Journal profile · Multiple
Futures
ISSN 0016-3287 · eISSN 1873-6378 · Elsevier
Futures: CAS Zone 3 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.87; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,370; review about 282 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 153 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Futures is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Complex Systems and Decision Making and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 29.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Futures is a forum for substantive research and knowledge at the intersections between disciplines (and beyond them) about the relationships between humanity and its possible futures. It has a long-standing commitment to analyse and challenge misuses and abuses of futures, and to build robust knowledge about the conditions for creating emancipatory, socially, responsible, and ecologically just futures.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Patrick van der DuinPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 16, United States 8, Australia 8, France 4, Netherlands 4 (59 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science11.2%
- Complex Systems and Decision MakingDecision Sciences9.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering8.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science7.8%
- Space Science and Extraterrestrial LifePhysics and Astronomy6.6%
- Global Energy and Sustainability ResearchEnergy5.5%
- Sustainable Development and Environmental PolicyEnvironmental Science4.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 3.87LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 173OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,474OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.72OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 66.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 139LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,759 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 130 | 89 | 69 |
| 2025 | 153 | 111 | 541 |
| 2024 | 156 | 114 | 1,461 |
| 2023 | 173 | 108 | 2,436 |
| 2022 | 126 | 79 | 2,574 |
| 2021 | 186 | 77 | 4,068 |
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
282 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 96 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 282 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 2,370 / EUR 2,220 / GBP 1,900 / JPY 293,950 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,190 | — | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- experimental futuresExperimental Futures is an invitation to report on empirically verified social practices, perhaps involving emerging technologies and/or social innovations, whi…Length not stated
- research articleFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Futures Studies. Papers…Length not stated
- reviewFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Futures Studies. Papers…Length not stated
- review articleFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Futures Studies. Papers…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles are intended for research that contributes to knowledge to Futures Studies from a critical analysis of extant publications. Papers should demons…Length not stated
- short communicationFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Futures Studies. Papers…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- special issues articlesSpecial Issues articles are papers submitted to a specific virtual special issue (VSI). When submitting to a virtual special issue, please chose the specific VS…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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 allowed 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- ISSN
- 0016-3287
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6378
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Futures
What CAS zone is Futures in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Futures is in Zone 3 of Management, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Economics / Regional & Urban Planning. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Futures?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.87; CiteScore 8.2, h-index 173.
How long does peer review take at Futures?
The publisher reports about 282 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 Futures?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; 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 Futures based?
Of the 59 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 (16), United States (8) and Australia (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Futures?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Futures is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Futures open access, and what is the APC?
Futures is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,370.
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: .