Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Estuaries and Coasts
ISSN 1559-2723 · eISSN 1559-2731 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1978
Estuaries and Coasts: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.37; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,490; median 212 days to acceptance (103 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 179 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Estuaries and Coasts is published by Springer US and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics, Marine and fisheries research and Marine Biology and Ecology Research, together about 33.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology and Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Estuaries and Coasts (ESCO) is the journal of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). Begun from 1960 - 1977 as Chesapeake Science, the journal has gradually expanded its scope and circulation to Estuaries in 1978 and Estuaries and Coasts in 2006. Today, the journal publishes scholarly manuscripts on estuarine and near coastal ecosystems at the interface between the land and the sea where there are tidal fluctuations or sea water is diluted by fresh water. The interface is broadly defined to include estuaries and nearshore coastal waters including lagoons, wetlands, tidal fresh water, shores, beaches, and reefs, but not the continental shelf. The journal covers research on physical, chemical, geological, or biological processes, as well as applications to management of estuaries and coasts. The journal publishes original research findings, reviews and perspectives, techniques, comments, and management applications. Estuaries and Coasts will consider properly carried out studies that present inconclusive findings or document a failed replication of previously published work. Submissions that are primarily descriptive, or strongly place-based must be submitted as Brief Reports as part of the Estuary and Coast Signatures collection. Articles that report on development of models or new methods without detailing their applications fall outside the scope of the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Just CebrianPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 38, Mainland China 5, Australia 3, France 2, Canada 2 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamicsEnvironmental Science14.7%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science10.1%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences9%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences8.9%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences8.6%
- Coastal and Marine DynamicsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.9%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science5.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 2.37LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 112OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,962OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.55OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 49.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 175LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 789,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,221 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 163 | 111 | 40 |
| 2025 | 179 | 106 | 417 |
| 2024 | 158 | 98 | 819 |
| 2023 | 162 | 82 | 1,410 |
| 2022 | 123 | 55 | 1,508 |
| 2021 | 162 | 74 | 2,569 |
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 Crossref · to
212 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 145 days – 304 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (103 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 230 days
- Sample
- 103 articles with submission and acceptance dates (380 in the window); the latest was accepted on
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)
- 12–24 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 2,490 / EUR 3,790 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- brief reporthe same structure as Research Articles. Brief Reports are limited to 4,000 words (from title to references) and a total of eight figures andmain text ≤ 4,000 words
- brief reportsBrief Reports Shorter reports of research results, follow the same structure as Research Articles. Brief Reports are limited to 4,000 words (from title to refer…Length not stated
- correspondenceCorrespondence Correspondence is a commentary on an article previously published in ESCO.Length not stated
- editorialSingle-blind peer review This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This means the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the author…Length not stated
- h. t. odum synthesis essayH. T. Odum Synthesis Essay Synthesis essays are solicited by the Reviews Editor and/or the Co-Editors-in-Chief on an annual basis to provide synthesis and revie…Length not stated
- management applicationsManagement Applications Demonstration of the application of estuarine and coastal research results to address contemporary estuarine and coastal management, soc…Length not stated
- original articleNovel empirical and theoretical research results follow the structure with separate sections for: (1) Title and Author Information, (2) Abstract, (3) Introducti…Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal Articles Novel empirical and theoretical research results follow the structure with separate sections for: (1) Title and Author Information, (2) Abstra…Length not stated
- perspectivePerspectives are short papers (maximum 8 printed pages) intended to stimulate discussion of emerging areas of estuarine and coastal research. These papers are s…Length not stated
- perspectives in estuarine and coastal sciencePerspectives in Estuarine and Coastal Science Perspectives are short papers (maximum 8 printed pages) intended to stimulate discussion of emerging areas of estu…Length not stated
- review articleReviews are either proposed to or commissioned by the Reviews Editor or Guest Editors of special collections, themes, or issues. Prospective authors should cont…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles Reviews are either proposed to or commissioned by the Reviews Editor or Guest Editors of special collections, themes, or issues.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
4 to 6 keywords required Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Estuaries and Coasts, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This means the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Single-blind peer review is the traditional model of peer review that many reviewers are comfortable with, and it facilitates a dispassionate critique of a manuscript. Current --- Reports publishes revi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism detection at submission Model summary
Upon submission, articles are run through plagiarism detection software to check for any issues or discrepancies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed with disclosure Model summary
Authors must disclose details of preprint posting, including DOI and licensing terms, upon submission of the manuscript or at any other point during consideration at a Springer Nature journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1978
- ISSN
- 1559-2723
- Electronic ISSN
- 1559-2731
- Society / sponsor
- Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Estuaries and Coasts
What CAS zone is Estuaries and Coasts in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Estuaries and Coasts is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Marine & Freshwater Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Estuaries and Coasts?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.37; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 112.
How long does peer review take at Estuaries and Coasts?
Based on the dates recorded on 103 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 212 days (interquartile range 145–304 days); 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 Estuaries and Coasts?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: APA. 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 Estuaries and Coasts based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (38), Mainland China (5) and Australia (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Estuaries and Coasts?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Estuaries and Coasts is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Estuaries and Coasts open access, and what is the APC?
Estuaries and Coasts is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,490.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .