Journal profile · Physics, Condensed Matter
Progress in Surface Science
ISSN 0079-6816 · eISSN 1878-4240 · Elsevier Ltd · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1972
Progress in Surface Science: CAS Zone 1 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.69; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,130; community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 15 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Progress in Surface Science is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Surface and Thin Film Phenomena, Advanced Chemical Physics Studies and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 29.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Progress in Surface Science publishes progress reports and review articles by authors with an established track record in the subject field of the review article. The papers are aimed at surface scientists and cover various aspects of surface science. Papers in the new section Invited Reviews, are from internationally recognized scientist that have been invited to submit a review article in a specific area. Because of the transdisciplinary nature of surface science, topics are chosen for their timeliness from across the wide spectrum of scientific and engineering subjects. The journal strives to promote the exchange of ideas between surface scientists in the various areas. Authors are encouraged to write articles that are of relevance and interest to both established surface scientists and newcomers in the field.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physics, Condensed Matter
Editor-in-chief H. RudolphPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 32%); most named Mainland China 6, Japan 4, Germany 4, United States 2, France 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Surface and Thin Film PhenomenaPhysics and Astronomy11%
- Advanced Chemical Physics StudiesPhysics and Astronomy9.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering8.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.7%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science6.7%
- Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy TechniquesMaterials Science6.5%
- nanoparticles nucleation surface interactionsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.4%
- Molecular Junctions and NanostructuresEngineering5.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physics, Condensed Matter | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
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
- 6.69LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 12.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 127OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 590OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 11LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,289 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| 2025 | 15 | 6 | 36 |
| 2024 | 9 | 6 | 54 |
| 2023 | 13 | 3 | 146 |
| 2022 | 11 | 5 | 173 |
| 2021 | 14 | 5 | 624 |
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 acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,130 / EUR 3,860 / GBP 3,310 / JPY 512,240 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,360 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted6
- opinionThe journal accepts review and perspective articles. Review articles contain a newly written overview of the current thinking of a topic in Surface Science base…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal accepts review and perspective articles. Review articles contain a newly written overview of the current thinking of a topic in Surface Science base…Length not stated
- perspective articlesPerspective articles are newly written articles that a focus on current advances and future directions in an emerging field of Surface Science.Length not stated
- reviewThe journal accepts review and perspective articles. Review articles contain a newly written overview of the current thinking of a topic in Surface Science base…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal accepts review and perspective articles. Review articles contain a newly written overview of the current thinking of a topic in Surface Science base…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles contain a newly written overview of the current thinking of a topic in Surface Science based primarily on previously published research on the t…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.
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 Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1972
- ISSN
- 0079-6816
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-4240
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Progress in Surface Science
What CAS zone is Progress in Surface Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Progress in Surface Science is in Zone 1 of Engineering, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Physics, Condensed Matter; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Progress in Surface Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.69; CiteScore 12.6, h-index 127.
Where are the editorial board members of Progress in Surface Science based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 32%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (6), Japan (4) and Germany (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Progress in Surface Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Progress in Surface Science is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Progress in Surface Science open access, and what is the APC?
Progress in Surface Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,130.
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: .