Journal profile · Multiple
Earth System Governance
ISSN 2589-8116 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Earth System Governance: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,800; review about 220 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 73 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Earth System Governance is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Climate Change and Geoengineering and Climate Change Policy and Economics, together about 34.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Earth System Governance addresses governance processes and institutions at all levels of decision-making - from local to global - within a planetary perspective that seeks to align our current institutions and governance systems with the fundamental 21st century challenges of global environmental change and earth-system transformation. The journal intends to be interdisciplinary with a firm grounding in the social sciences and humanities, and covers research on all regions and sectors.The journal is a flagship publication of the global Earth System Governance research alliance, and is available to publish cutting-edge research presented at the annual Earth System Governance conferences, academic workshops, synthesising events by the Earth System Governance research taskforces, and similar activities.The journal welcomes original Research Articles as well as engaging Policy Perspectives, provocative Commentaries, longer Review Articles, and concise conference reports from the Earth System Governance community. The journal manager can be reached at ESG@elsevier.com.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Frank BiermannPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 12, Canada 11, Sweden 11, United Kingdom 10, Netherlands 9 (90 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science16.8%
- Climate Change and GeoengineeringEnvironmental Science10.4%
- Climate Change Policy and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.5%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science6.2%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences6%
- Environmental law and policySocial Sciences5.8%
- Coastal and Marine ManagementEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Transboundary Water Resource ManagementSocial Sciences4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
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
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)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.57LetPub ·
- h-index
- 38OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.14OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 61LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 329 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57 | 57 | 24 |
| 2025 | 73 | 73 | 256 |
| 2024 | 30 | 30 | 222 |
| 2023 | 35 | 35 | 569 |
| 2022 | 30 | 30 | 732 |
| 2021 | 34 | 34 | 844 |
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
220 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 35 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 35 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 220 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 35 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 2,800 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,180 / EUR 2,040 / GBP 1,750 / JPY 270,390 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,680 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,190 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted15, with length limits
- book reviewsEarth System Governance publishes one book review per volume, with a focus on highlighting books of relevance to the broader journal aim and the Earth System Go…Length not stated
- commentariesCommentaries are typically commissioned, but sometimes the journal accepts unsolicited commentaries. Commentaries range from 1,000-2,000 words. They include a f…Length not stated
- commentaryResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- dataset insightsDataset Insights introduce original datasets or original extensions of existing datasets. These contributions range from 3,000 to 5,000 words and uncover descri…Length not stated
- editorialResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…Length not stated
- original researchResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…Length not stated
- perspectiveResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- research articleResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- research articlesResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…Length not stated
- research paperResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…Length not stated
- reviewResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…Length not stated
- review articleResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…main text ≤ 12,000 words
- review articlesReview Articles critically synthesise a body of academic literature in a field relevant to earth system governance research. They may be submitted or invited. R…Length not stated
- special issuesA Special Issue (SI) is a coherent collection of 6-10 papers on a specific theme of research and scholarship that falls within the aims and scope of the journal…Length not stated
- viewpointResearch Articles report the results of original research. The material must not have been previously published elsewhere. Research articles are usually up to 8…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
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 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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2589-8116
- 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 Earth System Governance
What CAS zone is Earth System Governance in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Earth System Governance is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Studies / International Relations / Political Science / Public Administration; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Earth System Governance?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 7.4, h-index 38.
How long does peer review take at Earth System Governance?
The publisher reports about 220 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 35 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 Earth System Governance?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; 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 Earth System Governance based?
Of the 90 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), Canada (11) and Sweden (11). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Earth System Governance?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Earth System Governance is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Earth System Governance open access, and what is the APC?
Earth System Governance is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,800.
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: .