Journal profile · POLYMER SCIENCE
Polymer Chemistry
ISSN 1759-9954 · eISSN 1759-9962 · Royal Society of Chemistry · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 2010
Polymer Chemistry: CAS Zone 2 · Chemistry (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.89; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 64 days to acceptance (33 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 88%; 573 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Polymer Chemistry is published by Royal Society of Chemistry and is in Zone 2 of Chemistry in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization, biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties and Conducting polymers and applications, together about 30.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Polymers and Plastics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Polymer Chemistry welcomes submissions in all areas of polymer science that have a strong focus on macromolecular chemistry. Manuscripts may cover a broad range of fields, yet no direct application focus is required. Manuscripts with a strong application focus might be more suitable for RSC Applied Polymers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLYMER SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Christine LuscombePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 25%); most named Mainland China 1, India 1, Spain 1, Australia 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Polymer Synthesis and CharacterizationChemistry18.1%
- biodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesMaterials Science6.9%
- Conducting polymers and applicationsMaterials Science5.4%
- Synthetic Organic Chemistry MethodsChemistry5.3%
- Luminescence and Fluorescent MaterialsMaterials Science5.1%
- Polymer Surface Interaction StudiesMaterials Science4.9%
- Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysisChemical Engineering4.5%
- Polymer composites and self-healingMaterials Science4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Chemistry Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Chemistry Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Chemistry Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 3.89LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.73LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97LetPub ·
- h-index
- 170OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,282OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 419LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 12,411 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 432 | 224 | 143 |
| 2025 | 573 | 317 | 1,704 |
| 2024 | 619 | 364 | 3,908 |
| 2023 | 630 | 306 | 5,888 |
| 2022 | 740 | 157 | 10,070 |
| 2021 | 790 | 171 | 12,883 |
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
64 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 29 days – 96 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 5 days (33 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 72 days
- Sample
- 33 articles with submission and acceptance dates (38 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 1.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 88%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer review, Open 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 | GBP 3,100 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 50–250 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10
- comments and repliesPolymer Chemistry publishes: Communications Full papers Reviews Minireviews Perspectives Tutorial reviews Comments and RepliesLength not stated
- communicationsPolymer Chemistry Communications contain novel scientific work of such importance that rapid publication is desirable.Length not stated
- full paperFull papers in Polymer Chemistry contain original scientific work that has not been published previously. Please note that the Royal Society of Chemistry strong…Length not stated
- full papersFull papers in Polymer Chemistry contain original scientific work that has not been published previously.Length not stated
- minireviewsMinireviews are highlights or summaries of research in an emerging area in polymer chemistry (typically from the last two-three years).Length not stated
- perspectivePerspectives are invited contributions offering the personal viewpoint of leading scientists in their area of research. They present a state-of-the-art account …Length not stated
- perspectivesPerspectives are invited contributions offering the personal viewpoint of leading scientists in their area of research.Length not stated
- reviewReviews, Minireviews and Perspectives in Polymer Chemistry must be authoritative, critical, state-of-the-art accounts of the selected research field, focusing o…Length not stated
- reviewsThe purpose of a Review is to bring the reader up to date with research in a particular field.Length not stated
- tutorial reviewsTutorial reviews should provide an introduction and overview of an important topic of relevance to the journal readership.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
Include full names and affiliations for all authors. Everyone who made a significant contribution to the conception, design or implementation of the work should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author has the responsibility to include all (and only) co-authors. The corresponding author also signs a copyright licence on behalf of all the authors. If there are more than 10 co-authors on th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflicts of interest
In accordance with our policy on Conflicts of interest please ensure that a conflicts of interest statement is included in your manuscript. This statement is required for all submitted manuscripts. If no conflicts exist, please state that ‘There are no conflicts to declare’.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
Data availability statement required Model summary
A data availability statement (DAS) is required to be submitted alongside all articles. Please see the submit section of these guidelines for more details and examples of suitable statements you can use.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Using images and copyright
Any images that are used should be numerically referenced in the figure caption. If your work is solely for your course, and will not be published publicly, you don’t need to obtain copyright permission. If you are preparing an article to be published you will have to obtain copyright permission. The publisher/copyright owner of the image will need to be contacted and asked for their process for r…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing options
Gold open access For authors who want to publish their article gold open access, our article processing charge (APC) of £3,100 (+ any applicable tax) is applied. Our APC is all-inclusive and makes your article freely available online immediately, permanently, and includes your choice of Creative Commons licence (CC BY or CC BY-NC) at no extra cost. It is not a submission charge, so you only pay if…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Transparent peer review
Transparent peer review available Model summary
In the interest of transparency and open science, transparent peer review is where the editor’s decision letter, reviewers’ comments and authors’ response for all versions of the manuscript are published alongside the article under an Open Access Creative Commons licence (CC-BY) . You can see some examples here: Transparent peer review example oneTransparent peer review example twoTransparent peer…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint servers (for example, ChemRxiv, arXiv)
ChemRxiv & bioRxiv: The citation should include the author(s), the name of the preprint server, the year, the word “preprint” and the DOI (including version number). S. Bhattacharjee, S. P. Chaudhary and S. Bhattacharyya, ChemRxiv, 2019, preprint, DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv.9794270.v1 arXiv: The citation should include the author(s), the name of the preprint server, the year, the article number and th…
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
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2010
- ISSN
- 1759-9954
- Electronic ISSN
- 1759-9962
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Polymer Chemistry
What CAS zone is Polymer Chemistry in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Polymer Chemistry is in Zone 2 of Chemistry, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Polymer Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Chemistry. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Polymer Chemistry?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.89; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 170.
How long does peer review take at Polymer Chemistry?
Based on the dates recorded on 33 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 64 days (interquartile range 29–96 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “88%”. 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 are the manuscript requirements of Polymer Chemistry?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 50–250 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Polymer Chemistry based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (1), India (1) and Spain (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Polymer Chemistry?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Polymer Chemistry is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Polymer Chemistry open access, and what is the APC?
Polymer Chemistry is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .