Journal profile · Earth and Planetary Sciences-Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
ISSN 1674-7755 · eISSN 2589-0417 · Chinese Academy of Sciences · PEOPLES R CHINA
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering: CAS Zone 1 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.2; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 174 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 16% (journal website); 516 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering is published by Chinese Academy of Sciences 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, Landslides and related hazards and Geotechnical Engineering and Analysis, together about 36.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Civil and Structural Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of the Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Peer Review under the responsibility of Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of SciencesJournal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (JRMGE) is concerned with the latest research achievements in rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering.It provides an opportunity for colleagues from all over the world to understand the current developments in the fields of rock mechanics, geotechnical engineering, soil mechanics and foundation engineering, civil engineering, mining engineering, hydraulic engineering, petroleum engineering, engineering geology, etc.The JRMGE aims at promoting the international academic exchange and functions as a bridge between fundamental developments and practical applications.The topics covered by the JRMGE include new theories, new technologies, new methods and experiences, in-situ and laboratory tests, new developments, case studies, and timely reviews on selected subjects in rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering.For queries related to the journal, please contact jrmge@whrsm.ac.cn
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Earth and Planetary Sciences-Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
Editor-in-chief Qihu QianPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 65 in mainland China (about 52%); most named Mainland China 65, United States 16, Canada 7, Australia 7, Hong Kong, China 3 (124 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rock Mechanics and ModelingEngineering18.5%
- Landslides and related hazardsEnvironmental Science10.5%
- Geotechnical Engineering and AnalysisEngineering7.9%
- Geotechnical Engineering and Underground StructuresEngineering6.4%
- Soil and Unsaturated FlowEngineering4.9%
- Geotechnical Engineering and Soil MechanicsEngineering4.9%
- Grouting, Rheology, and Soil MechanicsEngineering4.7%
- Drilling and Well EngineeringEngineering4.6%
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 | Engineering, Geological | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Geological | 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 | Engineering, Geological | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 10.2LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 10.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 112OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,769OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 97.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 510LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,044 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 483 | 483 | 397 |
| 2025 | 516 | 516 | 3,155 |
| 2024 | 506 | 506 | 8,756 |
| 2023 | 271 | 271 | 7,516 |
| 2022 | 204 | 204 | 10,186 |
| 2021 | 162 | 162 | 8,886 |
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
174 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 9 weeks
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 9 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 174 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 9 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- correspondenceContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: full length article, review articles, discussion, correspondence.Length not stated
- discussionContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: full length article, review articles, discussion, correspondence.Length not stated
- full length articleContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: full length article, review articles, discussion, correspondence.Length not stated
- reviewields, and highlight future directions. Reviews are limited to 15,000 words, up to 30 figures and 7 tables, and no more than 150 referemain text ≤ 15,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 30 · references ≤ 150
- review articlesContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: full length article, review articles, discussion, correspondence.Length not stated
- technical noteTechnical note should be brief scientific report of a preliminary nature. They are limited to 8000 words, up to 15 figures and/or 6 tables, and no more than 50 …main text ≤ 8,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 15 · references ≤ 50
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Generative AI use must be declared Model summary
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 Author contributions
For transparency, we require corresponding authors to provide co-author contributions to the manuscript using the relevant CRediT roles. The CRediT taxonomy includes 14 different roles describing each contributor's specific contribution to the scholarly output. The roles are: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration;…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interest
Declaration of competing interest required Model summary
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors should complete the declaration of compe…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Original work only Model summary
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access journal Model summary
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single blind peer review Model summary
This journal operates a single blind review process. All contributions are typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final. More information on types of peer review. To facilitate the peer review, please add li…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints may be shared anywhere at any time Model summary
Please note that preprints can be shared anywhere at any time, in line with Elsevier's sharing policy. Sharing your preprints e.g. on a preprint server will not count as prior publication (see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more 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
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1674-7755
- Electronic ISSN
- 2589-0417
- 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 Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
What CAS zone is Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering is in Zone 1 of Engineering, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Engineering, Geological; 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 Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.2; CiteScore 14.3, h-index 112.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering?
The publisher reports about 174 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 9 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16%. 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 Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering based?
Of the 124 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 65 (about 52%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (65), United States (16) and Canada (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .