Journal profile · Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Photoacoustics
ISSN 2213-5979 · Elsevier GmbH · Germany · Quarterly · Founded 2013
Photoacoustics: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.91; fully open access; APC about USD 3,700; median 82 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 44%; 108 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Photoacoustics is published by Elsevier GmbH and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Imaging, Thermography and Photoacoustic Techniques and Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques, together about 56.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Biomedical Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
optoacoustics - photoacoustics - thermoacousticsThe aim of the open access Photoacoustics journal (PACS) is to publish original research and review contributions within the fast-growing field of photoacoustics-optoacoustics-thermoacoustics, which exploits acoustical and ultrasonic phenomena excited by electromagnetic radiation for purposes of detection, visualization, and characterization of a variety of materials and biological tissues, including living organisms. Many research directions in photoacoustics, especially biomedical optoacoustic imaging experience explosive growth in the 21st century. The wealth of investigated topics indicates that this field has developed a broad range of tools for fundamental and applied research. The enormous recent progress is greatly supported by the advances in laser technologies, ultrasound detection approaches, development of inverse theory, and fast reconstruction algorithms. This progress is also driven by a large number of unmet biological and medical needs that can be addressed by the unique contrast of molecular absorption available to photoacoustic - optoacoustic - thermoacoustic methods. These include pre-clinical research and clinical imaging of vasculature, tissue and disease physiology, drug efficacy, surgery guidance, and therapy monitoring. Correspondingly applications span the entire range of medical imaging and sensing applications including cancer, vascular diseases, brain neurophysiology, ophthalmology, and diabetes. Recent technological advances enabled cell trafficking applications and measurements of a multitude of other biological functions. The multidisciplinary nature of photoacoustics - optoacoustics - thermoacoustics is also evidenced by the growing contribution from chemistry and nanotechnology where a variety of novel biodegradable materials from nanoparticles to organic dyes, to targeted agents, theranostic probes and genetically expressed markers are being actively developed. Significant enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio and tissue contrast in photoacoustic methods has been achieved employing these advanced materials. While some of the spectroscopic and sensing applications in non-biomedical materials have reached a mature state, Photoacoustics supports the research community that develops novel industrial and environmental applications, nondestructive evaluation of materials and new ultrawideband transducers (piezoelectric, capacitive and optical) for sensitive detection of photoacoustic - optoacoustic - thermoacoustic signals.The list of topics of interest includes (but is not limited to) the following:Tomography and deep-tissue imagingMesoscopy, microscopy, and nanoscopyFunctional and molecular imaging and sensingContrast agents, molecular probes, and nanoparticlesInteractions with cells and tissuesPre-clinical imaging, clinical translation, and clinical applicationsMulti-modality systems involving light and soundMicrowave induced ultrasound imaging and sensingLaser ultrasound methods and applicationsPhysics and modeling of photoacoustic generation, propagation and detectionSignal processing, advanced filtering and artifact removalImage reconstruction algorithms including deep learningComputer assisted diagnostics based on artificial intelligenceUltrawide-band ultrasound detectors, optical detectors of ultrasoundNovel lasers and light delivery technologies for the generation of ultrasoundPhotoacoustics spectroscopy and sensing for analysis of gases, liquids and solidsNondestructive testing of materialsBrillouin spectroscopy, sensing and imaging based on optically induced coherent acoustic wavesKeywords: PACS, photoacoustic, optoacoustic, thermoacoustic, laser ultrasound (supplemental keywords: imaging, sensing, monitoring, evaluation, tomography, microscopy, theranostics, contrast agents, nanotechnology).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics and Astronomy-Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Editorial board by country: 14 in mainland China (about 19%); most named United States 22, Mainland China 14, France 6, United Kingdom 4, Germany 3 (72 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic ImagingEngineering30.5%
- Thermography and Photoacoustic TechniquesEngineering15.6%
- Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy TechniquesMedicine10.2%
- Spectroscopy and Laser ApplicationsChemistry7.5%
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering7.1%
- Ultrasound and Hyperthermia ApplicationsEngineering3.3%
- Advanced Chemical Sensor TechnologiesEngineering2.6%
- Optical Coherence Tomography ApplicationsEngineering2.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Biomedical | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Instruments & Instrumentation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Biomedical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Instruments & Instrumentation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Biomedical | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Instruments & Instrumentation | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 6.91LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 13.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.56LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 527OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.98OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 103LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 883 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 89 | 89 | 68 |
| 2025 | 108 | 108 | 822 |
| 2024 | 95 | 95 | 1,439 |
| 2023 | 133 | 133 | 2,839 |
| 2022 | 96 | 96 | 2,931 |
| 2021 | 75 | 75 | 3,057 |
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 PubMed · to
82 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 53 days – 122 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 88 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (223 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 0.9 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 44%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 36 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 69 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 11 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 3,700 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,200 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,560 / JPY 396,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,390 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,070 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
- The Best Papers on Photoacoustic and Photothermal Phenomena (23rd ICPPP-2026)Deadline
- Advances in Three-Dimensional Photoacoustic Imaging: Technology, Methods, and Applications (VSI: Advances in 3D tomography)Deadline
- Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging and Functional Optoacoustic Imaging (VSI: UltrafastUS& FOAI)Deadline
Article types accepted7
- editorialPhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- letterPhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- original research articlePhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- research articlePhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- reviewPhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- review articlePhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
- short communicationPhotoacoustics focuses primarily on original research articles. However, our journal also welcomes short communications (letters), reviews and technical reports…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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 allowed 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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 GmbH
- Country or region
- Germany
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2013
- ISSN
- 2213-5979
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 Photoacoustics
What CAS zone is Photoacoustics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Photoacoustics is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Engineering, Biomedical / Instruments & Instrumentation / Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Photoacoustics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.91; CiteScore 13.9, h-index 73.
How long does peer review take at Photoacoustics?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 82 days (interquartile range 53–122 days); authors report an average review time of about 0.9 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “44%”. 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 Photoacoustics based?
Of the 72 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 14 (about 19%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (22), Mainland China (14) and France (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Photoacoustics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Photoacoustics is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Photoacoustics open access, and what is the APC?
Photoacoustics is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,700.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .