Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data

Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data (commonly abbreviated as J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data) is a quarterly founded in 1972 and published by the American Institute of Physics on behalf of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Unlike venues for original measurements, it prints only work that distils scattered literature into authoritative data, each value carrying its sources and the criteria behind its evaluation.《物理与化学参考数据杂志》（Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data，常用缩写为 J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data）是一份季刊，1972 年创刊，由美国物理联合会（AIP）代美国国家标准与技术研究院（NIST）出版。与登原始测量的刊物不同，它只收把散落文献梳成权威数据的文章，每项数据都注明出处与评价准则。

Scope

The journal sets out to supply critically evaluated physical and chemical property data, preferably with uncertainty analysis. Its coverage includes:刊物的目标是提供评价过的物理与化学性质数据，并尽量给出不确定度分析。收文方向包括：

• Reference data: critically evaluated compilations of physical and chemical data, from equations of state and thermodynamic functions to spectral line parameters and transport properties.参考数据： 经评价的物理与化学数据汇编，状态方程、热力学函数、谱线参数与输运性质均在其列。
• Reviews of measurement techniques: critical assessments of measurement accuracy in a technical area, accounting for disagreements and pointing to improvements.测量技术评述： 对某一技术领域测量准确度的批判性回顾，说明分歧的来源与改进的方向。
• Estimation methods: new estimation or prediction techniques, accepted only after testing against existing databases.估算方法： 新的估算或预测方法，须以现有数据库作对照检验后方被接受。
• Monographs: compilations too long for journal format appear irregularly as monographs, outside the ordinary subscription.专号出版： 篇幅过大、无法按期刊格式容纳的数据汇编以专号（Monograph）形式不定期出版，不计入常规订阅。
• Explicitly excluded: original experimental measurements, descriptive reviews and predominantly theoretical papers are outside scope, and this is the line between the journal and ordinary research titles.明确不收： 原始实验测量、描述性综述与偏重理论的文章不在收文之列，这是刊物与常规研究刊的分界。

History

• Founding (1972): the journal grew out of the National Bureau of Standards' need to disseminate its standard reference data programme, and volume 1 appeared in 1972 with a 116-page evaluation of binary diffusion coefficients in dilute gases as its first paper.创刊（1972年）： 刊物源于国家标准局标准参考数据计划的传播需要，1972 年出版第 1 卷，首篇论文是稀气体二元扩散系数的评价，长达 116 页。
• Founding editor: David Lide served as the first editor for two decades and later edited the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics for many years while acting as secretary general of CODATA.创刊主编： 大卫·莱德（David Lide）出任首任主编并执掌二十年，其后长期担任《化学与物理手册》主编与国际科技数据委员会秘书长。
• Publishing arrangement: the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Physics published jointly for the National Bureau of Standards at first, with the Institute taking over publication alone later while the editorial strength stayed with NIST.出版安排： 创刊初期由美国化学会与美国物理联合会共同代美国国家标准局（研究院前身）出版，其后改由联合会独家负责出版，编辑力量仍来自该研究院。
• Frequency: publication was irregular from 1972 to 2001 and settled into four issues a year from 2002.刊期沿革： 1972 至 2001 年刊期不定，2002 年起固定为季刊，每年 4 期。
• Fiftieth year: volume 50 appeared in 2021 and the two serving co-editors looked back on the journal's history.五十周年： 2021 年刊物出版第 50 卷，两位时任共同编辑撰文回顾刊史。^[1]
• Metric trend: the impact factor has oscillated between 4 and 5 and stood at 3.0 in 2025, when the journal sat in the first quartile of both physical chemistry and multidisciplinary chemistry.指标走势： 影响因子在 4 至 5 之间波动，2025 年为 3.0，同年在物理化学与化学综合两个类目中均列一区。

Editors

Two co-editors run the journal, backed by an editorial board of eight, some inside NIST and some outside, representing the different specialties of data evaluation. No acceptance rate or review duration is published.刊物由两位共同主编主持，编委会八人，部分在研究院内、部分在外，代表数据评价的不同专长；出版方未公布录用比例与审稿时长。

• Co-editors-in-chief: Allan Harvey of the NIST laboratory in Boulder and William Sean McGivern of the laboratory in Gaithersburg, jointly in charge since 2024.共同主编： 艾伦·哈维（Allan Harvey）供职于美国国家标准与技术研究院博尔德实验室，威廉·肖恩·麦吉文（William McGivern）供职于同院的盖瑟斯堡实验室，二人 2024 年起共同主持。
• Earlier editors: Donald Burgess and Harvey ran the journal together from 2008, with Burgess moving to associate editor from 2024, and earlier still the chair belonged to Jean Gallagher and then Malcolm Chase.前任编辑： 唐纳德·伯吉斯（Donald Burgess）与哈维自 2008 年起共同主持刊物，2024 年起伯吉斯转任副编辑；更早的主编包括让·加拉格尔与马尔科姆·蔡斯。
• Laboratory and society: NIST supplies the editorial judgement and the Institute runs the production side, an arrangement of national laboratory custody with society publishing that is rare among reference data journals.国家实验室与学会的分工： 研究院提供编辑力量，联合会负责出版流程，这种「国家实验室把关、学会出版」的结构在参考数据刊物中并不多见。
• Data discipline: submissions must state their evaluation criteria and trace their data, and compilations with vague provenance are sent back for sourcing. Uncertainty analysis is not compulsory, but its absence weakens a manuscript.数据纪律： 投稿须说明评价准则与数据溯源，出处含糊的汇编会被要求补充；不确定度分析虽非强制，但缺失会削弱稿件的说服力。