Journal profile · Multiple
Developments in the Built Environment
ISSN 2666-1659 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
Developments in the Built Environment: CAS Zone 2 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.66; fully open access; APC about USD 3,290; review about 90 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 247 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Developments in the Built Environment is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Concrete and Cement Materials Research, Innovative concrete reinforcement materials and BIM and Construction Integration, together about 35.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Civil and Structural Engineering and Building and Construction. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Developments in the Built Environment (DIBE) is a new peer-reviewed gold open access (OA) journal whereby upon acceptance all articles are permanently and freely available. DIBE publishes original papers and short communications resulting from research in civil engineering and the built environment. This journal covers all topics related to construction materials and building sustainability, leading to a holistic approach that will benefit the community.DIBE will strive to offer you the fastest possible speed of publication, without compromising on the quality of our peer-review process.Developments in the Built Environment covers the following topics (but are not limited to):Innovative building materials;Building performance;Maintenance and repair work assessment;Smart Design;(Up/re)cyclability, transformability, reusability of materials and components;Structural Health Monitoring;Construction engineering management, materials and technology;Building Information Modelling (BIM);Computer aided-design and simulation;Energy efficiency, energy harvesting;Indoor environment;Life cycle assessment;Sustainable buildings and construction;System safety and reliability.Developments in the Built Environment welcomes the following types of papers:Full research papers;Short communications: suitable for providing fast dissemination of important new outcomes and technical discussion in the field of built environment. They are short papers (max. submitted length of 6 pages incl. references) addressing new ideas that may still be in a preliminary stage, opinions, and results.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 5, Italy 5, Belgium 5, Hong Kong, China 2, United States 2 (33 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Concrete and Cement Materials ResearchEngineering17%
- Innovative concrete reinforcement materialsEngineering11.6%
- BIM and Construction IntegrationEngineering7%
- Recycled Aggregate Concrete PerformanceEngineering5.7%
- Innovations in Concrete and Construction MaterialsEngineering5.6%
- Infrastructure Maintenance and MonitoringEngineering5%
- Concrete Corrosion and DurabilityEngineering3.9%
- Building Energy and Comfort OptimizationEngineering3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Construction & Building Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Civil | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Construction & Building Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Civil | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Construction & Building Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Civil | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 8.66LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 427OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.19OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 230LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,057 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 218 | 218 | 147 |
| 2025 | 247 | 247 | 1,137 |
| 2024 | 280 | 280 | 4,069 |
| 2023 | 200 | 200 | 5,905 |
| 2022 | 50 | 50 | 1,635 |
| 2021 | 25 | 25 | 1,071 |
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
90 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 15 weeks
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 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 90 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 14 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,290 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,230 / EUR 3,020 / GBP 2,590 / JPY 400,620 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,310 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,480 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted5
- full research paperFull research papers Short communications: Short communications are suitable for providing fast dissemination of important new outcomes and technical discussion…Length not stated
- full research papersFull research papersLength not stated
- opinionFull research papers Short communications: Short communications are suitable for providing fast dissemination of important new outcomes and technical discussion…Length not stated
- short communicationFull research papers Short communications: Short communications are suitable for providing fast dissemination of important new outcomes and technical discussion…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort communications: suitable for providing fast dissemination of important new outcomes and technical discussion in the field of built environment. They are s…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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
Authorship criteria Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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 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.
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
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2666-1659
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Developments in the Built Environment
What CAS zone is Developments in the Built Environment in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Developments in the Built Environment is in Zone 2 of Engineering, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Construction & Building Technology / Engineering, Civil. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Developments in the Built Environment?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.66; CiteScore 11.9, h-index 57.
How long does peer review take at Developments in the Built Environment?
The publisher reports about 90 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 15 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Developments in the Built Environment based?
Of the 33 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (5), Italy (5) and Belgium (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Developments in the Built Environment?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Developments in the Built Environment is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Developments in the Built Environment open access, and what is the APC?
Developments in the Built Environment is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,290.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .