Journal profile · Physics, Condensed Matter
Philosophical Magazine Letters
ISSN 0950-0839 · eISSN 1362-3036 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1987
Philosophical Magazine Letters: CAS Zone 4 · Materials Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.89; fully open access; APC about USD 2,630; median 150 days to acceptance (22 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 11 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Philosophical Magazine Letters is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Materials Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microstructure and mechanical properties, Quasicrystal Structures and Properties and Aluminum Alloy Microstructure Properties, together about 28.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Mechanical Engineering and Materials Chemistry. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scopeJournal metrics Editorial board Philosophical Magazine Letters is a scientific journal publishing across the broad scope of physics and materials science, encompassing the processing, structure and properties of matter. Please note that Philosophical Magazine Letters converted to a full Open Access journal from Volume 103 (2023). Previous volumes will continue to provide access through a Pay to Read model. Philosophical Magazine Letters is the ‘daughter’ journal of the well-known and highly-respected Philosophical Magazine , which was first published in 1798. The article types and subject areas covered by the journal have been expanded. The Editors welcome research articles as well as review articles within the broad scope of physics including important preliminary research findings for rapid communication, theoretical, experimental, applied and computational research. Subject areas covered include the following: Structure and properties of condensed matter, soft matter, polymers, fluids and plasmas Materials science and solid-state physics Optics and photonics Atomic structure, defects and mechanical properties Electron microscopy, STEM, XRD, synchrotron radiation, etc. Quantum physics, quantum mechanics and quantum information Applied physics Nanoscale physics and technology Thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and nonlinear systems Molecular, atomic and nuclear physics Biological, medical and chemical physics Computational, mathematical and statistical physics Instruments, instrumentation and technology Digital twins of materials and processes Structure-property relationships Multiscale computational modelling Theoretical / computational materials design Machine learning / evolutionary computation Density Functional Theory Molecular dynamics Fluid mechanics / mechanics of solids Geophysics History of materials and engineering sciences Interfacial phenomena / surface engineering Emerging materials and associated manufacturing processes Readership: physicists, material scientists, and physical chemists within universities, research institutes and industry worldwide. Peer Review Policy All research articles published in Philosophical Magazine Letters benefit from having undergone initial editorial screening and rigorous anonymous single anonymized peer review. Submission of articles is online via Taylor & Francis’s Submission Portal and subsequent peer review is via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Manuscripts are considered on the strict condition t
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Condensed Matter
Editor-in-chief N. ChakrabortiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named India 1, Austria 1, Czechia 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microstructure and mechanical propertiesMaterials Science14.4%
- Quasicrystal Structures and PropertiesMaterials Science8.6%
- Aluminum Alloy Microstructure PropertiesEngineering5.7%
- Intermetallics and Advanced Alloy PropertiesEngineering5.4%
- Metal and Thin Film MechanicsEngineering5.1%
- Metallic Glasses and Amorphous AlloysEngineering4.7%
- Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SteelsEngineering4.6%
- Aluminum Alloys Composites PropertiesEngineering3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Materials Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Materials Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Materials Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexINSPECGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, Astrophysics Data System, Academic Keys, CASSI SM, Clarivate Analytics: SciSearch®, Electronic Journals Library (EZB), ProQuest® Abstracts in New Technology & Engineering, ProQuest® Aerospace Database, ProQuest® Aluminium Industry Abstracts, ProQuest® Ceramic Abstracts, ProQuest® Civil Engineering Abstracts, ProQuest® Computer and Information Systems Abstracts, ProQuest® Copper Technical Reference Library, ProQuest® Corrosion Abstracts, ProQuest® Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science Database, ProQuest® Earthquake Engineering Abstracts Database, ProQuest® Electronics and Communications Database, ProQuest® Engineered Materials Abstracts, ProQuest® Materials Business File, ProQuest® METADEX, ProQuest® Natural Science Collection, ProQuest® SciTech Premium Collection, ProQuest® Solid State and Superconductivity Abstracts
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
- 1.89LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.36Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 58LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,668OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 11LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 50,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,322 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 11 | 53 |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | 80 |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 53 |
| 2022 | 29 | 1 | 155 |
| 2021 | 51 | 4 | 315 |
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
150 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 101 days – 191 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (22 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 186 days
- Sample
- 22 articles with submission and acceptance dates (22 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 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 64%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 44 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 23 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 | USD 2,630 / GBP 2,100 / EUR 2,520 / AUD 3,655 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| 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)
Article types accepted2
- research articlesThe Editors welcome research articles as well as review articles within the broad scope of physics including important preliminary research findings for rapid c…Length not stated
- review articlesThe Editors welcome research articles as well as review articles within the broad scope of physics including important preliminary research findings for rapid c…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Philosophical Magazine Letters is an open access journal and only publishes open access articles. 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 discoverability and readership of your article Make an impact and reach new readers, not jus…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Policy
Peer review: single anonymized Model summary
All research articles published in Philosophical Magazine Letters benefit from having undergone initial editorial screening and rigorous anonymous single anonymized peer review. Submission of articles is online via Taylor & Francis’s Submission Portal and subsequent peer review is via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0950-0839
- Electronic ISSN
- 1362-3036
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 106, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- 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 Philosophical Magazine Letters
What CAS zone is Philosophical Magazine Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Philosophical Magazine Letters is in Zone 4 of Materials Science, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Materials Science, Multidisciplinary / Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering / Physics, Applied / Physics, Condensed Matter. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Materials Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Philosophical Magazine Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.89; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 87.
How long does peer review take at Philosophical Magazine Letters?
Based on the dates recorded on 22 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 150 days (interquartile range 101–191 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 64%. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Philosophical Magazine Letters based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are India (1), Austria (1) and Czechia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Philosophical Magazine Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Philosophical Magazine Letters is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Philosophical Magazine Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Philosophical Magazine Letters is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,630.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, DOAJ, 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: .