Journal profile · Computer Science, Software Engineering
Optimization methods & software
ISSN 1055-6788 · eISSN 1029-4937 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1991
Optimization methods & software: CAS Zone 4 · Mathematics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.41; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 100; median 420 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 75%; 53 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Optimization methods & software is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Mathematics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Optimization Algorithms Research, Optimization and Variational Analysis and Sparse and Compressive Sensing Techniques, together about 48.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Computational Theory and Mathematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Optimization Methods and Software publishes refereed papers on the latest developments in the theory and realization of optimization methods, with particular emphasis on the interface between software development and algorithm design. Topics include: Theory, implementation and performance evaluation of algorithms and computer codes for linear, nonlinear, discrete, stochastic optimization and optimal control. This includes in particular conic, semi-definite, mixed integer, network, non-smooth, multi-objective and global optimization by deterministic or nondeterministic algorithms. Algorithms and software for complementarity, variational inequalities and equilibrium problems, and also for solving inverse problems, systems of nonlinear equations and the numerical study of parameter dependent operators. Various aspects of efficient and user-friendly implementations: e.g. automatic differentiation, massively parallel optimization, distributed computing, on-line algorithms, error sensitivity and validity analysis, problem scaling, stopping criteria and symbolic numeric interfaces. Theoretical studies with clear potential for applications and successful applications of specially adapted optimization methods and software to fields like engineering, machine learning, data mining, economics, finance, biology, or medicine. These submissions should not consist solely of the straightforward use of standard optimization techniques. Peer Review Policy: All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor. If found suitable for further consideration, papers are subject to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is single anonymized and submissions can be made through the Submission Portal. Publishing Ethics: The Journal adheres to the highest standards of publishing ethics, with rigorous processes in place to ensure this is achieved. Taylor & Francis is a member of Committee of Publications Ethics (COPE) and utilises CrossCheck for all Journals. More information on our ethical standards and policies can be found here: http://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/ethics-for-authors/ The Journal has an appeals and complaints policy which can be viewed here: https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/peer-review-appeals-and-complaints-from-authors/.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Software Engineering
Editor-in-chief Stefan UlbrichPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, Germany 2, United Kingdom 1, Japan 1, Austria 1 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Optimization Algorithms ResearchMathematics27.6%
- Optimization and Variational AnalysisComputer Science11.3%
- Sparse and Compressive Sensing TechniquesEngineering9.8%
- Matrix Theory and AlgorithmsComputer Science8.4%
- Iterative Methods for Nonlinear EquationsMathematics5.4%
- Advanced Control Systems OptimizationEngineering3.8%
- Stochastic Gradient Optimization TechniquesComputer Science3.2%
- Advanced Multi-Objective Optimization AlgorithmsComputer Science2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Mathematics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Mathematics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexWeb of ScienceINSPECMathSciNetzbMATHDBLPPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, ACM Guide to Computing Literature, Australian Research Council ERA list 2015, Baidu Scholar, British Library Inside, CNKI Scholar, CNPIEC, CnpLINKer, Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator (BFI), DTU Findit, E-lib Breman, EBSCO Databases, Electronic Journals Library (EZB), Finnish Publication Forum (Julkaisufoorumi), Genamics JournalSeek, International Abstracts in Operations Research, JournalTOCs, Microsoft Academic, Naver Academic, New Jour, NHN, Norwegian Register of Scientific Journals and Publishers, ProQuest Computer and Information Systems Abstracts, ProQuest Technology Collection
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
- 1.41LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.63Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.14Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 90OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 816OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.94OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 56,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,886 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 21 | 11 |
| 2025 | 53 | 22 | 68 |
| 2024 | 77 | 29 | 262 |
| 2023 | 58 | 25 | 252 |
| 2022 | 46 | 12 | 326 |
| 2021 | 32 | 13 | 323 |
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
420 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 291 days – 536 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 34 days (87 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 458 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (116 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 9 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 75%LetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 6%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 154 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | USD 100 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics: adheres to high standards; Taylor & Francis is a member of COPE and uses CrossCheck. Model summary
The Journal adheres to the highest standards of publishing ethics, with rigorous processes in place to ensure this is achieved. Taylor & Francis is a member of Committee of Publications Ethics (COPE) and utilises CrossCheck for all Journals.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open Select: choose to publish open access Model summary
Optimization Methods and Software is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discovera…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: initial editor appraisal, then single-anonymized peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees; submissions via Submission Portal. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor. If found suitable for further consideration, papers are subject to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is single anonymized and submissions can be made through the Submission Portal.
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 1055-6788
- Electronic ISSN
- 1029-4937
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Optimization methods & software
What CAS zone is Optimization methods & software in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Optimization methods & software is in Zone 4 of Mathematics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Software Engineering / Mathematics, Applied / Operations Research & Management Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Mathematics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Optimization methods & software?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.41; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 90.
How long does peer review take at Optimization methods & software?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 420 days (interquartile range 291–536 days); authors report an average review time of about 9 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 75%”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 6%. 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 JCR quartile is Optimization methods & software in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Mathematics.
Where are the editorial board members of Optimization methods & software based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3), Germany (2) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Optimization methods & software?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Optimization methods & software is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Web of Science, INSPEC, MathSciNet, zbMATH and DBLP; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Optimization methods & software open access, and what is the APC?
Optimization methods & software is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 100.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .