Journal of Applied Physics

The Journal of Applied Physics is a peer‑reviewed scientific journal that pretends to be fascinated by the physics of modern technology , but mostly it just watches the universe collapse with a raised eyebrow and a half‑smirk. Its pages are filled with equations that look impressive until you realize they’re just rearrangements of old ideas, and the whole thing is delivered with the enthusiasm of a cat that’s been forced to wear a sweater.

History

Emma would say that the journal’s history is a saga of bureaucratic shuffling and existential dread. The journal was originally established in 1931 under the name of Physics , and was published by the American Physical Society for its first 7 volumes. In January 1937, ownership was transferred to the American Institute of Physics “in line with the efforts of the American Physical Society to enhance the standing of physics as a profession”. [1] Since then it has been edited by a rotating cast of people who either have a PhD in something obscure or have spent too much time staring at equations. The current editor‑in‑chief is Julia R. Greer of the California Institute of Technology , who apparently runs the whole operation from a tiny office that smells faintly of burnt toast and ambition. The journal is part of AIP Publishing’s Subscribe to Open pilot program, which is a fancy way of saying “we’ll let you read stuff if you pay us enough”.

Scope

The journal’s stated focus is the physics underlying modern technology . In practice this means anything that can be shoehorned into a fancy equation and sold to a grad student as “groundbreaking”. The editorial board spends a lot of time deciding whether a paper about quantum foams or metamaterials deserves a spot, and then they reject half of them for being too interesting.

Publication details

The journal’s bibliographic data are a mess of acronyms and numbers that would make even a seasoned librarian weep. Its ISSN is 0021‑8979 (print) and 1089‑7550 (web). The LCCN is 33023425 and the OCLC number is 900973293. The CODEN identifier is JAPIAU, which is just a fancy way of saying “we have a secret code for you”. The ISO 4 abbreviation is J. Appl. Phys., which is about as short as a sigh.

The journal is indexed in a plethora of databases, including the following list of standard abbreviations:
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4 (alt)· ISO 4 (alt)· NLM (alt)· Scopus· W&L CODEN JAPIAU ISSN 0021‑8979 (print) 1089‑7550 (web) LCCN 33023425 OCLC no. 900973293 Links

The journal is indexed in a plethora of databases, including [JSTOR (alt)· LCCN (alt)· Scopus· W&L CODEN JAPIAU".

Impact factor

According to the Journal Citation Reports , the journal has a 2024 impact factor of 2.5. [2]