Journal profile · Mechanics
Shock Waves
ISSN 0938-1287 · eISSN 1432-2153 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Bimonthly · Founded 1991
Shock Waves: CAS Zone 4 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.73; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 220 days to acceptance (74 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 48 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Shock Waves is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Combustion and Detonation Processes, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics and Gas Dynamics and Kinetic Theory, together about 44.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Shock Waves provides a forum for presenting and discussing new results in all fields where shock and detonation phenomena play a role. The journal addresses physicists, engineers and applied mathematicians working on theoretical, experimental or numerical issues, including diagnostics and flow visualization.The research fields considered include, but are not limited to, aero- and gas dynamics, acoustics, physical chemistry, condensed matter and plasmas, with applications encompassing materials sciences, space sciences, geosciences, life sciences and medicine.Of particular interest are contributions which provide insights into fundamental aspects of the techniques that are relevant to more than one specific research community.The journal publishes scholarly research papers, invited review articles and short notes, as well as comments on papers already published in this journal. Occasionally concise meeting reports of interest to the Shock Waves community are published.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Mechanics
Editor-in-chief Evgeny TimofeevPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 8, Canada 7, Australia 5, Japan 4, United Kingdom 3 (41 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Combustion and Detonation ProcessesEngineering16.5%
- Computational Fluid Dynamics and AerodynamicsEngineering16.3%
- Gas Dynamics and Kinetic TheoryMathematics11.8%
- Fluid Dynamics and Turbulent FlowsEngineering8.2%
- Energetic Materials and CombustionEngineering6.8%
- Laser-Plasma Interactions and DiagnosticsPhysics and Astronomy5%
- Plasma and Flow Control in AerodynamicsEngineering4%
- Structural Response to Dynamic LoadsEngineering3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mechanics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mechanics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mechanics | 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
EI CompendexINSPECCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 1.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,109OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 26.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 168,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,524 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 14 | 6 |
| 2025 | 48 | 17 | 65 |
| 2024 | 49 | 18 | 185 |
| 2023 | 40 | 14 | 247 |
| 2022 | 50 | 16 | 355 |
| 2021 | 79 | 22 | 867 |
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
220 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 174 days – 356 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 54 days (74 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 302 days
- Sample
- 74 articles with submission and acceptance dates (85 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,890 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted7
- commentsThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- original articleThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- original articlesThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- reviewsThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- technical noteThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
- technical notesThe journal accepts the following type of contributions: original articles, technical notes (normally not more than four printed pages), comments referring to p…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Shock Waves, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Reviewer suggestions and exclusions allowed at submission Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 0938-1287
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-2153
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Shock Waves
What CAS zone is Shock Waves in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Shock Waves is in Zone 4 of Engineering, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Mechanics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Shock Waves?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.73; CiteScore 3, h-index 79.
How long does peer review take at Shock Waves?
Based on the dates recorded on 74 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 220 days (interquartile range 174–356 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Shock Waves?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Shock Waves based?
Of the 41 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Canada (7) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Shock Waves?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Shock Waves is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Shock Waves open access, and what is the APC?
Shock Waves is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
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: .