Journal profile · COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Journal of Software-Evolution and Process
ISSN 2047-7473 · eISSN 2047-7481 · WILEY · ENGLAND
Journal of Software-Evolution and Process: CAS Zone 4 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.4; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,480; median 274 days to acceptance (85 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 12% (journal website); 117 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Software-Evolution and Process is published by WILEY and is in Zone 4 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Software Engineering Research, Software Engineering Techniques and Practices and Software Reliability and Analysis Research, together about 47.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Software: Evolution and Process is an archival journal that publishes high quality, state-of-the-art research and practice papers dealing with the conception, development, testing, management, quality, maintenance, and evolution of software, systems, and services, as well as the continuous improvement of processes and capabilities surrounding them. The journal continues the tradition of The Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice and Software Process: Improvements and Practice. We will therefore continue to cover the traditional topics related to software maintenance and evolution as well as software process improvement and practice. At the same time, the concept behind the journal has evolved into a unified vision that recognizes the fundamental changes and transformations that are occurring in the fields of software and systems engineering and the need for us to adapt by broadening the topics that we address and the research methods that are used coupled with the perspectives that are utilised. Fundamental changes are occurring in the variety, scale and scope of software, systems and services that are being developed from new web and mobile computing to battle theatre technologies and everything in between. Areas of interest include but are not limited to: How software, systems and enabled services are conceived, justified, created, managed, maintained and evolved over time How new underlying technologies (which are constantly changing) can be elegantly integrated and dealt with as systems evolve over time How new platforms and architectures are developed, tested, modified, and evolved to create the variety of applications needed now, and in the future How new processes and tools can be utilised in all phases of the development lifecycle (from system concept to test) in order to conceive, justify, create, modify and evolve these new technologies, platforms, systems and services How high-level representations of existing software, systems and services can be reverse engineered and used to support maintenance and evolution How people issues regarding cross disciplinary or geographically dispersed virtual teams can be addressed How the skill sets needed to participate and manage these projects will be developed How globally dispersed projects should be managed How new models of collaboration and participation will be deployed and managed What models will be used to estimate costs and predict performance of project
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Editorial board by country: 17 in mainland China (about 25%); most named Mainland China 17, United States 11, Italy 10, Canada 4, Singapore 4 (67 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Software Engineering ResearchComputer Science22%
- Software Engineering Techniques and PracticesComputer Science16.4%
- Software Reliability and Analysis ResearchComputer Science9.1%
- Software System Performance and ReliabilityComputer Science6.6%
- Software Testing and Debugging TechniquesComputer Science5.2%
- Open Source Software InnovationsComputer Science4.6%
- Advanced Software Engineering MethodologiesComputer Science4.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIELetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexWeb of ScienceScopusINSPECDBLPCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO
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
- 1.4LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 471OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.42OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.34%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 85LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 5Publisher website ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 90Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 145,222Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,511 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97 | 39 | 16 |
| 2025 | 117 | 61 | 122 |
| 2024 | 118 | 65 | 334 |
| 2023 | 131 | 80 | 641 |
| 2022 | 121 | 38 | 1,069 |
| 2021 | 100 | 34 | 1,030 |
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
274 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 179 days – 404 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 24 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 306 days
- Sample
- 85 articles with submission and acceptance dates (218 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 247 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 26 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 4,480 / EUR 3,750 / GBP 3,000 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted2
- case studyAt the time of submission, authors should select one of the following manuscript types to describe their paper: Analytical: A paper in which the main contributi…Length not stated
- surveyAt the time of submission, authors should select one of the following manuscript types to describe their paper: Analytical: A paper in which the main contributi…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship
Originality: submission implies original unpublished work not under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that it contains original unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same time.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data sharing: expects authors to share data and artefacts in a public repository and include a data accessibility statement published alongside the paper. Model summary
The journal expects authors to share the data and other artefacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving it in an appropriate public repository. Authors should include a data accessibility statement, including a link to the repository they have used, in order that this statement can be published alongside their paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS
Copyright: non-OA authors sign a copyright transfer agreement (CTA). Model summary
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper. For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement If the Open Access option is not selec…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing Open Access
If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Appeals: authors may appeal rejections based on misunderstanding of core aspects, contribution, or process; editor's decision after appeal is final. Model summary
Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they feel that the decision to reject was based on either a significant misunderstanding of a core aspect of the manuscript, a failure to understand how the manuscript advances the literature or concerns regarding the manuscript-handling process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy
Preprint policy: considers preprints on non-commercial servers; authors may post submitted version to non-commercial servers and should update pre-publication versions with link to final published article. Model summary
Wiley believes that journal publishing for communities with established pre-print servers should allow authors to submit manuscripts that have already been made available on a non-commercial preprint server. Allowing submission does not, of course, guarantee that an article will be sent out for review. It simply reflects our belief that journals should not rule out reviewing a paper simply because…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
NIH Public Access Mandate: refers to Wiley policy statement. Model summary
For those interested in the Wiley policy on the NIH Public Access Mandate, please visit our policy statement
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
- WILEY
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2047-7473
- Electronic ISSN
- 2047-7481
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Software-Evolution and Process
What CAS zone is Journal of Software-Evolution and Process in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Software-Evolution and Process is in Zone 4 of Computer Science, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Software Engineering. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Software-Evolution and Process?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.4; h-index 51.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Software-Evolution and Process?
Based on the dates recorded on 85 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 274 days (interquartile range 179–404 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 12% (2025). 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 Software-Evolution and Process?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Journal of Software-Evolution and Process based?
Of the 67 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 17 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (17), United States (11) and Italy (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Software-Evolution and Process?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Software-Evolution and Process is indexed in SCIE. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Web of Science, Scopus, INSPEC, DBLP and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Software-Evolution and Process open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Software-Evolution and Process is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,480.
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 2026-08-30). Last updated: .