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Note on Premier Journals in Optics

Introduction

This note introduces mainstream academic journals in the field of optics. Please keep in mind that the ranks and comments provided for these journals are subjective and reflect only my personal impressions.

Tier 1

Nature

  • Link: https://www.nature.com/
  • Impact factor: 64.8 (2022)
  • Average review time: 4.1 months [1]
  • Comment: One of the most high-impact interdisciplinary academic journals. This journal tends to publish more papers in the field of biology and materials in recent years, for one reason for another.

Science

  • Link: https://www.science.org/
  • Impact factor: 56.9 (2022)
  • Average review time: 5.2 months [2]
  • Comment: Science is another highly respected interdisciplinary journal, similar to Nature in its prestige and scope.

Tier 2

Nature Photonics

  • Link: https://www.nature.com/nphoton/
  • Impact factor: 34.9 (2022)
  • Average review time: 1.7 months [3]
  • Comment: Nature Photonics is a scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group. It is widely regarded as the leading academic journal dedicated to the field of optics. The journal maintains a highly selective publication process, accepting only around 100 papers per year.

Light: Science & Applications

  • Link: https://www.nature.com/lsa/
  • Impact factor: 19.4 (2022)
  • Average review time: 3.3 months [4]
  • Comment: Light: Science & Application is a prestigious journal that was established through a collaboration between the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) and the Nature Publishing Group. This journal has gained worldwide recognition as one of the leading publications in the field of optics.

Tier 3

Nature Communications

  • Link: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/
  • Impact factor: 16.6 (2022)
  • Average review time: 4.3 months [5]
  • Comment: Nature Communications is a highly respected interdisciplinary journal published by the Nature Publishing Group. This journal focuses on research that has the potential for significant real-world applications or that can generate widespread interest within the scientific community.

Optica

  • Link: https://www.optica.org/
  • Impact factor: 10.4 (2022)
  • Average review time: 4.3 months [6]
  • Comment: Optica is an open access, online-only journal dedicated to the rapid dissemination of high-impact peer-reviewed research across the entire spectrum of optics and photonics. Published monthly by Optica Publishing Group, Optica provides a forum for pioneering research to be swiftly accessed by the international community, whether that research is theoretical or experimental, fundamental or applied.

Tier 4

ACS Photonics

  • Link: https://pubs.acs.org/journal/apchd5
  • Impact factor: 7.0 (2022)
  • Average review time: 2.4 months [7]
  • Comment: ACS Photonics is an interdisciplinary forum to communicate on the latest advances in the field of photonics, all the way from basic research to applied research and technology. Embracing the transversality of photonics, it connects scientists and technologists from a broad scientific spectrum, at the interface between physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. It also aims at bridging the gap between the academic and industrial worlds.

APL Photonics

  • Link: https://pubs.aip.org/app
  • Impact factor: 6.1 (2022)
  • Average review time: 4.8 months [8]
  • Comment: APL Photonics is the dedicated home for open access multidisciplinary research from and for the photonics community. The journal publishes fundamental and applied results that significantly advance the knowledge in photonics across physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. It welcomes high-quality original contributions to the science of light and the technology that generates, controls, and detects photons.

Photonics Research

  • Link: https://opg.optica.org/prj/
  • Impact factor: 7.6 (2022)
  • Average review time: 4.1 months [9]
  • Comment: The journal publishes fundamental and applied research progress in optics and photonics. Photonics Research is a joint publishing effort of the Optica Publishing Group and Chinese Laser Press.

Journal of Lightwave Technology

  • Link: https://opg.optica.org/jlt/
  • Impact factor: 4.7 (2022)
  • Average review time: 1.3 months [10]
  • Comment: The JOURNAL OF LIGHTWAVE TECHNOLOGY is comprised of original contributions, both regular papers and letters, covering work in all aspects of optical guided-wave science, technology, and engineering. Manuscripts are solicited which report original theoretical and/or experimental results which advance the technological base of guided-wave technology. Tutorial and review papers are by invitation only. System oriented manuscripts should be concerned with systems which perform a function not previously available, out-perform previously established systems, or represent enhancements in the state of the art in general.
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Reference

  1. https://scirev.org/journal/nature/
  2. https://scirev.org/journal/science/
  3. https://scirev.org/journal/nature-photonics/
  4. https://scirev.org/journal/light-science/
  5. https://scirev.org/journal/nature-communications/
  6. https://opg.optica.org/optica/journal/optica/about.cfm
  7. https://scirev.org/journal/acs-photonics/
  8. https://doaj.org/toc/2378-0967
  9. https://opg.optica.org/prj/journal/prj/about.cfm
  10. https://www.ieee-jlt.org/Info-for-Authors