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. It is catalogued under ISSN 0031-9007 (electronic ISSN 1079-7114).
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 a OpenAlex 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 |
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.
Its citation rate has held broadly steady over the last 6 years, from 8.500 (2019) to 7.828 (2025).
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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.
Research Highlights
Recently published high-impact papers in this journal:
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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
Updated by: system
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