Last Updated on September 1, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
Nature Photonics’s 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 38.1, reported in the 2026 Journal Citation Reports release. The journal is listed in Optics; Physics, Applied, with a current quartile of Q1. This page combines the latest metric with historical context, publishing information and practical submission guidance.
2026 data update
Journal Impact Factor year: 2025 · JCR release year: 2026 · Current JIF: 38.1 · Quartile: Q1
Nature Photonics journal metrics at a glance
| Metric | Current value |
|---|---|
| 2025 Journal Impact Factor | 38.1 |
| 5-year Journal Impact Factor | 39.5 |
| JCR category | Optics; Physics, Applied |
| JCR quartile | Q1 |
| Web of Science status | SCIE |
| Publishing model | Hybrid journal with a gold open-access option |
| Print ISSN | 1749-4885 |
| Online ISSN | 1749-4893 |
| Median first editorial decision | 11 days |
| Median submission to acceptance | 145 days |
Primary source: current metric and journal information were checked against Nature Photonics journal metrics. Historical values are presented as a year-by-year reference and should be verified in Journal Citation Reports for formal institutional use.
About Nature Photonics
Nature Photonics covers optics, lasers, imaging, communications, quantum photonics, optoelectronics, nanophotonics and the commercial development of photonic technologies. The journal is published by Nature Portfolio / Springer Nature.
The title uses print ISSN 1749-4885 and online ISSN 1749-4893. Matching the exact title and identifiers is important because similarly named journals can have different metrics, policies and indexing records.
What is the Nature Photonics Impact Factor in 2025?
The 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 38.1. Because the metric uses 2025 citation data and was released in the 2026 edition of Journal Citation Reports, “2025 JIF” and “JCR 2026” refer to the same reporting cycle.
The JIF is a journal-level citation average based on citations in the reporting year to eligible content published in the two preceding years. It should not be used as the quality score of an individual paper, author or institution.
Is Nature Photonics a Q1 journal?
Yes. The relevant category is Optics; Physics, Applied. Quartiles compare journals within a category, so they are more meaningful than comparing raw JIF values across unrelated disciplines.
Is Nature Photonics SCI or SCIE indexed?
The current Web of Science status used for this page is SCIE. “SCI indexed” is often used informally, but formal reporting should use the exact edition and current eligibility shown in the publisher or Clarivate record.
Nature Photonics Impact Factor trend, 2017–2025
| Impact Factor year | Journal Impact Factor |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 32.521 |
| 2018 | 31.583 |
| 2019 | 31.241 |
| 2020 | 38.771 |
| 2021 | 39.728 |
| 2022 | 35.0 |
| 2023 | 32.3 |
| 2024 | 32.9 |
| 2025 | 38.1 |
The current figure changed from 32.9 in 2024 to 38.1 in 2025, a rise of approximately 15.8%. That one-year movement should be read in the context of the complete series rather than treated as a verdict on article quality.
How to interpret the trend
Annual JIF changes can reflect shifts in article mix, citation timing, field activity and a small number of very highly cited papers. The history table is therefore descriptive. It should not be used to claim that every paper became stronger or weaker in a particular year.
For a submission decision, the better questions are whether the paper fits the journal’s scope, whether its evidence meets the editorial bar and whether the access, timing and policy requirements work for the authors.
Scope and research areas
Nature Photonics covers optics, lasers, imaging, communications, quantum photonics, optoelectronics, nanophotonics and the commercial development of photonic technologies.
Authors should read several recent papers and the current aims-and-scope page before submission. A title match or high JIF alone does not establish editorial fit.
Who should consider submitting?
A competitive paper should demonstrate a substantial photonics advance, strong experimental or theoretical validation and broad relevance within optics or adjacent technology fields.
Practical fit checks
- State the central advance and why it matters to Nature Photonics’s readership.
- Compare the work with the closest recent papers, not only with older landmark studies.
- Make the main claim proportional to the evidence and report important limitations.
- Confirm that the selected article type matches the manuscript’s purpose and length.
- Check current data, ethics, reporting and disclosure policies before upload.
Article types
Articles, Reviews, Perspectives, Comments, Correspondence and other Nature Portfolio formats.
Article-type names, limits and required sections can change. The publisher’s live author instructions should control the final choice rather than a third-party summary.
Publishing model and fees
Nature Photonics currently uses this publishing model: Hybrid journal with a gold open-access option. Fees, taxes, waivers, institutional agreements and funder arrangements can change, so authors should obtain the current quote from the publisher before making a budget decision.
A subscription route, when offered, is not the same as a gold open-access route. Authors should check whether their funder requires immediate open access, repository deposit or a particular Creative Commons licence.
Review process and decision time
The publisher currently reports a median of 11 days from submission to the first editorial decision and 145 days from submission to acceptance. These are medians, not guarantees, and the acceptance figure can include author-revision time.
A first editorial decision is not necessarily a peer-review report. It may be a desk decision, a request for information or a decision to send the manuscript to referees.
Submission checklist
- Read the current aims, scope and article-type guidance.
- Use the exact journal title and current submission portal.
- Prepare the abstract and cover letter around the main advance and audience fit.
- Check figure, table, reference and supplementary-file requirements.
- Include funding, conflict-of-interest and author-contribution statements.
- Provide data, code and materials statements where the policy requires them.
- Verify ethics approvals, trial registration or reporting checklists when applicable.
Data, code and research integrity
Authors should make the evidence supporting the main claims traceable and reproducible. Use recognized repositories when appropriate, provide accession numbers or persistent identifiers, and explain legitimate restrictions on sensitive data.
Image preparation, statistical reporting, authorship, competing interests and related-manuscript disclosures should be checked against the publisher’s current policies. A polished submission cannot compensate for missing underlying documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current Nature Photonics Impact Factor?
The current 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 38.1, released in the 2026 JCR cycle.
What quartile is Nature Photonics?
The current quartile used on this page is Q1 for Optics; Physics, Applied.
Is Nature Photonics open access?
The current model is Hybrid journal with a gold open-access option. Check the publisher’s live options before submission.
Does a high JIF guarantee acceptance?
No. Editors evaluate novelty, evidence, significance, reporting quality and audience fit. The JIF does not predict the outcome of an individual manuscript.
Where should authors verify the latest information?
Use Nature Photonics journal metrics for current journal information and Journal Citation Reports for formal JIF, category and quartile verification.
Sources and verification notes
- Nature Photonics journal metrics
- Clarivate Journal Citation Reports for the current JIF, category and quartile
- Publisher author instructions for article types, policies, access options and any current charges
This page separates the 2025 metric year from the 2026 release year, avoids unsupported acceptance-rate claims and does not assign invented values to years without a JIF.
