Journal profile · Operations Research & Management Science
Top
ISSN 1134-5764 · eISSN 1863-8279 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · SPAIN · Semiannual · Founded 1993
Top: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.37; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,990; median 221 days to acceptance (42 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 20 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Top is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Vehicle Routing Optimization Methods, Game Theory and Voting Systems and Advanced Optimization Algorithms Research, together about 25.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
TOP is an international Journal of Operations Research created and supported by the Spanish Society of Statistics, Operations Research and Data Science. TOP publishes original papers that significantly contribute to the theory and methodology of Operations Research, or the practice of Data-Driven Decision Making through innovative applications of Operations Research.TOP considers the following types of papers for publication:• Invited Reviews written by leading scholars and invited by the Editors-in-Chief, describing the state of the art as well as future lines of research for a broad and timely Operations Research (OR) topic. Multiple discussants with leading expertise in the topic are invited to write a short piece with comments on the review, which are published alongside a rejoinder written by the authors.• Theory and Methodology Papers, presenting original research results contributing to the methodology of OR and its theoretical foundations.• Innovative Applications Papers, presenting novel ways to solve real-world problems with state-of-the-art OR techniques.TOP does not accept proposals for guest-edited issues.When submitting a paper for consideration, the authors will need to choose from a comprehensive list of Keywords: Bioinformatics Combinatorial Optimization Conic programming and interior point methods Continuous Optimization Cutting and Packing Data Science and Machine Learning Decision Theory Dynamic Programming Efficiency and Productivity Analysis Forecasting Game Theory: cooperative games Game Theory: non cooperative games Global Optimization Graphs and Networks Heuristics Large Scale Optimization Location Logistics, Transportation and Distribution Planning Manufacturing, Production and Retail Operations Planning Metaheuristics Mixed Integer (Linear and Nonlinear) Optimization Multiple Criteria Analysis and Multiobjective Optimization Nonlinear Optimization OR and Education OR in Energy OR in Finance OR in Health Services OR in Humanitarian Operations OR in Natural Resources, Agriculture and Forest Management OR in Sports Parallel Computing, Distributed Computing, and Vector Processing Pricing and Revenue Management Project Management Queueing and Stochastic Models Reliability and Maintenance Risk Management Robust Optimization Routing Semi-infinite programming Sequencing and Scheduling Simulation Software, Benchmarks, Numerical Experimentation and Comparisons Stochastic Optimization Supply Chain Management Sustainable OR Officially cited
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Operations Research & Management Science
Editor-in-chief Francisco J. Aragón-ArtachoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Spain 20, Italy 4, Chile 4, Denmark 2, Macau, China 1 (36 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Vehicle Routing Optimization MethodsEngineering8.9%
- Game Theory and Voting SystemsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.7%
- Advanced Optimization Algorithms ResearchMathematics8.2%
- Optimization and Variational AnalysisComputer Science7.5%
- Auction Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences5.5%
- Advanced Queuing Theory AnalysisBusiness, Management and Accounting5.1%
- Facility Location and Emergency ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting5.1%
- Game Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management 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
zbMATHEconLitCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
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
- 1.37LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- h-index
- 19LetPub ·
- h-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 325OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.15OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 77,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,021 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 11 | 2 |
| 2025 | 20 | 11 | 31 |
| 2024 | 28 | 15 | 113 |
| 2023 | 12 | 7 | 42 |
| 2022 | 29 | 15 | 214 |
| 2021 | 34 | 15 | 329 |
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
221 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 168 days – 311 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (42 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 244 days
- Sample
- 42 articles with submission and acceptance dates (45 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 ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 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 2,990 / EUR 2,390 / GBP 2,090 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
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
Page limit of 40 pages for submissions Model summary
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 Competing Interests
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data deposit in public repositories encouraged 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
COPE member Model summary
As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) the journal will follow the COPE guidelines on how to deal with potential acts of misconduct.
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 TOP, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general. Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection, they will not handle the peer review process. Back to top
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
- SPAIN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semiannual
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 1134-5764
- Electronic ISSN
- 1863-8279
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 34, Issue 2 (July 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Top
What CAS zone is Top in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Top is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Operations Research & Management Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Top?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.37; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 51.
How long does peer review take at Top?
Based on the dates recorded on 42 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 221 days (interquartile range 168–311 days); authors report an average review time of over 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 Top?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Top based?
Of the 36 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Spain (20), Italy (4) and Chile (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Top?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Top is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists zbMATH, EconLit and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Top open access, and what is the APC?
Top is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,990.
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: .