Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
Environmental Forensics
ISSN 1527-5922 · eISSN 1527-5930 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 2000
Environmental Forensics: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.62; subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 78 days (first decision after review, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 44 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Environmental Forensics is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 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, Heavy metals in environment and Air Quality and Health Impacts, together about 27.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Environmental Forensics provides a forum for scientific investigations that address environment contamination, its sources, and the historical reconstruction of its release into the environment. The context for investigations that form the published papers in the journal are often subjects to regulatory or legal proceedings, public scrutiny, and debate. In all contexts, rigorous scientific underpinnings guide the subject investigations. Specifically, the journal is an international, quarterly, peer-reviewed publication offering scientific studies that explore or are relevant to the source, age, fate, transport, as well as human health and ecological effects of environmental contamination. Journal subject matter encompasses all aspects of contamination mentioned above within the environmental media of air, water, soil, sediments and biota. Data evaluation and analysis approaches are highlighted as well including multivariate statistical methods. Journal focus is on scientific and technical information, data, and critical analysis in the following areas: Contaminant Fingerprinting for source identification and/or age-dating, including (but not limited to) chemical, isotopic, chiral, mineralogical/microscopy techniques, DNA and tree-ring fingerprinting Specific Evaluative Techniques for source identification and/or age-dating including (but not limited to) historical document and aerial photography review, signature chemicals, atmospheric tracers and markets forensics, background concentration evaluations. Statistical Evaluation, Contaminant Modeling and Data Visualization Vapor Intrusion including delineating the source and background values of indoor air contamination Integrated Case Studies, employing environmental fate techniques Legal Considerations, including strategic considerations for environmental fate in litigation and arbitration, and regulatory statutes and actions This journal addresses a large audience, including: environmental consultants and other environmental professionals, attorneys, owners/operators and environmental managers at industrial sites, regulators, laboratory professionals, environmental scientists, and academia personnel (e.g., involved in environmental studies). Peer Review Policy: All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by at leasttwo independent, anonymous expert referees. Peer review is typically double anonymized (unless auth
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editor-in-chief Ioana G. PetrisorPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 8, France 1 (9 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Science10.5%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science10.4%
- Air Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Science6.9%
- Groundwater flow and contamination studiesEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science5.5%
- Groundwater and Isotope GeochemistryEarth and Planetary Sciences5.3%
- Radioactivity and Radon MeasurementsHealth Professions4.9%
- Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactantsEnvironmental Science4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: CAB Int’l
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
- 1.62LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.39LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.39Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.53LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.53Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 468OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.3OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4.46%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 43LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 43,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,242 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 6 | 7 |
| 2025 | 44 | 6 | 97 |
| 2024 | 46 | 12 | 184 |
| 2023 | 24 | 3 | 128 |
| 2022 | 23 | 2 | 163 |
| 2021 | 60 | 4 | 575 |
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
78 daysfirst decision after review · community reports over 36 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)
- over 36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 18%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 84 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 78 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 47 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal, part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
Environmental Forensics is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: initial editor appraisal, then peer review by at least two independent, anonymous expert referees. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by at leasttwo independent, anonymous expert referees.
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1527-5922
- Electronic ISSN
- 1527-5930
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 27, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Forensics
What CAS zone is Environmental Forensics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Environmental Forensics is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Environmental Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Environmental Forensics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.62; CiteScore 4, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at Environmental Forensics?
The publisher reports about 78 days (first decision after review); authors report an average review time of over 36 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 18% (2025). 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 Environmental Forensics based?
Of the 9 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8) and France (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Environmental Forensics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Environmental Forensics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Environmental Forensics open access, and what is the APC?
Environmental Forensics is a subscription journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .