Computer Physics Communications: Journal Guide

Computer Physics Communications (CPC) is an international peer-reviewed journal and software library dedicated to computational methodology, numerical algorithms, and computer applications in physics and physical chemistry. Established in 1969 under the North-Holland imprint and published by Elsevier, the journal serves theoretical, applied, and computational researchers seeking rigorous peer review for physical modeling techniques and scientific software packages.

A distinctive feature of the publication is its dual structure: it operates simultaneously as an archival journal for theoretical and computational physics papers and as a permanent repository for peer-reviewed scientific code through the Computer Physics Communications Program Library. The journal provides a hybrid publishing model that allows authors to publish at no cost under subscription access or elect gold open access under an Article Publishing Charge (APC).

What it is

Computer Physics Communications is an archival academic journal that bridges computational science and physical inquiry. Rather than treating code as an informal supplementary attachment, the journal treats computational algorithms and software programs as first-class scientific contributions requiring formal verification, documented test runs, and persistent archiving.

For research administrators, principal investigators, and computational scientists, the core institutional and bibliographic specifications of the journal include:

Print ISSN: 0010-4655
Electronic ISSN (e-ISSN): 1879-2944
Publisher: Elsevier (North-Holland imprint)
Founding Year: 1969 (founded by P.G. Burke at Queen’s University Belfast)
Publication Model: Hybrid journal (subscription publication with no author fees, or optional author-paid gold open access)
Article Publishing Charge (APC): $4,160 USD (list price, excluding local taxes and VAT)
Peer-Review Model: Single-blind peer review (see single-anonymized peer review)
Software Repository: CPC Program Library, hosted on Mendeley Data
Submission System: Editorial Manager (comphy)
Author Class: Elsevier standard LaTeX document class (elsarticle.cls)

Who runs it and what it covers

Computer Physics Communications is managed editorially by an international board of editors and published by Elsevier. Founded in 1969 by computational physicist P.G. Burke at Queen’s University Belfast, the journal operated its program library from Belfast for nearly fifty years before transitioning code distribution to Elsevier’s digital repository, Mendeley Data, in 2018. For publisher workflow context, see Elsevier CRediT adoption guidelines.

The scope encompasses computational methodology across all major branches of physics and physical chemistry, complementing broader theoretical inquiry described in what is physics. Key areas include:

Condensed matter physics and electronic structure calculations
Astrophysics, cosmological simulations, and plasma modeling
High-energy physics, particle collisions, and Monte Carlo event generators
Molecular dynamics, quantum chemistry, and chemical kinetics
Numerical linear algebra, differential equation solvers, and parallel algorithms
Computer algebra systems and symbolic manipulation in theoretical physics

Submissions fall into two formal paper tracks, each subject to distinct evaluation criteria:

Computational Physics (CP) Papers: Research articles focusing on the development, analysis, and implementation of numerical methods, algorithms, and computational modeling techniques applied to physical problems.
Computer Programs in Physics (CPiP) Papers: Software release papers describing new, updated, or adapted computer programs destined for permanent archival in the CPC Program Library.

Every CPiP submission must incorporate a standardized “Program Summary” block within the manuscript. This structured summary ensures consistency across the repository and requires authors to state:

Program Title: The official identifying name and version of the computational tool.
CPC Library Link / DOI: The persistent repository record allocated to the program files.
Developer Repository Link: URL to the public code repository (such as GitHub or GitLab).
Licensing Provisions: An approved open-source software license (e.g., GNU GPL, BSD, MIT, or Apache).
Programming Language: The programming languages, compilers, and dependencies required to execute the software.
Nature of Problem: A concise summary of the physical or mathematical problem addressed.
Solution Method: The numerical methods, discretizations, or algorithms applied.
Additional Restrictions / Unusual Features: Specialized hardware prerequisites (MPI, OpenMP, CUDA) or memory constraints.

How to search or use it

Interacting with Computer Physics Communications involves specific procedures depending on whether a researcher is searching for computational tools or submitting a manuscript. The workflow consists of seven defined steps based on official platform guidelines:

Identify Submission Track: Determine whether the manuscript constitutes a general computational physics study (CP) or a software release (CPiP). Software without accompanying physical theory and validation data is returned to authors.
Format Manuscript via elsarticle: Authors preparing manuscripts must use Elsevier’s LaTeX document class elsarticle.cls with standard mathematical formatting and structured headings.
Package Software Code and Verification Cases (CPiP Only): Authors submitting to the program library must assemble complete source code, build scripts (such as Makefile or CMakeLists.txt), input test datasets, and expected output data demonstrating correct execution.
Submit via Editorial Manager: Authors log in to the journal portal on Editorial Manager (comphy). The submission interface requires uploading manuscript files, compiling the PDF proof, providing author CRediT roles, and declaring competing interests.
Complete Single-Blind Peer Review: Submitted manuscripts undergo evaluation managed by handling editors. Under the single-anonymized peer review model, reviewers know author identities, but reviewer reports remain anonymous. CPiP papers are reviewed for physical validity and code reproducibility.
Archive Software Packages on Mendeley Data: Upon formal acceptance of a CPiP manuscript, the editorial office coordinates deposit of the verified program bundle, assigning a persistent DOI through Mendeley Data linked to the published ScienceDirect article.
Search and Retrieve Existing Programs: Researchers seeking software navigate ScienceDirect for articles or query Mendeley Data using program titles, CPC accession numbers, or keywords to download source packages, documentation, and test data.

Strengths and limits

Computer Physics Communications offers distinct institutional strengths alongside specific operational trade-offs.

Strengths:

Peer-Reviewed Code Verification: Unlike journals that treat code as an uncontrolled appendix, CPC requires verified code packages with test run datasets, ensuring computational reproducibility.
Archival Longevity: Operating continuously since 1969, the CPC Program Library represents one of the largest and oldest collections of computational physics software in existence.
Zero-Cost Subscription Route: Researchers without dedicated open access funding can publish peer-reviewed papers and archive programs at zero direct author expense under the subscription model.
Bibliographic Indexing: Both CP research papers and CPiP software packages receive full indexing in major databases, including Scopus and Web of Science.

Limits:

High Gold Open Access APC: For authors required by funder mandates to publish open access, the standard APC of $4,160 USD represents a substantial expense unless covered by institutional transformative agreements.
Single-Blind Review Asymmetry: The review process is single-blind rather than double-blind, leaving author institutional affiliations visible to reviewers.
Rigid Packaging Overhead: Creating a compliant CPiP archive with verification data, configuration scripts, and a standardized Program Summary requires more preparation time than submitting a standard preprint.

Alternatives

Researchers in computational physics and scientific programming have several publication venues depending on their primary goals:

Venue	Publisher / Operator	Primary Scope	Software Archiving Model	Publication Cost
Computer Physics Communications (CPC)	Elsevier (North-Holland)	Computational physics, numerical methods, physical chemistry software	Integrated CPC Program Library on Mendeley Data with test validation	Hybrid: Free subscription or $4,160 USD APC
Journal of Computational Physics (JCP)	Elsevier	Advanced numerical methods and algorithms for physical sciences	Optional supplementary data; no dedicated program library archive	Hybrid: Free subscription or optional APC
ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software (TOMS)	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)	Algorithms and mathematical software across computing and mathematics	ACM Collected Algorithms (CALGO) repository	Hybrid / ACM Open institutional model
Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS)	Open Source Initiative / NumFOCUS	Broad scientific software across all research disciplines	External git repository with Zenodo archive (see JOSS)	Diamond Open Access: Free for authors and readers

FAQ

Does Computer Physics Communications charge authors to publish?

No fee is required if authors choose the traditional subscription model. Authors who choose or are mandated by funders to publish immediate gold open access pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC) of $4,160 USD, unless covered by an institutional agreement.

What is the difference between a CP paper and a CPiP paper?

Computational Physics (CP) papers are research articles focused on computational techniques, numerical algorithms, and physical modeling. Computer Programs in Physics (CPiP) papers describe a specific software tool, requiring a standardized Program Summary and deposition of source code and test data into the CPC Program Library.

What open-source licenses are accepted for the CPC Program Library?

Software submitted for CPiP publication and archival in the CPC Program Library must be licensed under an approved open-source license recognized by the Open Source Initiative, such as GPL, BSD, Apache, or MIT.

Where is the Computer Physics Communications Program Library hosted?

From 1969 to 2018, the program library was maintained and distributed by Queen’s University Belfast. Since 2018, the library has been hosted and archived directly on Elsevier’s Mendeley Data platform, where each program receives a persistent digital object identifier (DOI).

Sources

Elsevier. “Computer Physics Communications: Aims and Scope.” ScienceDirect. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/computer-physics-communications
Elsevier. “Guide for Authors: Computer Physics Communications.” Elsevier Journals. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.elsevier.com/journals/computer-physics-communications/0010-4655/guide-for-authors
Elsevier. “Computer Physics Communications Program Library Collection.” Mendeley Data. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://data.mendeley.com/