Journal profile · Earth and Planetary Sciences-Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
International Journal of Coal Science and Technology
ISSN 2095-8293 · eISSN 2198-7823 · Springer Nature · Germany
International Journal of Coal Science and Technology: CAS Zone 1 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,240; median 365 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); 101 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Coal Science and Technology is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Rock Mechanics and Modeling, Coal Properties and Utilization and Coal and Its By-products, together about 40.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Mechanics of Materials. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Coal Science & Technology is a peer-reviewed open access journal. It focuses on key topics of coal scientific research and mining development, serving as a forum for scientists to present research findings and discuss challenging issues. Coverage includes original research articles, new perspectives, critical reviews and case studies in all aspects of scientific and engineering research on energy and mineral resources. The topics include (1) Geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mineralogy, and petrology; (2) Upstream energy and mineral extractions; (3) Downstream energy and mineral processing, utilization, and conversion; (4) Environment and hazard control and (5) Energy and natural resource policy. The International Journal of Coal Science & Technology is published with China Coal Society, who also cover the publication costs until Dec 31, 2025. The journal operates a single-blind peer-review system, where the reviewers are aware of the names and affiliations of the authors, but the reviewer reports provided to authors are anonymous. Editors-in-Chief Shimin Liu PhD Suping Peng PhD View all editors
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Earth and Planetary Sciences-Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Editor-in-chief Shimin LiuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 29 in mainland China (about 54%); most named Mainland China 29, United States 7, United Kingdom 4, Australia 3, Germany 2 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rock Mechanics and ModelingEngineering16.1%
- Coal Properties and UtilizationEngineering14.8%
- Coal and Its By-productsEarth and Planetary Sciences9.2%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering7.1%
- Thermochemical Biomass Conversion ProcessesEngineering5.2%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Geomechanics and Mining EngineeringEngineering4.2%
- Geoscience and Mining TechnologyEngineering3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Mining & Mineral Processing | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexSCIEINSPECCASGeoRefPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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 (publisher) 2025
- 10.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 15.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.79LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.24LetPub ·
- h-index
- 63OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 625OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.11OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 842,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 909 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 94 | 94 | 102 |
| 2025 | 101 | 101 | 1,268 |
| 2024 | 88 | 88 | 1,775 |
| 2023 | 91 | 91 | 2,756 |
| 2022 | 91 | 91 | 3,220 |
| 2021 | 84 | 84 | 2,843 |
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
365 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 238 days – 519 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 59 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 459 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (201 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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | EUR 1,790 / USD 2,240 / GBP 1,490 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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 websitePolicy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review Special issues of this journal follow Single-blind peer review
All special issues of this journal follow Single-blind peer review, please click to find the detailed information.
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 Nature
- Country or region
- Germany
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2095-8293
- Electronic ISSN
- 2198-7823
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Coal Science and Technology
What CAS zone is International Journal of Coal Science and Technology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Coal Science and Technology is in Zone 1 of Engineering, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Energy & Fuels / Mining & Mineral Processing; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Coal Science and Technology?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 10.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 15.3, h-index 63.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Coal Science and Technology?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 365 days (interquartile range 238–519 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 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.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Coal Science and Technology based?
Of the 54 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 29 (about 54%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (29), United States (7) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Coal Science and Technology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Coal Science and Technology is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, SCIE, INSPEC, CAS and GeoRef; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Coal Science and Technology open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Coal Science and Technology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,240.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .