Journal profile · Physics, Nuclear
Physical Review C
ISSN 0556-2813 · eISSN 2469-9993 · American Physical Society · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1970
Physical Review C: CAS Zone 2 · Physics & Astronomy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.29; hybrid open access; review 1–2 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 1,150 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physical Review C is published by American Physical Society and is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nuclear physics research studies, Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions and Atomic and Molecular Physics, together about 48.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Nuclear and High Energy Physics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
1 July, 2026Physical Review X (PRX) is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a special cover image that honors the legacy of groundbreaking research the journal has published over the years.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Nuclear
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nuclear physics research studiesPhysics and Astronomy25.1%
- Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle InteractionsPhysics and Astronomy14.2%
- Atomic and Molecular PhysicsPhysics and Astronomy9%
- High-Energy Particle Collisions ResearchPhysics and Astronomy7.2%
- Particle physics theoretical and experimental studiesPhysics and Astronomy7%
- Nuclear Physics and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy5.9%
- Astronomical and nuclear sciencesPhysics and Astronomy5.5%
- Advanced Chemical Physics StudiesPhysics and Astronomy4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Nuclear | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Nuclear | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Physics & Astronomy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Physics & Astronomy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Nuclear | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 3.29LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- h-index
- 184LetPub ·
- h-index
- 279OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 29,063OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.14OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 30.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.36%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 953LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 48,348 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 835 | 319 | 242 |
| 2025 | 1,150 | 554 | 2,798 |
| 2024 | 1,048 | 543 | 6,476 |
| 2023 | 887 | 568 | 8,874 |
| 2022 | 1,023 | 674 | 13,282 |
| 2021 | 943 | 705 | 15,428 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 1–2 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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 websiteAI use
- AI use American Physical Society releases updated AI policy for APS journals17 June, 2026
The policy allows authors and reviewers to use AI tools and establishes boundaries to preserve human oversight and accountability.
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
- American Physical Society
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1970
- ISSN
- 0556-2813
- Electronic ISSN
- 2469-9993
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physical Review C
What CAS zone is Physical Review C in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physical Review C is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Physics, Nuclear. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Physics & Astronomy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Physical Review C?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.29; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 279.
How long does peer review take at Physical Review C?
Authors report an average review time of 1–2 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Physical Review C?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physical Review C is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Physical Review C open access, and what is the APC?
Physical Review C is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .