Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
Environmental Science & Policy
ISSN 1462-9011 · eISSN 1873-6416 · Elsevier BV · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1998
Environmental Science & Policy: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.38; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,250; review about 227 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 298 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Environmental Science & Policy is published by Elsevier BV 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 Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management and Land Use and Ecosystem Services, together about 27.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change and Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Environmental Science & Policy advances research in the intersections between environmental science, policy and society. The journal invites scholarship within this broad thematic that fits with one or more of the following four focal areas: Studies of the relationship between the production and use of knowledge in decision making; Studies of the relation between science and other forms of environmental knowledge, including practical, local and indigenous knowledge; Analyses of decision making practices in government, civil society, and businesses and the ways that they engage environmental knowledge; or Studies that present actionable environmental research with a clear description of how it responds to specific policy directives and the pathways by which this research is informing (or could inform) decision-making. Research can address a wide number of environmental issues, such as climate change, food systems, biodiversity loss, human and ecological well-being, resource use- and extraction, land use change, and sustainability more generally. The journal aspires to achieve an appropriate balance between perspectives from the global North as well as the global South and welcomes discussions of (environmental) justice, equity and inclusion. The journal is particularly interested in cutting edge developments in inter- and transdisciplinary work on co-production; arts-based research; integrated nexus and landscape approaches; the trade-offs and synergies between environmental issues and policies; innovations in integrated assessment, monitoring and evaluation; and transitions and transformative change.Editorial Policy: Submitted articles can offer empirical analysis and can also advance new theory, conceptual frameworks or other innovations. To be considered for publication, articles should fit with the aims and scope of the journal. This means that they should address the relation between environmental science and knowledge, policy and society. To be considered, environmental research articles must go beyond simply stating potential societal and policy relevance. Submitted articles should be of international relevance and well embedded in relevant scholarly conversations and debates, and they should consider the scholarship that has been published in the journal. They should provide a compelling objective and specify how they advance the state of the knowledge beyond the current state of the art. In-depth case studies or local issues may be considered if articles clearly and sufficiently articulate their wider international significance.The journal will consider the following article types: research papers, reviews, perspectives, and letters to the editor. Authors are kindly requested not to contact the Editors-in-Chief for submission approval. Before submitting, please review the journal’s aims, scope, and author guidelines to confirm that your manuscript is appropriate. If it aligns, you are welcome to submit directly through the journal’s system. We regret that email queries seeking submission permission cannot be answered.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editor-in-chief Christopher CvitanovicPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 9, Canada 7, Germany 6, United States 3, Australia 3 (44 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science13.3%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science7.4%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science6.5%
- Climate Change Policy and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.7%
- Forest Management and PolicyEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Economic and Environmental ValuationEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Water resources management and optimizationEngineering4.1%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science4%
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: yesReview 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 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 5.38LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 206OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,333OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 64.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 275LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,665 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 201 | 149 | 142 |
| 2025 | 298 | 217 | 1,572 |
| 2024 | 304 | 228 | 3,768 |
| 2023 | 255 | 159 | 5,327 |
| 2022 | 315 | 184 | 9,269 |
| 2021 | 297 | 173 | 11,107 |
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
227 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 12–24 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)
- 12–24 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 103 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 227 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 4,250 / EUR 3,980 / GBP 3,400 / JPY 527,130 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,070 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- commentaryl science–policy conversations. Invited Commentaries can be up to 2500 words (excluding reference list, tables, figures, captions, authomain text ≤ 2,500 words
- letters to the editorLetters to the editor are short articles that directly respond to published articles in ES&P. Letters are meant to offer a rapid response and dialogical space t…main text ≤ 1,000 words · references ≤ 10
- perspectivea detailed methodological description. Perspectives can be up to 5000 words (excluding reference list, tables, figures, captions, authomain text ≤ 5,000 words
- perspectivesPerspectives are cutting edge articles at the forefront of current scholarly, societal, or political debates and developments of international significance.Length not stated
- research paperearch papers present original research. Research papers can be up to 7000 words maximum (excluding reference list, tables, figures, captionmain text ≤ 7,000 words
- research papersResearch papers present original research. Research papers can be up to 7000 words maximum (excluding reference list, tables, figures, captions, author details,…Length not stated
- reviews focused and critical review articles. Reviews can be up to 7000 words (excluding reference list, tables, figures, captions, authomain text ≤ 7,000 words
- reviewsReviews offer a synthesis of scientific publications and typically do not present original research results. The journal will consider so-called systematic as w…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 sharing 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.
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 1462-9011
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6416
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Science & Policy
What CAS zone is Environmental Science & Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Environmental Science & Policy 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 Environmental Science & Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.38; CiteScore 11.1, h-index 206.
How long does peer review take at Environmental Science & Policy?
The publisher reports about 227 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 12–24 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 Science & Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX; 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 Science & Policy based?
Of the 44 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (9), Canada (7) and Germany (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Environmental Science & Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Environmental Science & Policy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Environmental Science & Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Environmental Science & Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,250.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .