 123OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,966OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.99OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.24%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 98LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,401 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 47 | 11 |
| 2025 | 110 | 51 | 72 |
| 2024 | 118 | 61 | 247 |
| 2023 | 125 | 62 | 465 |
| 2022 | 129 | 54 | 561 |
| 2021 | 144 | 66 | 843 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
231 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 18 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 18 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 231 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,960 / EUR 2,770 / GBP 2,370 / JPY 367,130 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,960 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0167-6377
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-7468
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Operations Research Letters
What CAS zone is Operations Research Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Operations Research Letters is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Operations Research & Management Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Operations Research Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.93; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 123.
How long does peer review take at Operations Research Letters?
The publisher reports about 231 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 18 months; 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 Operations Research Letters?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: 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 Operations Research Letters based?
Of the 90 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (19), Canada (11) and United Kingdom (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Operations Research Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Operations Research Letters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Operations Research Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Operations Research Letters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,960.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .