Journal profile · Energy-General Energy
Joule
ISSN 2542-4351 · Elsevier · UNITED STATES
Joule: CAS Zone 1 · Materials Science (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 36.71; hybrid open access; APC about USD 9,350; review about 135 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 239 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Joule is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Materials Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Perovskite Materials and Applications, Advancements in Battery Materials and Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies, together about 31.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Electrical and Electronic Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
What is Joule?Joule, a sister journal to Cell, is a home for outstanding and insightful research, analysis and ideas addressing a key global challenge: the need for more sustainable energy.Joule is a distinctive and forward-looking journal, bridging disciplines and scales of energy research. Joule connects all who are researching and analyzing the challenges - scientific, technical, economic, policy and social - of providing sustainable energy solutions.Joule spans scales of energy research, from fundamental laboratory research into energy conversion and storage up to impactful analysis at the global level.Joule will purposefully highlights and amplifies the implications, challenges and opportunities of novel energy research for different groups working across the entire spectrum of the field.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Energy-General Energy
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Perovskite Materials and ApplicationsEngineering11.1%
- Advancements in Battery MaterialsEngineering10.6%
- Advanced Battery Materials and TechnologiesEngineering10.1%
- Advanced Battery Technologies ResearchEngineering8.5%
- Advanced battery technologies researchEngineering6.2%
- Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin FilmsEngineering5.5%
- Conducting polymers and applicationsMaterials Science5.4%
- Organic Electronics and PhotovoltaicsEngineering4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Physical | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Energy & Fuels | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 36.71LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 37.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 50.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 50.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 12.92LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 4.96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 292OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,735OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 28.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 179LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,316 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 269 | 73 | 769 |
| 2025 | 239 | 75 | 5,196 |
| 2024 | 256 | 255 | 15,769 |
| 2023 | 224 | 224 | 18,153 |
| 2022 | 219 | 219 | 25,620 |
| 2021 | 233 | 233 | 37,747 |
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
135 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 acceptance
- 135 daysPublisher 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 9,350 / EUR 8,660 / GBP 7,490 / JPY 1,159,680 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 9,350 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open Access
Article Publishing Charge (APC): USD 9,350 (excluding taxes). The amount you pay may be reduced during submission if applicable.
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2542-4351
- Print ISSN
- 2542-4785
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Joule
What CAS zone is Joule in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Joule is in Zone 1 of Materials Science, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Energy & Fuels / Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Materials Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Joule?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 36.71; CiteScore 50.4, h-index 292.
How long does peer review take at Joule?
The publisher reports about 135 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.
Which databases index Joule?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Joule is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Joule open access, and what is the APC?
Joule is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 9,350.
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: .