Journal profile · Engineering, Environmental
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
ISSN 0948-3349 · eISSN 1614-7502 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Bimonthly · Founded 1996
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.08; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 157 days to acceptance (99 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 157 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Environmental Impact and Sustainability, Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact and Recycling and Waste Management Techniques, together about 49.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (Int J Life Cycle Assess) is the first journal devoted entirely to Life Cycle Assessment and closely related methods. LCA has become a recognized instrument to assess the ecological burdens and impacts throughout the consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources, through production and use to final disposal. The Int J Life Cycle Assess is a forum for scientists developing LCA and LCM (Life Cycle Management); LCA and LCM practitioners; managers concerned with environmental aspects of products; governmental environmental agencies responsible for product quality; scientific and industrial societies involved in LCA development, and ecological institutions and bodies.Papers on applied LCA/LCM, especially case studies, will be considered for publication if they are of general interest to the LCA/LCM community and make an innovative contribution to science such as highlighting new insights into a particular product system or policy question, such as a product that has been rarely or never assessed; a special interest operation, e.g. hydrofracking or Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS); present novel methodology; or describe efforts to build life cycle thinking capability within an organization or region.In addition to LCA/LCM, papers on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) are also welcome. Life Cycle Costing (LCC) studies are considered for publication in the framework of LCSA (three pillar concept/triple bottom line).Papers on the application of life cycle assessment methodology in single issue studies, such as greenhouse gas analysis as a means to assess carbon footprint, climate change, or global warming potential, will also be considered if the following conditions are met:
· The paper makes an innovative contribution to science such as highlighting new insights into a particular product system or policy question, or describing efforts to build life cycle thinking capability within an organization or region.
· The aspects discussed are not repetitive of other published studies.
· The authors are clear about the findings and acknowledge other relevant impact categories in the interpretation/discussion section of the paper.
· The caveat of burden shifting across impact categories must be recognized; proper discussion of how the limitations influences the results and conclusions of the stud
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Environmental
Editor-in-chief Matthias FinkbeinerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Germany 16, United States 9, Switzerland 6, Italy 5, Sweden 5 (73 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Environmental Impact and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science35.2%
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting6.8%
- Sustainable Building Design and AssessmentEngineering5.1%
- Extraction and Separation ProcessesEngineering3.4%
- Sustainable Development and Environmental PolicyEnvironmental Science2.9%
- Municipal Solid Waste ManagementEnvironmental Science2.8%
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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | 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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexEmbaseCASCAB 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
- 6.08LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.97LetPub ·
- h-index
- 89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 179OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,651OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.84OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 67.82%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 139LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,900,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,897 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 191 | 147 | 77 |
| 2025 | 157 | 128 | 933 |
| 2024 | 153 | 111 | 1,918 |
| 2023 | 144 | 104 | 3,092 |
| 2022 | 120 | 78 | 3,398 |
| 2021 | 163 | 103 | 5,503 |
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
157 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 123 days – 211 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (99 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 180 days
- Sample
- 99 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)
- 8–16 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 15 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 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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 papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 400 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 6
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 2
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12
- book reviewLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- book reviewsBook Reviews: up to 2 pagesLength not stated
- commentaries and discussion articlesCommentaries and Discussion Articles: up to 6 pagesLength not stated
- conference reportLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- conference reportsConference Reports: up to 2 pagesLength not stated
- editorialLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- editorialsEditorials: up to 6 pagesLength not stated
- letters to the editorLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- original research paperLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- original research papersOriginal Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresLength not stated
- reviewLength of Articles Original Research Papers: up to 12 pages including tables and figuresReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresCommentaries…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles: up to 15 pages including tables and figuresLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- 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
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 Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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 The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review by at least two experts for all papers except Editorials, Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews, and Conference Reports. Model summary
All papers – excluding Editorials, Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews, and Conference Reports - are subject to peer-review by at least two experts.
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 Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 0948-3349
- Electronic ISSN
- 1614-7502
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
What CAS zone is INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Engineering, Environmental / Environmental Sciences. 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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.08; CiteScore 9.7, h-index 179.
How long does peer review take at INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
Based on the dates recorded on 99 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 157 days (interquartile range 123–211 days); authors report an average review time of 8–16 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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 400 words; Keywords: ≥ 6; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 2; Cover letter: 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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT based?
Of the 73 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (16), United States (9) and Switzerland (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT open access, and what is the APC?
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
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: .