Journal profile · Computer Science, Software Engineering
RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS
ISSN 1042-9832 · eISSN 1098-2418 · John Wiley and Sons Ltd · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly
RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS: CAS Zone 3 · Mathematics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.12; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,550; median 395 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 69 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS is published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd and is in Zone 3 of Mathematics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Limits and Structures in Graph Theory, Stochastic processes and statistical mechanics and Advanced Graph Theory Research, together about 42.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
It is the aim of this journal to meet two main objectives: to cover the latest research on discrete random structures, and to present applications of such research to problems in combinatorics and computer science. The goal is to provide a natural home for a significant body of current research, and a useful forum for ideas on future studies in randomness.Results concerning random graphs, hypergraphs, matroids, trees, mappings, permutations, matrices, sets and orders, as well as stochastic graph processes and networks are presented with particular emphasis on the use of probabilistic methods in combinatorics as developed by Paul Erdõs. The journal focuses on probabilistic algorithms, average case analysis of deterministic algorithms, and applications of probabilistic methods to cryptography, data structures, searching and sorting. The journal also devotes space to such areas of probability theory as percolation, random walks and combinatorial aspects of probability.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Software Engineering
Editor-in-chief Tom BohmanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 18, Israel 5, United Kingdom 3, Canada 2, Australia 2 (40 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Limits and Structures in Graph TheoryMathematics16.1%
- Stochastic processes and statistical mechanicsMathematics14.7%
- Advanced Graph Theory ResearchComputer Science11.7%
- Markov Chains and Monte Carlo MethodsMathematics8.6%
- Graph theory and applicationsMathematics6.3%
- Complexity and Algorithms in GraphsComputer Science5.8%
- Complex Network Analysis TechniquesPhysics and Astronomy3.3%
- Random Matrices and ApplicationsMathematics3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Mathematics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Applied | Zone 3 |
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 ScienceMathSciNetzbMATHDBLPCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 1.12LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- h-index
- 55LetPub ·
- h-index
- 102OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,019OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.76OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 49.71%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 55LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 55Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 63,186Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,418 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59 | 48 | 4 |
| 2025 | 69 | 54 | 55 |
| 2024 | 67 | 49 | 89 |
| 2023 | 81 | 58 | 204 |
| 2022 | 68 | 34 | 195 |
| 2021 | 89 | 61 | 405 |
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
395 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 284 days – 541 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 439 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (128 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 25%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 25%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 33 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 33 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 387 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 25 daysPublisher 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 4,550 / EUR 3,790 / GBP 3,040 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship Authorship
Please refer to the journal’s authorship policy the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section for details on eligibility for author listing. On initial submission, the submitting author will be prompted to provide the email address and country for all contributing authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest
Journal versions of conference papers accepted if expanded (e.g., more detailed proofs). Model summary
RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS accepts submissions of a "journal" version of a paper which appeared earlier in conference proceedings. However, the new version should be expanded, e.g. by more detailed proofs.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Accessibility
Data sharing expected; data accessibility statement with repository link should be included. Model summary
The journal expects authors to share the data and other artefacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving it in an appropriate public repository. Authors should include a data accessibility statement, including a link to the repository they have used, in order that this statement can be published alongside their paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read Wiley'sTop 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors here. Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement
Copyright transfer agreement for non-OA; Creative Commons OAA choice for OA. Model summary
If the Open Access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing Open Access
Free format submission offered. Model summary
If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Acceptance
COPE member; uses iThenticate CrossCheck for similarity detection. Model summary
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints PREPRINT POLICY
Preprints considered for review; authors may post submitted version to non-commercial servers and should update pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Model summary
This journal will consider for review articles previously available as preprints on non-commercial servers such as ArXiv, bioRxiv, psyArXiv, SocArXiv, engrXiv, etc. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to non-commercial servers at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies
Note that the journal’s standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions. Please click here for more detailed information about self-archiving definitions and policies.
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
- John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- ISSN
- 1042-9832
- Electronic ISSN
- 1098-2418
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 69, Issue 2 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS
What CAS zone is RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS is in Zone 3 of Mathematics, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Computer Science, Software Engineering / Mathematics / Mathematics, Applied. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Mathematics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.12; CiteScore 2, h-index 102.
How long does peer review take at RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 395 days (interquartile range 284–541 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 25% (2025). 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.
Where are the editorial board members of RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS based?
Of the 40 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), Israel (5) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MathSciNet, zbMATH, DBLP and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS open access, and what is the APC?
RANDOM STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .