Journal profile · Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Emerging Contaminants
ISSN 2405-6650 · eISSN 2405-6642 · KeAi Communications Co · China
Emerging Contaminants: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.2 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 980; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 121 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Emerging Contaminants is published by KeAi Communications Co and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact, Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts and Microplastics and Plastic Pollution, together about 38% of its articles. Its main subfields are Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis and Pollution. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Emerging Contaminants is a leading platform for research addressing the potential ecological and human health risks associated with environmental contamination from emerging contaminants. The journal publishes experimental or theoretical work that deepen scientific understanding of the nature, scope and impacts of emerging contaminants in the environment; technologies leveraging novel principles for reducing and controlling or mitigation of their emission and presence; as well as the development, implementation and efficacy of national and international policies aimed at protecting ecosystem and human health from these contaminants. Current topics considered for publication in Emerging Contaminants include: I. Environmental Occurrence and Behaviour Methodology for identification of emerging contaminants by suspect or non-target analysisScreening and prioritisation of emerging contaminantsOccurrence, fate, transport, and behavior of emerging contaminants in natural and engineered systemsBiogeochemical cycles of emerging contaminants II. Ecological and Human Health Impacts Toxicology and the underlying mechanisms of emerging contaminants at the cellular, organismal, community or ecosystem levelExposure to, effects and risks of emerging contaminants III. Treatment, Remediation, and Resource Recovery Emission reduction of emerging contaminants from various sourcesDegradation and treatment of emerging contaminants in multiple environmentRemediation of contaminated sites by emerging contaminantsResources recovery and disposal of wastes containing emerging contaminants IV. Risk Mitigation and Policy Sustainable strategies for risk mitigation of emerging contaminantsNational and international polices and management practices for emerging contaminants Emerging contaminants are defined as synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals or biological agents that are not currently (or have been only recently) regulated and about which there exist concerns regarding their impact on ecosystem and/or human health. The risks associated with these contaminants are not fully understood at present. Examples of emerging contaminants that are of current interest include: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), UV filters, etc.Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs)Micro- and nano-plasticsPlastic additives, e.g. plasticisers Food and feed additivesDisinfection by-produ
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Editor-in-chief Gang YuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 16 in mainland China (about 38%); most named Mainland China 16, United Kingdom 5, Australia 4, United States 3, India 2 (42 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Science16.3%
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Science11.1%
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science10.7%
- Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicalsEnvironmental Science9.3%
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances researchEnvironmental Science6%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Environmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyEnvironmental Science3.9%
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosolsEarth and Planetary Sciences3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
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)
- 8.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 60OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 264OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 9.04OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 97.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 156LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 643 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 113 | 113 | 51 |
| 2025 | 121 | 121 | 640 |
| 2024 | 128 | 128 | 2,580 |
| 2023 | 67 | 67 | 1,608 |
| 2022 | 52 | 52 | 1,222 |
| 2021 | 23 | 23 | 643 |
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 PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 980 | No | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,100 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 980 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,100 | — | — |
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted13, with length limits
- editorialEditorial Generally from the (guest) editor of the publication. Can be Foreword, Editorial, Guest Editorial, Preface, etc.Length not stated
- full-length/ research articleFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studiesLength not stated
- hypothesisFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- letterFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- mini reviewFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- opinionFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- original researchFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- perspectiveFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…main text ≤ 3,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 30
- research articleFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- reviewFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- review articleFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- short communicationFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…Length not stated
- viewpointFull-length/ Research Article A complete report on original research and/or clinical studies A structured abstract is required. A clear structure is required, w…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 to…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: The conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of dataDrafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.Final approval of the version to be submitted. All authors are accountable for all aspects of the work, to ensure that questions related…
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
Plagiarism screening via iThenticate CrossCheck. Model summary
Submissions to KeAi journals are automatically screened using iThenticate's CrossCheck within the editorial system to detect plagiarism issues including instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
Allows users to: distribute and copy the article; create extracts, abstracts, and other revised versions, adaptations or derivative works of or from an article (such as a translation); include in a collective work (such as an anthology); and text or data mine the article. These uses are permitted even for commercial purposes, provided the user: gives appropriate credit to the author(s) (with a lin…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access KeAi Guide for authors: Open Access
Open access model. Model summary
This is an open access journal: all articles will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. To provide open access, this journal has an open access fee (also known as an article publishing charge APC) which needs to be paid by the authors or on their behalf e.g. by their research funder or institution. Permitted third party (re)use is defined by the following Creative …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Peer review type: single anonymized review process. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors to determine suitability for publication in this journal. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to 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 will…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint sharing
Authors 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
- KeAi Communications Co
- Country or region
- China
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2405-6650
- Electronic ISSN
- 2405-6642
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 Emerging Contaminants
What CAS zone is Emerging Contaminants in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Emerging Contaminants is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Emerging Contaminants?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 8.2; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 11.1, h-index 60.
How long does peer review take at Emerging Contaminants?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 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 Emerging Contaminants?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Cover letter: Optional. 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 Emerging Contaminants based?
Of the 42 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 16 (about 38%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (16), United Kingdom (5) and Australia (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Emerging Contaminants?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Emerging Contaminants is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Emerging Contaminants open access, and what is the APC?
Emerging Contaminants is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 980.
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: .