Journal rankings · indicator year 2024
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2024
Physics and Astronomy journal rankings 2024
361 ranked journals · Field in Physical Sciences
Physics and Astronomy has 361 ranked journals in 2024. The median OJR fell 0.05 on 2023 to 0.60, below the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 1.13. The top three are Reviews of Modern Physics, Physics Reports, and Advances in Optics and Photonics.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2024. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2021–2023, the window the 2024 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields in Physics and Astronomy (8)
Up to Physical Sciences361 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2023. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2021–2023, the window the 2024 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2021–2023 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2015 to 2024. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Reviews of Modern PhysicsAmerican Physical Society · United States | 17.69Q1 | 44.59 7.13 down from 2023 | 102 | 37% | — | ||
2Physics ReportsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 9.50Q1 | 30.02 4.74 up from 2023 | 152 | 64% | $6,240 | ||
3Advances in Optics and PhotonicsOptica Publishing Group · United States | 8.90Q1 | 31.77 0.77 down from 2023 | 37 | 36% | — | ||
4eLightOASpringer Nature · Singapore | 8.24Q1 | 33.63 5.59 up from 2023 | 55 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
5Progress in Particle and Nuclear PhysicsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 6.44Q1 | 14.05 2.91 up from 2023 | 101 | 82% | $4,780 | ||
6Nature PhotonicsNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 6.36Q1 | 22.22 0.16 up from 2023 | 561 | 36% | $12,690 | ||
7International Journal of Mathematics and Computer in EngineeringPublisher not listed | 5.88Q1 | 14.13no 2023 value | 31 | 100% | — | — | |
8Reports on Progress in PhysicsIOP Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.43Q1 | 17.65 0.96 up from 2023 | 126 | 80% | $4,680 | ||
9PhotoniXOASpringer Nature · Singapore | 5.34Q1 | 19.77 1.83 up from 2023 | 87 | 100% | $2,239 | ||
10Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Computational Molecular ScienceWiley · United States | 5.23Q1 | 26.10 9.04 up from 2023 | 153 | 52% | $5,230 | ||
11SciPost Physics CodebasesOAPublisher not listed | 4.98Q1 | 13.69 7.31 down from 2023 | 45 | 100% | — | ||
12Light Science & ApplicationsOASpringer Nature · United Kingdom | 4.67Q1 | 18.07 0.63 up from 2023 | 849 | 100% | $4,190 | ||
13Physical Review XOAAmerican Physical Society · United States | 3.76Q1 | 13.00 3.42 up from 2023 | 677 | 100% | $4,200 | ||
14Progress in Quantum ElectronicsElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 3.49Q1 | 14.62 5.71 up from 2023 | 42 | 48% | $4,090 | ||
15The Astrophysical Journal LettersOAIOP Publishing · United Kingdom | 3.45Q1 | 11.83 3.71 up from 2023 | 1,986 | 100% | $2,400 | ||
16Space Science ReviewsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 3.24Q1 | 7.92 1.34 down from 2023 | 216 | 86% | $5,290 | ||
17Nature PhysicsNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 3.23Q1 | 9.58no change | 1,112 | 42% | $12,690 | ||
18Computer Physics CommunicationsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.85Q1 | 3.34 4.92 down from 2023 | 915 | 61% | $4,160 | ||
19Nature AstronomyNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 2.85Q1 | 7.68 1.09 up from 2023 | 816 | 47% | $12,690 | ||
20OpticaOAOptica Publishing Group · United States | 2.75Q1 | 9.34 0.02 down from 2023 | 646 | 100% | $3,208 | ||
21Ultrafast ScienceOAAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science · China | 2.73Q1 | 8.89 5.21 down from 2023 | 71 | 100% | — | ||
22Physical Review LettersAmerican Physical Society · United States | 2.63Q1 | 8.32 0.41 up from 2023 | 6,711 | 51% | $3,750 | ||
23The Astrophysical Journal Supplement SeriesOAInstitute of Physics · United Kingdom | 2.61Q1 | 7.63 0.65 up from 2023 | 914 | 100% | $4,499 | ||
24Light Advanced ManufacturingOAChina | 2.51Q1 | 9.25 1.10 up from 2023 | 129 | 100% | — | ||
25Nature Reviews PhysicsNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 2.30Q1 | 14.65 3.68 down from 2023 | 389 | 28% | — | ||
26SciPost Physics Lecture NotesOASciPost.org · Netherlands | 2.21Q1 | 5.17 0.44 up from 2023 | 56 | 100% | — | ||
27Progress of Theoretical and Experimental PhysicsOAUniversity of Oxford · Japan | 2.18Q1 | 6.79 1.35 up from 2023 | 504 | 100% | $979 | ||
28Reviews in Mineralogy and GeochemistryMineralogical Society of America · United States | 2.17Q1 | 6.95 0.73 up from 2023 | 74 | 13% | — | ||
29Fortschritte der PhysikWiley · Germany | 2.14Q1 | 6.53 1.36 up from 2023 | 192 | 61% | $3,460 | ||
30Ukrainian Journal of Physical OpticsOAUkraine | 2.03Q1 | 8.00 2.82 down from 2023 | 95 | 100% | — | ||
31Publications of the Astronomical Society of the PacificInstitute of Physics · United Kingdom | 1.98Q1 | 7.32 4.26 up from 2023 | 327 | 78% | $3,325 | ||
32Astroparticle PhysicsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.91Q1 | 2.92 2.46 down from 2023 | 131 | 54% | $2,920 | ||
33Advances in Physics XOATaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.88Q1 | 8.34 2.66 up from 2023 | 101 | 100% | $1,895 | ||
34Chaos Solitons & FractalsElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.87Q1 | 5.76 0.05 up from 2023 | 3,403 | 19% | $3,970 | ||
35Physics of the Dark UniverseElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.87Q1 | 6.34 1.63 up from 2023 | 529 | 35% | $3,660 | ||
36Photonics ResearchOptica Publishing Group · United States | 1.84Q1 | 7.49 0.23 up from 2023 | 917 | 9% | — | ||
37Communications PhysicsOANature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 1.84Q1 | 6.06 0.46 up from 2023 | 963 | 100% | $3,990 | ||
38Journal of Ocean Engineering and ScienceOAElsevier BV · China | 1.83Q1 | 3.81 1.43 down from 2023 | 317 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
39SIAM ReviewSociety for Industrial and Applied Mathematics · United States | 1.81Q1 | 4.33 0.40 up from 2023 | 133 | 29% | — | ||
40The Open Journal of AstrophysicsOAIreland | 1.73Q1 | 5.00 1.79 up from 2023 | 87 | 100% | — | ||
41Annual Review of Astronomy and AstrophysicsAnnual Reviews · United States | 1.70Q1 | 28.96 9.80 up from 2023 | 39 | 88% | — | ||
42SuperconductivityOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.67Q1 | 6.27 0.11 up from 2023 | 71 | 100% | $2,100 | ||
43AAPPS bulletinOASpringer Nature · South Korea | 1.65Q1 | 4.73 0.32 down from 2023 | 97 | 100% | $2,190 | ||
44SciPost PhysicsOASciPost.org · Netherlands | 1.64Q1 | 4.91 0.20 up from 2023 | 1,029 | 100% | — | ||
45Nonlinear DynamicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.63Q1 | 6.25 0.69 up from 2023 | 3,002 | 15% | $4,790 | ||
46Physics Letters BOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.62Q1 | 4.13 0.54 up from 2023 | 2,159 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
47Publications of the Astronomical Society of AustraliaCambridge University Press · Australia | 1.59Q1 | 4.27 1.20 up from 2023 | 191 | 82% | $3,550 | ||
48APL PhotonicsOAAIP Publishing · United States | 1.57Q1 | 5.86 0.10 down from 2023 | 464 | 100% | $2,750 | ||
49Matter and Radiation at ExtremesOAAmerican Institute of Physics · China | 1.56Q1 | 4.56 0.05 down from 2023 | 168 | 100% | — | ||
50Advanced Photonics NexusOAPublisher not listed | 1.52Q1 | 5.64 0.69 up from 2023 | 97 | 100% | — |
Citations made in 2024. Corpus-wide, 87.1% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
67 additional Physics and Astronomy journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2021–2023, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2024. Publication window: 2021–2023. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 361
- Window papers (baseline)
- 353,510 -4.8% from indicator year 2021
- Median OJR
- 0.600 -2.2% from indicator year 2021
- Rising journals (2025)
- 36Comparison-group list (36)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2021–2023 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 220 | 234 | 232 | 241 | 243 | 250 | 252 | 261 | 269 | 273 | 276 | 291 | 303 | 310 | 321 | 324 | 334 | 343 | 348 | 367 | 380 | 379 | 368 | 368 | 361 | 358 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 239,411 | 246,506 | 254,602 | 264,968 | 276,497 | 287,864 | 301,824 | 318,045 | 328,993 | 337,594 | 340,171 | 347,983 | 354,503 | 362,347 | 368,160 | 376,730 | 379,807 | 383,796 | 380,664 | 378,685 | 375,462 | 371,519 | 367,990 | 360,929 | 353,510 | 350,521 | |
| Median OJR | 0.58340 | 0.56 | 0.57 | 0.58338 | 0.602 | 0.627 | 0.67 | 0.683 | 0.643 | 0.681 | 0.69 | 0.648 | 0.653 | 0.634 | 0.675 | 0.71 | 0.662 | 0.660 | 0.631 | 0.614 | 0.640 | 0.613 | 0.59 | 0.652 | 0.600 | 0.62 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 6.4% | 293 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 0.285 per 1,000 | 278 journals |
| Output growth | Median: +0.6% | 326 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 73.4% | 358 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,000 | 213 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 30.1% | 348 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.0% | 358 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 0.61 | 352 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 38.3% | 358 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 48.2% | 356 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.