Journal profile · Soil Science
European Journal of Soil Science
ISSN 1351-0754 · eISSN 1365-2389 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1994
European Journal of Soil Science: CAS Zone 2 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.27; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,490; median 201 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 235 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
European Journal of Soil Science is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics, Soil and Unsaturated Flow and Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics, together about 42.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The European Journal of Soil Science (EJSS) is an international journal dedicated to advancing the theoretical and mechanistic understanding of soil properties and processes — from molecular to global scales, in natural and managed environments — through measurement and modelling. The aims of the EJSS are as follows: further our understanding of chemical, physical and biological processes in soils and their interactions which define and control soil function, development and distribution; demonstrate novel applications of contemporary analytical, mathematical and theoretical approaches to advance our understanding of soils; contribute to interdisciplinary understanding of soil function and ecosystem service provision by soils within a wider, global context; assess soil biodiversity, its functions and interactions with soil properties; explain the detailed processes and mechanisms by which soils react to, and interact with, changes imposed by the wider environment or by direct human intervention (e.g. climate change, pollution and land use practices); understand the role of soils in human health, i.e., cause and remediation of disease, toxicity and pollution; develop novel approaches, techniques and methods to obtain new understanding of soils in relation to socioeconomics and policy.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Soil Science
Editor-in-chief Roland BolPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 23 in mainland China (about 21%); most named Mainland China 23, United Kingdom 14, Germany 13, Australia 11, United States 7 (108 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences21.5%
- Soil and Unsaturated FlowEngineering12.9%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science8.3%
- Soil Geostatistics and MappingEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Clay minerals and soil interactionsMaterials Science6.4%
- Soil erosion and sediment transportAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.1%
- Peatlands and Wetlands EcologyEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Soil Science | 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
PubMedCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System
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
- 4.27LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 98LetPub ·
- h-index
- 169OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,467OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.63OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 211LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 218Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 580,324Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,948 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 176 | 105 | 98 |
| 2025 | 235 | 164 | 1,080 |
| 2024 | 179 | 126 | 1,555 |
| 2023 | 119 | 83 | 1,455 |
| 2022 | 134 | 61 | 2,433 |
| 2021 | 135 | 57 | 3,236 |
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
201 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 118 days – 280 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (104 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 221 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (400 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)
- 9–18 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 168 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 4,490 / EUR 3,770 / GBP 2,960 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted11
- book reviewBook Review Concise reviews of books or grey literature.Length not stated
- data articleData article Peer-reviewed descriptions of data sets relevant to soil science research, i.e., topics that could be published in one of the other article types. …Length not stated
- editorialThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- invited reviewInvited Review Peer-reviewed critical and timely reviews of the literature, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Reviews should begin with an Abstrac…Length not stated
- letterThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- meta-analysisThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- original articleThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- reviewThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
- russell reviewRussell ReviewExtraordinary, in-depth syntheses of topical areas of soil science written by authoritative scientists who have contributed substantially to the f…Length not stated
- systematic reviewThe EJSS welcomes unsolicited and invited articles in all areas of soil science that fall within its Aims and Scope Article typesManuscript submissions are welc…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
The EJSS uses CRediT taxonomy to assist in the formal acknowledgement of the contribution of all authors. All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
The EJSS mandates data sharing. Further information and standard templates for Data Availability Statements for authors to use are available at Wiley’s Data Sharing policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce material "in print and othe…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This EJSS is a subscription journal that offers an open access option. Authors can choose to make their article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an Article Publication Charge (APC). You can read more about APCs and whether you may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder, or a country waiver.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 2. Peer review process
Review Timescale The EJSS is committed to timely evaluation and publication of submitted papers. To this end, we strive to return the Editor's decision and reviewer comments within 60 days of submission. For help with submissions, manuscript status inquiries, or questions about the peer review process, please email ejssoffice@wiley.com. Should your manuscript be accepted for publication we strive …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprints allowed; submitted version may be posted to preprint servers at any time. Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. The EJSS accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. You are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1994
- ISSN
- 1351-0754
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2389
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 77, Issue 5 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about European Journal of Soil Science
What CAS zone is European Journal of Soil Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, European Journal of Soil Science is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Soil Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of European Journal of Soil Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.27; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 169.
How long does peer review take at European Journal of Soil Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 201 days (interquartile range 118–280 days); authors report an average review time of 9–18 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 17% (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.
What are the manuscript requirements of European Journal of Soil Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: 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 European Journal of Soil Science based?
Of the 108 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 23 (about 21%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (23), United Kingdom (14) and Germany (13). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index European Journal of Soil Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, European Journal of Soil Science is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is European Journal of Soil Science open access, and what is the APC?
European Journal of Soil Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,490.
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: .