List of Top Open Peer-reviewed Journals in Physics and Astronomy (2024)

List of Top Open Peer-reviewed Journals in Physics and Astronomy (2024)

1. Physics (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)
2. Environmental Research: Climate
3. Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems
4. Asian Journal of Physical and Chemical Sciences
5. SciPost Physics Core
6. Astronomy (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)
7. SciPost Physics Proceedings
8. Asian Journal of Research and Reviews in Physics
9. History of Geo- and Space Sciences
10. Plasma (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)
11. Papers in Physics
12. International Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Journal
13. SciPost Physics Lecture Notes
14. Atoms (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)
15. Magnetic Resonance
16. SciPost Physics
17. Physical Science International Journal
18. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
19. Applied Sciences (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)
20. South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products
21. Solids (Optional Open-peer-reviewed)

What is open peer review?

Open peer review (OPR), where review reports and reviewers’ identities are published alongside the articles, represents one of the last aspects of the open science movement to be widely embraced, although its adoption has been growing since the turn of the century (Wolfram etal., 2020) . Open peer review refers to various modifications of the traditional scholarly peer review process. These modifications aim to address perceived shortcomings of the conventional system. Here are the three common forms of open peer review:

1. Open Identities:

• In open peer review, authors and reviewers are aware of each other’s identities. Unlike traditional peer review, where reviewers remain anonymous to anyone but the journal’s editors, open peer review allows transparency by revealing reviewer names to authors.
• However, reviewer identities may or may not be disclosed to the public.

1. Open Reports:

• Under this model, review reports are made public, rather than being confidentially shared only with the article’s authors. This includes publishing not only the reviewers’ comments but also the authors’ responses and editors’ recommendations.
• Typically, this applies to articles accepted for publication, not those that are rejected. 

1. Open Participation:

• In open peer review, self-selected reviewers (beyond invited experts) can comment on an article. The assumption is that the article’s content is openly accessible.
• These self-selected reviewers may contribute either brief comments or comprehensive reviews.
• The text of the article is openly available, allowing broader community participation in the review process.

The adoption of open peer review aims to enhance transparency, provide incentives, reduce wastefulness, and address issues like bullying and harassment in scholarly communication.

What are the benefits of Open Peer Review?

Open peer review (OPR) is a transparent process that allows scholarly articles to be evaluated by experts in the field, while also revealing the identities of both authors and reviewers. OPR can improve the quality of research by:

• Encouraging constructive feedback: Openness in the identities of authors and reviewers can lead to better quality feedback rather than simply rejecting the paper.
• Reducing bias: Everything is openly available to all, which can reduce the possibility of bias.
• Empowering authors: Authors can lead the process by suggesting reviewers themselves.
• Improving accountability: The quality of current scientific publications is at stake.
• Encouraging collaboration: OPR encourages collaboration and promotes diversity of perspectives, ultimately leading to more robust and credible research outcomes.
• Providing learning opportunities: OPR places a research work in the context of a discussion, and gives authors, readers and others a chance to better understand the process from the initial manuscript submission to final published version.
• Exposing possible conflicts of interest: OPR may help to expose possible conflicts of interest in some cases.

Adoption of OPR by publishers (Wolfram etal., 2020) [1]

 A summary of the most prolific publishers contributing to OPR and their headquarters country appears below. Although many journals today attract an international audience and are managed by international teams of researchers, the prevalence of OPR journals associated with publishers based in Europe stands out. Twenty-four of the 38 (63.2%) identified publishers are based in Europe and account for 445 out of the 617 titles (72.1%). Although the publishers are based in Europe, many of the journals they publish may support journals originating from other areas of the world (e.g., Kowsar). Furthermore, 500 of the OPR journals (81.0%) are published by only five publishers (MDPI, SDI, BioMed Central, Frontiers Media S.A., Kowsar). This points to the important role that publishers have played to date in the promotion of OPR (Wolfram etal., 2020) [1].

1. *United Kingdom (19 journals), United States (9), Argentina (1), Bulgaria (1), Canada (1), France (1), Germany (1), Ireland (1), Kenya (1), The Netherlands (1), Switzerland (1)

Recent Biggest Discoveries and advances in Physical Science Research (2024)

1. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): The JWST, a cutting-edge space observatory, began its scientific operations in 2022. Its golden, honeycombed eye has captured breathtaking infrared views of the cosmos. From distant galaxies to nearby planets and moons, JWST’s observations continually challenge established theories and force scientists to reimagine cosmic objects’ origins, including stars and black holes [2].
2. Gravitational Waves from Colliding Supermassive Black Holes: In 2023, astronomers detected evidence of gravitational waves produced by colliding supermassive black holes. These ripples in space-time were scrutinized for 15 years, revealing the intricate dance of these cosmic giants [2].
3. Quantum World Advancements: Scientists are busy exploring and manipulating the quantum world, where normal rules often don’t apply. Quantum computing’s basic hardware, known as qubits, has seen remarkable progress. Additionally, improvements in quantum error correction, a challenging problem, promise to enhance quantum technologies [2].
4. Condensed Matter Physics: Breakthroughs abound in this field. An experiment in 2022 nearly confirmed the origin of high-temperature superconductivity, potentially revolutionizing technology. Two-dimensional materials, including a flat crystal once used for ski lubrication, now serve as platforms for exotic quantum phenomena [2].

Recent Biggest Discoveries and advances in Astronomy (2024)

1. Exoplanet Confirmation with JWST:
   • Researchers confirmed an exoplanet using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for the first time. Formally known as LHS 475 b, this planet orbits another star and is nearly the same size as Earth, measuring 99% of Earth’s diameter. JWST’s pristine data validated its existence, and the fact that it’s a small, rocky planet is impressive for the observatory. These observations open doors to studying rocky planet atmospheres with JWST [3].
2. High-Resolution Map of a Galactic Explosion:
   • Astronomers recently produced the first high-resolution map of a massive explosion in a nearby galaxy. This breakthrough sheds light on how the space between galaxies gets polluted with chemical [4].
3. Advancements in Quantum World:
   • Scientists are actively exploring and manipulating the quantum realm. Quantum computing’s basic hardware (qubits) has seen remarkable progress, and improvements in quantum error correction promise to enhance quantum technologies [3].
4. ESA’s Euclid Mission and XRISM:
   • In development are ESA’s Euclid mission, which will use NASA-furnished detectors, and JAXA’s XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy) mission, utilizing NASA-furnished technologies. These missions aim to provide breakthroughs in studying the structure formation of the universe, outflows from galaxy nuclei, and dark matter [5].
5. Citizen Scientists Spotting Asteroids:
   • Citizen scientists have discovered more than 1,000 new asteroids by poring over old Hubble Telescope photos. These contributions play a vital role in our understanding of the cosmos [6].

References

1. Wolfram, D., Wang, P., Hembree, A. et al. Open peer review: promoting transparency in open science. Scientometrics 125, 1033–1051 (2020). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-020-03488-4
2. Castelvecchi, D. (2023). Gravitational waves from giant black-hole collision reveal long-sought’ringing’. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03813-w
3. NASA’s Webb Confirms Its First Exoplanet – NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-confirms-its-first-exoplanet/.
4. Astronomy News — ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/astronomy/.
5. NASA Astrophysics – NASA Science. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/.
6. Hubble Asteroid Hunter – III. Physical properties of newly found asteroids Pablo García-Martín, Sandor Kruk, Marcel Popescu, Bruno Merín, Karl R. Stapelfeldt, Robin W. Evans, Benoit Carry and Ross Thomson A&A, 683 (2024) A122 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346771

Last update: 02-May-2024