Journal profile · Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Journal of Systems and Software
ISSN 0164-1212 · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1979
Journal of Systems and Software: CAS Zone 2 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.81; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,820; review about 7.5 months (community reports); 339 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Systems and Software is published by Elsevier Inc. and is in Zone 2 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 Reliability and Analysis Research and Software Engineering Techniques and Practices, together about 37.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Information Systems. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Browse through a wide range of high-quality academic journals offered by Elsevier, including open access options, to enrich your research journey.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Software Engineering ResearchComputer Science18.4%
- Software Reliability and Analysis ResearchComputer Science9.4%
- Software Engineering Techniques and PracticesComputer Science9.3%
- Advanced Software Engineering MethodologiesComputer Science9%
- Software System Performance and ReliabilityComputer Science7.2%
- Software Testing and Debugging TechniquesComputer Science6.5%
- Service-Oriented Architecture and Web ServicesComputer Science4%
- Distributed systems and fault toleranceComputer Science3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Theory & Methods | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 3.81LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 169OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,622OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 293LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,022 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 269 | 150 | 119 |
| 2025 | 339 | 193 | 1,177 |
| 2024 | 285 | 173 | 2,491 |
| 2023 | 255 | 137 | 4,169 |
| 2022 | 190 | 100 | 4,928 |
| 2021 | 202 | 115 | 5,036 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 7.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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 3,820 / EUR 3,570 / GBP 3,060 / JPY 473,790 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0164-1212
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Systems and Software
What CAS zone is Journal of Systems and Software in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Systems and Software is in Zone 2 of Computer Science, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Computer Science, Software Engineering / Computer Science, Theory & Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Systems and Software?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.81; CiteScore 10.1, h-index 169.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Systems and Software?
Authors report an average review time of about 7.5 months. 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 Journal of Systems and Software?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Systems and Software is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Systems and Software open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Systems and Software is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,820.
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: .