What is the Impact Factor of Physics Letters B?

According to the latest Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the Journal Impact Factor of Physics Letters B is 5.00, ranking in quartile Q1 of Web of Science (SCIE).

Is Physics Letters B indexed in Web of Science or Scopus?

Yes, Physics Letters B is indexed in Web of Science (SCIE, Q1 quartile). Furthermore, in Scopus (SCImago), it holds an SJR rating of 1.249 (Q1) and an H-index of 297.

Who publishes Physics Letters B and what is the Article Processing Charge (APC)?

Physics Letters B is published by Elsevier. It operates under a Diamond Open Access model, exempting authors completely from Article Processing Charges ($0 USD APC).

What is the ISO-4 abbreviation and acronym of Physics Letters B?

The official ISO-4 abbreviation of Physics Letters B is "PHYS. LETT. B" with common acronym "plb". This standardized title abbreviation is used in citation lists conforming to IEEE, APA, Harvard, or Vancouver styles.

WoS SCIE Q1Scopus Q1SCImago #3,391Top JournalDiamond OAHybrid

Physics Letters B

Acronym:plb

•

Abbreviation (ISO):PHYS. LETT. B

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Identifier (ISSN):0370-2693(Print)

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Publisher:Elsevier

Official Website Submission Portal Compare

Clarivate IF (2026)

5↑ +0.5

Journal Impact Factor

IF Trend↓

WoS Quartile

WoS SCIETop Tier

Clarivate WoS JCR

WoS Categories↓

JCR Release Date: 2026-06-17

Impact Factor Trend (2018–2026)

Clarivate IF trend for Physics Letters B

WoS Q1

Annual Impact Factor Metric

Current (2026):5

Scopus SJR & RankScopus Q1

1.249

#3,391

SCImago Journal Rank citation prestige weighting

Scopus Year: 2025

H-Index (2025)

297

297 papers with at least that number of citations each

WoS: SCIE / JCRTop Tier

Self-Citation Rate7%

Safe Level (< 15%)Warning Level (> 20%)

Self-citation below 15% indicates strong scholarly independence.

Volume & Open AccessHybrid

713articles/year

99.91% Gold OA•100% Original Research

Aims & Scope

Physics Letters B ensures the rapid publication of important new results in particle physics, nuclear physics and cosmology. Specialized editors are responsible for contributions in experimental nuclear physics, theoretical nuclear physics, experimental high-energy physics, theoretical high-energy physics, and astrophysics.

Topics Covered (Recognized by AI)

PhysicsQuantum MechanicsMathematicsNuclear PhysicsGeometryEngineeringComputer ScienceOpticsAstronomyMaterials ScienceChemistry

Primary Research Areas

Physics Physics: Multidisciplinary

Official Website NLM PubMed Catalog Submission Portal SCImago Profile

0 calls

Special Issues

Calls for Papers

No active Calls for Papers found for this journal.

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WoS Categories & Quartiles

Detailed JCR / JCI category rankings and quartile breakdown from Clarivate

Clarivate JCR & JCI

JCRSCIE2026

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Rank21/86

IndexSCIE

JCRSCIE2026

PHYSICS, NUCLEAR

Rank3/22

IndexSCIE

JCRSCIE2026

PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS

Rank6/31

IndexSCIE

JCISCIE2026

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Rank9/86

IndexSCIE

JCISCIE2026

PHYSICS, NUCLEAR

Rank3/22

IndexSCIE

JCISCIE2026

PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS

Rank3/31

IndexSCIE

Category	Index	Rank	Quartile
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS	JCRSCIE	21/86	Q1
PHYSICS, NUCLEAR	JCRSCIE	3/22	Q1
PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS	JCRSCIE	6/31	Q1
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS	JCISCIE	9/86	Q1
PHYSICS, NUCLEAR	JCISCIE	3/22	Q1
PHYSICS, PARTICLES & FIELDS	JCISCIE	3/31	Q1

Annual Historical Statistics & Publications

Track annual publication volume, total citations, and Impact Factor evolution

12 year

2026Latest

IF5

Articles / Year799

Total Citations482

2025

IF4.5

Articles / Year892

Total Citations3,702

2024

IF4.3

Articles / Year792

Total Citations6,708

2023

IF4.4

Articles / Year765

Total Citations10,282

2022

IF4.95

Articles / Year694

Total Citations10,089

Year	Impact Factor	Articles / Year	Total Citations
2026	5	799	482
2025	4.5	892	3,702
2024	4.3	792	6,708
2023	4.4	765	10,282
2022	4.95	694	10,089
2021	4.771	746	14,483
2020	4.384	839	22,295
2019	4.162	856	26,924
2018	4.254	951	33,461
2017	—	974	32,898
2016	—	993	33,764
2015	—	941	34,585

SCImago & Scopus Journal Intelligence

Global SCImago ranking, SJR prestige index, Scopus coverage, and societal policy impact

Rank #3,391Scopus Q1Diamond OASCImago Profile

Scopus Coverage:1967-2026

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Scopus Broad Areas:Physics and Astronomy

Scopus Citation Rank (SJR)Q1

1.249

Weighted prestige citation metric per document indexed in the Scopus database.

Quartile: Scopus Q1

Citations / Doc (2 years)

4.03

Average citations received per document published in the 2-year window.

2-Year Citation Window

Estimated Publication Fee (APC)

100% Free

Diamond Open Access: Authors publish completely free of charge with zero author-facing fees.

Diamond Open Access

Scopus 3-Year Publication & Citation Window

3-Year Citations8,642

3-Year Documents2,162

Citable Documents2,161

Aggregated from Scopus database across the 3-year SJR evaluation window.

Societal Impact & Inclusivity (SCImago)

Policy Citations (Overton)0

Citations in government and international policy documents

Female Author Rate23.0%

Percentage of female authors published in the journal

Real-world societal policy reach and author gender diversity tracked by SCImago.

Scopus Subject Categories

Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsQ1

Academic Metric Intelligence

Journal Metrics & Citation Visualizations

Total Cites vs Self-Cites

Evaluation of scholarly independence and citation reach

Total citations steady growth

Self-citation: 7%

Citations per Document

Citation metric windows across 2, 3, and 4 years

Cites / Doc (4 years)Cites / Doc (3 years)Cites / Doc (2 years)

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Classification

Major / minor zone classification and CAS Early Warning List history

Major Category (Broad Field):

2区 (Zone 2)Physics & Astrophysics

Minor Category (Specific Field):

2区ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

CAS Early Warning List History:

Updated annually: 2020 – 2024

2020

Not warned

2021

Not warned

2022

Not warned

2023

Not warned

2024

Not warned

Academic Intelligence Overview & Context

ImpaQ Analysis

Physics Letters B (acronym: plb, abbr: PHYS. LETT. B, ISSN: 0370-2693) is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal in the field of Physics, published by Elsevier in Netherlands since 1967. The periodical holds a Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 5.00, ranking in quartile Q1 of Web of Science (SCIE), a Scopus SJR indicator of 1.249 (Q1), an H-index of 297.

The journal enforces rigorous peer evaluation with an average review speed of 8.5周, a publication frequency of Weekly, an annual output of approximately 713 scientific articles. In terms of accessibility and author fees, it operates under the Hybrid model with Diamond Open Access (100% free of author APC charges). It serves as a benchmark publication platform for academics, researchers, and doctoral candidates seeking global research visibility.