Journal profile · Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
CATENA
ISSN 0341-8162 · eISSN 1872-6887 · Elsevier · GERMANY · Monthly
CATENA: CAS Zone 1 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.53; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,680; review about 146 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 966 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
CATENA is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Soil erosion and sediment transport, Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics and Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, together about 35.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Catena is an interdisciplinary journal of soil science and geomorphology with a focus on geoecology, landscape ecology, landscape evolution and hydrology. Original research papers, comments, and reviews linking field, laboratory, and/or modelling results, integrating different geospheres, and discussing soil and landscape processes on different spatial and temporal scales will be considered, provided they are sufficiently novel and of broad interest.Reviews are expected to critically discuss and synthesise findings and approaches on topics falling within the core aims of Catena. Short comments (no more than 2 journal pages i.e. ca. 2000 words) are considered for publication only if they bring important scientific new elements and/or corrections/improvements on substantial aspects of previously published articles. Manuscripts that will not be considered include papers on the following topics:Research papers summarising literature results, and bibliometric analyses (meta-analyses are not included). Studies without explicit relation to landscape patterns or processes, such as:Purely geological or groundwater studies.Runoff studies that have no relation to soil or geomorphic change.Chemical laboratory experiments with no relation to ‘real’ field conditions.Microbiological studies with no relation to soil formation or landscape processes.Geotechnical and environmental engineering studies.Geobotanical, ecological and vegetation studies with no (or limited) relation to soil, hydrology, geomorphology or landscape evolution.Agricultural/crop production experiments without a solid relation to landscape.Studies on ecosystem services and land use planning.Comparisons of the performance and robustness of models and statistical methods (e.g. process-based, or machine learning) with no or only a minimal landscape-learning effect.Regionally oriented studies which cannot be applied to other landscapes (or lack novelty in approach or methodology).The Chairs of the Editors-in-Chief do not accept pre-submission enquiries to determine if a manuscript is likely to be of interest to the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Markus EgliPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 8, Spain 8, Mainland China 6, United Kingdom 5, Germany 5 (61 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Soil erosion and sediment transportAgricultural and Biological Sciences16.9%
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.3%
- Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences8.9%
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science6.4%
- Aeolian processes and effectsEarth and Planetary Sciences5%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science5%
- Soil and Unsaturated FlowEngineering5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 6.53LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.76LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- h-index
- 106LetPub ·
- h-index
- 209OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,203OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.88OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.45%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 928LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 11,000 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 797 | 279 | 447 |
| 2025 | 966 | 282 | 4,726 |
| 2024 | 810 | 213 | 9,951 |
| 2023 | 797 | 169 | 16,574 |
| 2022 | 800 | 155 | 21,597 |
| 2021 | 781 | 165 | 25,638 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
146 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 4.8 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 4.8 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 60 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 146 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,680 / EUR 3,440 / GBP 2,950 / JPY 456,430 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,170 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 5,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- original researchCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- original research articleCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- original research paperCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- original research papers (regular papers)1. Original Research Papers (Regular Papers)Length not stated
- regular paperCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- reviewCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- review articleCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…Length not stated
- review articles2. Review ArticlesLength not stated
- short comments3. Short CommentsLength not stated
- technical noteCATENA publishes multidisciplinary studies as well as monodisciplinary papers that are of interest to other disciplines and are of relevance to landscape studie…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- technical notes4. Technical NotesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0341-8162
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-6887
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about CATENA
What CAS zone is CATENA in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, CATENA is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary / Soil Science / Water Resources; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of CATENA?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.53; CiteScore 11.4, h-index 209.
How long does peer review take at CATENA?
The publisher reports about 146 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 4.8 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of CATENA?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 5,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of CATENA based?
Of the 61 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Spain (8) and Mainland China (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index CATENA?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, CATENA is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is CATENA open access, and what is the APC?
CATENA is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,680.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .