Journal profile · Physics, Multidisciplinary
Physica Scripta
ISSN 0031-8949 · eISSN 1402-4896 · IOP Publishing Ltd. · SWEDEN · Monthly · Founded 1970
Physica Scripta: CAS Zone 3 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.54; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,400; median 96 days to acceptance (151 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 3,094 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physica Scripta is published by IOP Publishing Ltd. and is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Atomic and Molecular Physics, Advanced Chemical Physics Studies and Quantum Information and Cryptography, together about 24% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Physica Scripta is an international journal for original research in any branch of experimental and theoretical physics. Articles will be considered in any of the following topics, and interdisciplinary topics involving physics are also welcomed: -Atomic, molecular and optical physics- Plasma physics- Condensed matter physics- Mathematical physics- Astrophysics- High energy physics- Nuclear physics- Nonlinear physics. The journal aims to increase the visibility and accessibility of research to the wider physical sciences community. Articles on topics of broad interest are encouraged and submissions in more specialist fields should endeavour to include reference to the wider context of their research in the introduction.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Atomic and Molecular PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy11.7%
- Advanced Chemical Physics StudiesPhysics and Astronomy7%
- Quantum Information and CryptographyComputer Science5.3%
- Nuclear physics research studiesPhysics and Astronomy5.1%
- Nonlinear Waves and SolitonsPhysics and Astronomy4.7%
- Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasmaEngineering4.7%
- Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamicsPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
- Magnetic confinement fusion researchPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
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
- 2.54LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.39LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 151OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,793OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.89OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 39.05%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 3,497LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 34,854 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2,371 | 1,676 | 637 |
| 2025 | 3,094 | 547 | 5,802 |
| 2024 | 4,259 | 1,820 | 21,641 |
| 2023 | 2,538 | 2,130 | 18,611 |
| 2022 | 1,012 | 402 | 9,515 |
| 2021 | 1,045 | 468 | 13,778 |
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
96 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 72 days – 125 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (151 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 111 days
- Sample
- 151 articles with submission and acceptance dates (6,868 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 4.8 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 2,400 / EUR 2,030 / GBP 1,785 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing Ltd.
- Country or region
- SWEDEN
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1970
- ISSN
- 0031-8949
- Electronic ISSN
- 1402-4896
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physica Scripta
What CAS zone is Physica Scripta in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physica Scripta is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Physics, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Physica Scripta?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.54; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 151.
How long does peer review take at Physica Scripta?
Based on the dates recorded on 151 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 96 days (interquartile range 72–125 days); authors report an average review time of about 4.8 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.
Which databases index Physica Scripta?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physica Scripta is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Physica Scripta open access, and what is the APC?
Physica Scripta is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-28). Last updated: .