Physical Review Letters Journal Citation Rate 2026
0031-9007
eISSN 1079-7114
American Physical Society
US
Q1 Quartile Hybrid Top Tier
About Physical Review Letters
Physical Review Letters (PRL) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering Physical Sciences and Physics, published by American Physical Society in US and in circulation since 1958, catalogued under ISSN 0031-9007 (e-ISSN 1079-7114). As of 2026, it has a 2025 2-Year Citation Rate (OpenAlex) of 7.83 (Q1 quartile) — the average number of citations its recent articles received over a two-year window, computed from OpenAlex open citation data, not the Clarivate (JCR) Impact Factor. It operates a hybrid open-access model (APC ~$3135 USD). OpenAlex records 146,291 works and 13,427,483 citations, with an h-index of 980.
Physical Review Letters Citation Rate 2026 — In Context
Physical Review Letters has a 2025 2-Year Citation Rate (OpenAlex) of 7.83, placing it in the Q1 quartile within the Physical Sciences research area. This is the average number of citations the journal's recent articles received over a two-year window, computed from OpenAlex open citation data — not the Clarivate (JCR) Journal Impact Factor.
Physical Review Letters operates a hybrid open-access model — authors may pay an APC of approximately $3135 USD to make individual articles open access, while the rest remain subscription-only.
Researchers looking to publish in Physical Review Letters should review the journal's submission tips and verify the latest indexing status against Scopus, DOAJ, and Web of Science using our indexing tracker. To compare Physical Review Letters against similar journals in the field, use our journal comparison tool.
Submission Tips for Physical Review Letters
- Budget $3135 for the Article Processing Charge. Check if your institution or funder covers OA fees.
- This journal covers Physical Sciences, Physics. Ensure your manuscript aligns with these scope areas to avoid desk rejection.
How Physical Review Letters Compares
Compared against 9 journals in the same research areas.
| ISSN (Print) | 0031-9007 |
|---|---|
| ISSN (Online) | 1079-7114 |
| Publisher | American Physical Society |
| Country | United States |
| Established | 1958 |
| APC / Cost | $3135 USD |
| h-index | 981 |
| Total Works | 146,456 |
| Total Citations | 13,501,978 |
| 2-yr Mean Citedness | 8.98 (OpenAlex) |
In-depth profile & metrics
Physical Review Letters is published by American Physical Society, based in United States and in publication since 1958. It runs on a subscription or hybrid model with an article-processing charge of USD 3135.
In our subject taxonomy, Physical Review Letters is classified under Physical Sciences and Physics.
Physical Review Letters is indexed in OpenAlex. OpenAlex tracking provides an open, citable record of its output even where commercial indexing is absent.
OpenAlex records 146,456 works that have together drawn 13,501,978 citations, giving the journal an h-index of 981; its citation rate has held broadly steady over the last 6 years, from 8.500 (2019) to 7.828 (2025); OpenAlex puts its two-year mean citedness at 8.98.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Physical Review Letters
Live Indexing Status
Updated July 2026Track real-time indexing metrics to ensure this journal meets your academic requirements.
Citation Rate
Historical Trend
The impact factor has remained stable over the last 6 years (from 8.500 to 7.828), reflecting consistent citation performance.
Citation Rate by Year
| Year | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7.828 | 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex) |
| 2024 | 8.600 | 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex) |
| 2023 | 8.170 | 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex) |
| 2022 | 9.100 | 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex) |
| 2021 | 8.300 | 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex) |
Metrics are sourced from OpenAlex, DOAJ and Scopus and reflect the latest data we hold. The headline figure is a 2-year citation rate (OpenAlex), not a Clarivate Impact Factor. Always verify against the journal's official site before relying on it. See our Methodology or report a correction.
Works Published per Year (2014–2025)
Annual publication volume sourced from OpenAlex. Current year omitted (partial data).
Publication & citation history by year
| Year | Works published | Citations received |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,317 | 24,582 |
| 2024 | 2,583 | 46,807 |
| 2023 | 2,228 | 61,334 |
| 2022 | 2,159 | 75,199 |
| 2021 | 2,493 | 116,190 |
| 2020 | 2,890 | 160,029 |
| 2019 | 2,786 | 188,803 |
| 2018 | 2,955 | 224,915 |
| 2017 | 2,681 | 211,540 |
| 2016 | 2,535 | 234,576 |
| 2015 | 2,670 | 241,834 |
| 2014 | 3,018 | 282,731 |
Journal at a Glance
Source: OpenAlex — refreshed daily.
Top Research Topics
The areas where Physical Review Letters most frequently publishes, ranked by article volume. Click a topic to see the best journals for it.
Research Highlights
Recently published high-impact papers in this journal:
-
Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger
B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, T. D. Abbott et al. • 2016
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Metadata
Last updated: Jul 12, 2026
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