Journal profile · Multidisciplinary-Multidisciplinary
Citizen Science Theory and Practice
ISSN 2057-4991 · Ubiquity Press · United Kingdom
Citizen Science Theory and Practice: impact factor 2.3 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,800; review about 45 weeks (community reports); 33 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Citizen Science Theory and Practice is published by Ubiquity Press. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Species Distribution and Climate Change, Animal and Plant Science Education and Zoonotic diseases and public health, together about 58.4% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Citizen Science: Theory and Practice (CSTP) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed publication focused on the global field of citizen science and other participatory sciences. CSTP is an integral part of the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences, is published by Ubiquity Press, and is supported by many volunteer contributors. The journal seeks to advance the field by providing a central space for scholarly exchanges on public and community involvement in any research-driven investigation. CSTP journal articles center on theories and/or practices of citizen science and related endeavors. Authors are expected to clearly describe how their work fits this scope (here are some definitions of citizen science). Note that outcomes unrelated to theory and practice (e.g., science findings or method development) can be reported when knowing those outcomes helps to inform understanding of citizen science theory and/or practice. Submission solely or mostly focus on outcomes other that citizen science theory and practice can be submitted to the Community Science journal and various disciplinary journals; in these cases, authors are encouraged to use the keyword “citizen science” (or a related term) to ensure the field receives recognition CSTP accepts several types of submission. See our Submission Guidelines for descriptions and maximum allowable word count.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multidisciplinary-Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Cathlyn Merritt DavisPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 16, United Kingdom 7, Australia 2, Austria 2, France 1 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science36.5%
- Animal and Plant Science EducationPsychology16.1%
- Zoonotic diseases and public healthMedicine5.8%
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Climate Change Communication and PerceptionSocial Sciences4%
- Research Data Management PracticesComputer Science3.1%
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity StudiesEnvironmental Science2.9%
- Service-Learning and Community EngagementSocial Sciences2.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, CNKI, J-Gate, OCLC, CLOCKSS, Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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 (publisher)
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 153OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.32OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 356 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 29 | 5 |
| 2025 | 33 | 33 | 64 |
| 2024 | 43 | 43 | 175 |
| 2023 | 66 | 66 | 475 |
| 2022 | 48 | 48 | 405 |
| 2021 | 37 | 37 | 834 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 45 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 45 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,800 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 500 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,600 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,800 / USD 300 / GBP 580 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- USD 300
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,750 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- case studyPlease note that all articles submitted to CSTP must do the following: Describe how the article advances theory and/or practice of citizen science. Descriptive …main text ≤ 7,750 words
- editorialEditorials are typically associated with Special Collections. They should include a brief introduction and concise comment on the relevance and content of each …Length not stated
- full articleAs part of our efforts to internationalize citizen science and foster inclusivity across the discipline, Citizen Science: Theory and Practice is pleased to now …Length not stated
- literature reviewPlease note that all articles submitted to CSTP must do the following: Describe how the article advances theory and/or practice of citizen science. Descriptive …Length not stated
- perspectivePlease note that all articles submitted to CSTP must do the following: Describe how the article advances theory and/or practice of citizen science. Descriptive …Length not stated
- research articlePlease note that all articles submitted to CSTP must do the following: Describe how the article advances theory and/or practice of citizen science. Descriptive …main text ≤ 7,750 words
- reviewPlease note that all articles submitted to CSTP must do the following: Describe how the article advances theory and/or practice of citizen science. Descriptive …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Ubiquity Press, the journal’s publisher, is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA), and the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP). The Press recognises its responsibility as a guardian of the scholarly record and takes an active role in establishing standards and policies in publication ethics. T…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright and licensing: authors retain copyright; published under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Model summary
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms. If a submission is rejected or withdrawn prior to publication, all rights return to the author(s): Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
Waivers: limited partial and full waivers available for authors lacking resources; considered only after acceptance. Model summary
CSTP provides immediate and open access (no fees) to its content on the principle that making research freely available to its readership enhances global exchange of knowledge. There is no embargo on the journal articles. Submission, acceptance, and publication dates are available in the PDF format for each article. Authors of published articles remain the copyright holders, and can grant third pa…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review: special collection papers undergo the same peer review process as regular submissions. Model summary
All papers submitted for inclusion in special collections undergo the same peer review process as regular submissions.
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
- Ubiquity Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2057-4991
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Citizen Science Theory and Practice
What is the impact factor of Citizen Science Theory and Practice?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.3; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 42.
How long does peer review take at Citizen Science Theory and Practice?
Authors report an average review time of about 45 weeks. 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 Citizen Science Theory and Practice?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,750 words; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Citizen Science Theory and Practice based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), United Kingdom (7) and Australia (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Citizen Science Theory and Practice?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Citizen Science Theory and Practice is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Citizen Science Theory and Practice open access, and what is the APC?
Citizen Science Theory and Practice is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,800.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; 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: .