Journal profile · Polymer Science
Polymer Journal
ISSN 0032-3896 · eISSN 1349-0540 · Springer Nature · JAPAN · Monthly · Founded 1970
Polymer Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Chemistry (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.03; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,390; median 48 days to acceptance (92 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 125 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Polymer Journal is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 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, Polymer crystallization and properties and Synthesis and properties of polymers, together about 30% of its articles. Its main subfields are Polymers and Plastics and Organic Chemistry. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Polymer Journal is the official journal of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ) and publishes high-quality Original Articles, Notes, Short Communications and Reviews on cutting-edge developments in macromolecule research. It is an international peer-reviewed journal that is published on a monthly basis. Read more about our aims and scope. The editorial team is led by Professor Keiji Tanaka and includes a diverse and respected editorial board. Together they work towards cementing Polymer Journal as an essential resource for scientists and one of the leading forums for discourse in the global polymer community. Moving forwards, the journal aims to provide an integrated platform for scientific communication, facilitating the advancement of polymer science and related fields. Polymer Journal is now accepting submissions of papers discussing all aspects of macromolecule research and related fields. Consult the instructions for authors and submit your paper today.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Polymer Science
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Polymer Synthesis and CharacterizationChemistry11.4%
- Polymer crystallization and propertiesMaterials Science9.7%
- Synthesis and properties of polymersMaterials Science8.8%
- biodegradable polymer synthesis and propertiesMaterials Science8.1%
- Polymer Nanocomposites and PropertiesMaterials Science7.7%
- Conducting polymers and applicationsMaterials Science5.1%
- Photopolymerization techniques and applicationsChemistry3.5%
- Synthetic Organic Chemistry MethodsChemistry3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Chemistry Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Chemistry Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Chemistry Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Polymer Science | Zone 4 |
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 ScienceCASCurrent ContentsPublisher 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
- 3.03LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.62LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 61LetPub ·
- h-index
- 121OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,420OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 117LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,386,363Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,361 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 128 | 60 | 71 |
| 2025 | 125 | 60 | 378 |
| 2024 | 142 | 62 | 1,034 |
| 2023 | 122 | 48 | 960 |
| 2022 | 151 | 23 | 1,928 |
| 2021 | 145 | 23 | 1,757 |
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
48 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 37 days – 63 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 39 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 93 days
- Sample
- 92 articles with submission and acceptance dates (295 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 2.5 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 4,390 / EUR 3,390 / GBP 2,790 | — | — |
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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1970
- ISSN
- 0032-3896
- Electronic ISSN
- 1349-0540
- Society / sponsor
- Society of Polymer Science
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Polymer Journal
What CAS zone is Polymer Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Polymer Journal is in Zone 4 of Chemistry, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Polymer Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Chemistry. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Polymer Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.03; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 121.
How long does peer review take at Polymer Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 92 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 48 days (interquartile range 37–63 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.5 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 Polymer Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Polymer Journal is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Polymer Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Polymer Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,390.
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: .