Journal profile · Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture
Journal of Systems Architecture
ISSN 1383-7621 · eISSN 1873-6165 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly
Journal of Systems Architecture: CAS Zone 3 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.21; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,540; review about 123 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 257 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Systems Architecture is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Parallel Computing and Optimization Techniques, Embedded Systems Design Techniques and Interconnection Networks and Systems, together about 32.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Computer Networks and Communications and Hardware and Architecture. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Systems Architecture: Embedded Software Design (JSA) is a journal covering all design and architectural aspects related to embedded systems and software. It ranges from the microarchitecture level via the system software level up to the application-specific architecture level. Aspects such as real-time systems, operating systems, programming languages, communications (limited to analysis and the software stack), mobile systems, parallel and distributed architectures as well as additional subjects in the computer and system architecture area will fall within the scope of this journal. Technology will not be a main focus, but its use and relevance to particular designs will be. Case studies are welcome but must contribute more than just a design for a particular piece of software.Design automation of such systems including methodologies, techniques and tools for their design as well as novel designs of software components fall within the scope of this journal. Novel applications that use embedded systems are also central in this journal. While JSA does not focus on hardware design, hardware/software co-design techniques with an emphasis on software are also relevant here.We invite you to convert your open source software into an additional journal publication in Software Impacts, a multi-disciplinary open access journal. Software Impacts provides a scholarly reference to software that has been used to address a research challenge. The journal disseminates impactful and re-usable scientific software through Original Software Publications (OSP) which describe the application of the software to research and the published outputs.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture
Editor-in-chief Zonghua GuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 18 in mainland China (about 33%); most named Mainland China 18, United States 10, Italy 7, France 4, Hong Kong, China 2 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Parallel Computing and Optimization TechniquesComputer Science14.6%
- Embedded Systems Design TechniquesComputer Science9.6%
- Interconnection Networks and SystemsComputer Science8.5%
- Real-Time Systems SchedulingComputer Science7.6%
- Advanced Data Storage TechnologiesComputer Science4.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.8%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | Zone 3 |
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, Hardware & Architecture | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Software Engineering | 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
- 5.21LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.45LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 89OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,195OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.64OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.88%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 234LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,442 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 281 | 81 | 98 |
| 2025 | 257 | 60 | 651 |
| 2024 | 184 | 59 | 1,878 |
| 2023 | 165 | 41 | 2,741 |
| 2022 | 233 | 65 | 3,649 |
| 2021 | 189 | 58 | 4,825 |
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
123 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 6 months
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 6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 123 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,540 / EUR 2,380 / GBP 2,030 / JPY 315,040 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,260 | — | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted6
- original researchThe journal welcomes the following types of contributions: Original research articlesReview articles, providing a comprehensive review on a scientific topic Sho…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articlesLength not stated
- reviewThe journal welcomes the following types of contributions: Original research articlesReview articles, providing a comprehensive review on a scientific topic Sho…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles, providing a comprehensive review on a scientific topicLength not stated
- short communicationThe journal welcomes the following types of contributions: Original research articlesReview articles, providing a comprehensive review on a scientific topic Sho…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications: Short, self-contained articles on ongoing research, or reporting interesting, possibly tentative, ideas, or comments on previously publish…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process; minimum two reviewers; editors make final decision. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 1383-7621
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6165
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Systems Architecture
What CAS zone is Journal of Systems Architecture in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Systems Architecture is in Zone 3 of Computer Science, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Computer Science, Hardware & Architecture / Computer Science, Software Engineering. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 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 Architecture?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.21; CiteScore 9.1, h-index 89.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Systems Architecture?
The publisher reports about 123 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. 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 Systems Architecture?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional. 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 Systems Architecture based?
Of the 54 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 18 (about 33%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (18), United States (10) and Italy (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Systems Architecture?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Systems Architecture is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Systems Architecture open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Systems Architecture is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,540.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .