Journal profile · Engineering-Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
HardwareX
ISSN 2468-0672 · Elsevier · Netherlands
HardwareX: CAS Zone 4 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 780; median 124 days to acceptance (105 articles, last 24 months); 120 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
HardwareX is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are 3D Printing in Biomedical Research, Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis Applications and Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies, together about 23.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Biomedical Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
HardwareX An open access scientific hardware journalIf this journal is a good fit for your scientific hardware, you can find out more via the Guide for Authors and are invited to submit your manuscript using the HardwareX template.HardwareX is a multidisciplinary, open access, peer-reviewed journal which publishes articles that describe the design, construction and customization of scientific devices and equipment.HardwareX promises to make scientific hardware:Accessible - We will make your hardware article immediately and freely accessible.Discoverable - We will make your hardware article easy to find and download.Citable - Receive recognition for the work that you've done to develop scientific hardware with a peer-reviewed article with a distinct DOI. We will help you drive traffic to your hardware article.Comprehensible - We will help you write a hardware article that is easy to digest and interpret.Reviewed - Your article will be reviewed by experts in open source hardware.Reproducible - Reduce duplication of effort with detailed descriptions of your hardware that make it easy for your peers to replicate and reproduce.HardwareX is open to input from all scientific, technological, and medical disciplines. Scientific infrastructure will be interpreted in the broadest sense. Including hardware modifications to existing infrastructure, sensors and tools that perform measurements and other functions outside of the traditional lab setting (such as wearables, air/water quality sensors, and low cost alternatives to existing tools), and the creation of wholly new tools for either standard or novel laboratory tasks. Authors are encouraged to submit hardware developments that address all aspects of science, not only the final measurement, for example, enhancements in sample preparation and handling, user safety, and quality control. The use of distributed digital manufacturing strategies (e.g. 3-D printing) is encouraged. All designs must be submitted under an open hardware license.Your next step.If this journal is good fit for your scientific hardware, you can find out more via the Guide for Authors and submit using the HardwareX template.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering-Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Editor-in-chief Joshua PearcePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 11, Germany 6, Canada 6, Taiwan, China 2, United Kingdom 2 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- 3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchEngineering9%
- Microfluidic and Capillary Electrophoresis ApplicationsEngineering7.8%
- Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing TechnologiesEngineering6.8%
- Water Quality Monitoring TechnologiesEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques InnovationEngineering6.4%
- Electrowetting and Microfluidic TechnologiesEngineering5.4%
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication SystemsEngineering5.1%
- Microfluidic and Bio-sensing TechnologiesEngineering4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Engineering, Electrical & Electronic | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Instruments & Instrumentation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Electrical & Electronic | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Instruments & Instrumentation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 271OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 104LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 834 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 102 | 102 | 29 |
| 2025 | 120 | 120 | 188 |
| 2024 | 114 | 114 | 472 |
| 2023 | 111 | 111 | 933 |
| 2022 | 135 | 135 | 1,672 |
| 2021 | 85 | 85 | 1,370 |
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
124 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 86 days – 171 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 131 days
- Sample
- 105 articles with submission and acceptance dates (258 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)
- about 24 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 61 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 129 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 780 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 610 / EUR 570 / GBP 490 / JPY 75,660 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 500 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 980 | — | — |
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
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted1
- hardware articlesHardwareX publishes original scientific or engineering structured articles called Hardware Articles.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
Open hardware license required Model summary
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
This journal follows a single 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. 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
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2468-0672
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about HardwareX
What CAS zone is HardwareX in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, HardwareX is in Zone 4 of Engineering, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Engineering, Electrical & Electronic / Instruments & Instrumentation / Materials Science, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of HardwareX?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 42.
How long does peer review take at HardwareX?
Based on the dates recorded on 105 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 124 days (interquartile range 86–171 days); authors report an average review time of about 24 weeks. 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 HardwareX?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: 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 HardwareX based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (11), Germany (6) and Canada (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index HardwareX?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, HardwareX is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is HardwareX open access, and what is the APC?
HardwareX is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 780.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .