Journal profile · Optics
Optical Review
ISSN 1340-6000 · eISSN 1349-9432 · Springer Japan · JAPAN · Bimonthly · Founded 1994
Optical Review: CAS Zone 4 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.97; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,290; median 116 days to acceptance (88 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 83 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Optical Review is published by Springer Japan 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 Photonic and Optical Devices, Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices and Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies, together about 24.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Electrical and Electronic Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Optical Review is an international journal published by the Optical Society of Japan. The scope of the journal is: General and physical optics Quantum optics and spectroscopy Information optics Photonics and optoelectronics Biomedical photonics and biological optics Lasers Nonlinear optics Optical systems and technologies Optical materials and manufacturing technologies Vision Infrared and short wavelength optics Cross-disciplinary areas such as environmental, energy, food, agriculture and space technologies Other optical methods and applications The journal aims to publish top results and the progress in all fields of optical science and technology. It appeals to all researchers and practitioners in optical sciences and technologies. The international advisory board is formed by world-wide appreciated scientists from 24 countries.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Optics
Editor-in-chief Masahiro YamaguchiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Japan 42, Taiwan, China 1 (43 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Photonic and Optical DevicesEngineering11.6%
- Semiconductor Lasers and Optical DevicesEngineering6.5%
- Advanced Fiber Laser TechnologiesPhysics and Astronomy6.4%
- Advanced Optical Imaging TechnologiesEngineering6.3%
- Optical measurement and interference techniquesComputer Science6.2%
- Advanced Fiber Optic SensorsEngineering5.3%
- Photorefractive and Nonlinear OpticsPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
- Optical Network TechnologiesEngineering4.1%
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 | Optics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
INSPECCASPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- Impact factor
- 0.97LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 52OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 680OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.16OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.57%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 79LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 111,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,049 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 63 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 83 | 19 | 94 |
| 2024 | 83 | 15 | 169 |
| 2023 | 74 | 9 | 220 |
| 2022 | 70 | 10 | 297 |
| 2021 | 82 | 15 | 853 |
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
116 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 84 days – 166 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (88 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 139 days
- Sample
- 88 articles with submission and acceptance dates (171 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,290 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
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
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- preprint
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints
- AI use Generative AI Images
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 Competing Interests
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. 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 Optical Review, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprint posting is not considered prior publication. Model summary
Posting of preprints is not considered prior publication and will not affect the consideration of your manuscript at Optical Review. If your manuscript has been posted on a preprint server, please provide the relevant details, including DOI and licensing terms, in the cover letter during submission. For more information on preprint posting, please refer to the guidelines available at https://www.s…
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 Japan
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1994
- ISSN
- 1340-6000
- Electronic ISSN
- 1349-9432
- Society / sponsor
- Optical Society of Japan
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 3 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Optical Review
What CAS zone is Optical Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Optical Review is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Optics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Optical Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.97; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 52.
How long does peer review take at Optical Review?
Based on the dates recorded on 88 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 116 days (interquartile range 84–166 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; 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 Optical Review?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Optical Review based?
Of the 43 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (42) and Taiwan, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Optical Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Optical Review is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists INSPEC and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Optical Review open access, and what is the APC?
Optical Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,290.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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: .