Journal profile · Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
ISSN 2210-4224 · eISSN 2210-4232 · Elsevier BV · Netherlands
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions: CAS Zone 2 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.21; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,610; review about 272 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 106 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions is published by Elsevier BV and is in Zone 2 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy and Climate Change Policy and Economics, together about 39.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims & Scope and Article TypesThe journal offers a platform for reporting studies of innovations and socio-economic transitions to enhance an environmentally sustainable economy and thus solve structural resource scarcity and environmental problems, notably related to fossil energy use and climate change. This involves attention for technological, organizational, economic, institutional and political innovations as well as economy-wide and sector changes, such as in the areas of energy, transport, agriculture and water management. The journal aims to tackle the most difficult questions, dealing with social, economic, behavioral-psychological and political barriers and opportunities as well as their complex interaction. The journal is multidisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, and invites contributions from a broad range of disciplines within the social, environmental and innovation sciences.Specific research areas covered include: Theoretical analysis, formal modeling, empirical studies, policy discussion and a critical survey of relevant literature. Practical cases may address transitions in specific sectors, cities or regions. Articles on historical transitions not specifically related to environment and sustainability are welcome if they include a section with unique lessons for sustainability transitions. A non-exhaustive list of keywords and themes is as follows: behavior in line with bounded rationality, development theories, diffusion of innovations, environmental regulation, formal modeling, geography of innovations, historical transitions, increasing returns to scale and path dependence, innovation policy, institutional barriers, international cooperation and coordination, learning-by-doing, learning curves, lock-in, new governance, niche markets, optimal technological diversity, regime analysis, social and political power, strategic niche management, rebound effect, recombinant innovation, sector structure, social learning, transition experiments, technological regimes, transition pathways/mechanisms, vested interests, visions of the future.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Energy-Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Editor-in-chief T. HansenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United Kingdom 13, United States 10, Netherlands 8, Australia 3, Mainland China 2 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science24.7%
- Social Acceptance of Renewable EnergySocial Sciences8.7%
- Climate Change Policy and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.7%
- Innovative Approaches in Technology and Social DevelopmentBusiness, Management and Accounting5.4%
- Global Energy and Sustainability ResearchEnergy4.6%
- Energy and Environment ImpactsEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Complex Systems and Decision MakingDecision Sciences3.8%
- Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 6.21LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.15LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 110OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 764OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 81.61%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 95LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,136 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 83 | 76 | 51 |
| 2025 | 106 | 90 | 451 |
| 2024 | 121 | 102 | 1,534 |
| 2023 | 94 | 79 | 2,131 |
| 2022 | 96 | 71 | 3,435 |
| 2021 | 108 | 76 | 4,301 |
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".
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 96 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 272 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,610 / EUR 3,380 / GBP 2,890 / JPY 447,750 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,860 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- editorialAll submissions to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of t…Length not stated
- hypothesisAll submissions to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of t…Length not stated
- perspectiveAll submissions to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of t…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- perspectivesPerspectives (generally 2000 to 4000 words excluding references)Length not stated
- policy briefingsPolicy briefings (generally 1500-2000 words excluding references)Length not stated
- research articleAll submissions to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of t…Length not stated
- reviewAll submissions to Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of t…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews (max. 10,000 words, excluding references and figure/table captions)Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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 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 BV
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2210-4224
- Electronic ISSN
- 2210-4232
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions
What CAS zone is Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions is in Zone 2 of Economics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Environmental Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.21; CiteScore 11.5, h-index 110.
How long does peer review take at Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions?
The publisher reports about 272 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; 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 Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions based?
Of the 54 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (13), United States (10) and Netherlands (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions open access, and what is the APC?
Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,610.
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: .