Journal profile · water research
Discover Water
ISSN 2730-647X · Springer Nature · Switzerland
Discover Water: fully open access; APC about USD 1,690; median 111 days to acceptance (107 articles, last 24 months); 136 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Discover Water is published by Springer Nature. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Water Quality and Pollution Assessment, Water Quality and Resources Studies and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, together about 30.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Water Science and Technology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Discover Water is part of the Discover journal series committed to providing a streamlined submission process, rapid review and publication, and a high level of author service at every stage. It is an open access, community-focussed journal publishing research from across all fields relevant to water research. Discover Water is a broad, open access journal publishing research from across all fields relevant to the science and technology of water research and management. Discover Water covers not only research on water as a resource, for example for drinking, agriculture and sanitation, but also the impact of society on water, such as the effect of human activities on water availability and pollution. As such it looks at the overall role of water at a global level, including physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes, and social, policy, and public health implications. It is also intended that articles published in Discover Water may help to support and accelerate United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: 'Clean water and sanitation'. Topics Discover Water covers topics including (but not limited to) agricultural and aquacultural use of water, desalination, drinking water and wastewater treatment, water quality monitoring and assessment, sanitation, water distribution, supply and infrastructure, hydrology and hydrogeology, inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, mineral and thermal waters, limnology of lakes and rivers, flood risk impact and management, groundwater contamination and remediation, risk assessment, industrial and mining uses and impacts, recreation and power generation, water governance and security, water–energy–food connections, relationship of water resources to climate change, water scarcity and drought management, and all other aspects of water resources management, as well as the broader socio-economic aspects of water such as education, funding, policy, intellectual property and law and the impact on society. Discover Water welcomes all observational, experimental, theoretical, analytical, mathematical modelling and data-driven approaches that advance the study of all aspects of water research. Content Types Discover Water welcomes a variety of article types – please see our submission guidelines for details. The journal also publishes guest-edited Topical Collections of relevance to all aspects of water research to allow readers to quickly identify research on subject areas of especial interest to them. For more inf
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): water research
Editor-in-chief James W. LaMoreauxPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 8%); most named India 26, United States 11, Mainland China 9, Italy 7, Malaysia 6 (119 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Water Quality and Pollution AssessmentEnvironmental Science14.3%
- Water Quality and Resources StudiesEnvironmental Science10.5%
- Wastewater Treatment and ReuseEnvironmental Science6%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Groundwater and Watershed AnalysisEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Water resources management and optimizationEngineering4.9%
- Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removalEnvironmental Science4.6%
- Groundwater and Isotope GeochemistryEarth and Planetary Sciences4.6%
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
DOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- h-index
- 25OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.11OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 390,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 451 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 134 | 134 | 1,355 |
| 2025 | 136 | 136 | 939 |
| 2024 | 129 | 129 | 259 |
| 2023 | 28 | 28 | 115 |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 46 |
| 2021 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
111 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 77 days – 156 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 132 days
- Sample
- 107 articles with submission and acceptance dates (310 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 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 | EUR 1,390 / USD 1,690 / GBP 1,190 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,590 / EUR 1,190 / GBP 1,040 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 990 / USD 1,490 / EUR 1,140 | Yes | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
- Decentralized Water Treatment Systems for Resilient and Sustainable Water InfrastructureDeadline
- Environmental Flows in Dry Regions: Technical Challenges in Assessment and Implementation of Environmental Water PoliciesDeadline
- Algae-Based Technologies for Sustainable Water Treatment and Resource RecoveryDeadline
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- supplementary material
Article types accepted14
- brief reportWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- case studyWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- commentComment articles can focus on policy, science and society, or purely scientific issues. They should be of immediate interest to a broad readership and should be…Length not stated
- data noteWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- full research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- matters arisingMatters Arising articles are interesting and timely scientific or academic comments and clarifications on original research papers published in the journal.Length not stated
- methodologyMethodologies should present a new experimental or computational method, test or procedure. The method described may either be completely new, or may offer a be…Length not stated
- original paperWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- original research paperWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- perspectiveA Perspective is a scholarly review and discussion of the primary research literature that does not meet the criteria for a review article because: the scope is…Length not stated
- registered reportRegistered Reports are a publication format in which the research question and the quality of methodology are peer reviewed before the data are collected and an…Length not stated
- researchResearch articles present new scientific results within the scope of the journal that have not been published previously and are not being considered for public…Length not stated
- research articleWhen you first submit in Snapp you will need to choose the correct article type.This journal accepts the following article types: Research Research articles pre…Length not stated
- reviewReview articles provide critical accounts and comprehensive surveys of topics of major current interest within the scope of the journal. Please note that we acc…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- License & copyright Step 4 - Understand your copyright
If your submission is accepted for publication, you will need to sign a licence agreement with Springer Nature to allow us to publish your article. According to this agreement:authors of articles published in this journal retain the copyright of their articles.authors grant Springer Nature a licence to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.authors retain full re-use rig…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Open access Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Discover Water, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top Did you find what you were looking for? Share feedback.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Step 3 - Understand the peer review policy
Single-anonymous peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-anonymous peer review procedure, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Peer review process All manuscripts undergo technical checks upon submission. Manuscripts that pass technical checks undergo suitability checks by our in-house editorial team. Eligible manuscripts are …
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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2730-647X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- 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 Discover Water
How long does peer review take at Discover Water?
Based on the dates recorded on 107 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 111 days (interquartile range 77–156 days). 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 Discover Water?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; 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 Discover Water based?
Of the 119 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are India (26), United States (11) and Mainland China (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Discover Water?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Discover Water is indexed in DOAJ. The journal's website also lists CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Discover Water open access, and what is the APC?
Discover Water is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,690.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .