Journal profile · Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Knowledge-Based Systems
ISSN 0950-7051 · eISSN 1872-7409 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Bi-monthly · Founded 1987
Knowledge-Based Systems: CAS Zone 1 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,430; review about 158 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 2,083 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Knowledge-Based Systems is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Topic Modeling, Advanced Graph Neural Networks and Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning, together about 21.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Artificial Intelligence. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Knowledge-based Systems is an international and interdisciplinary journal in the field of artificial intelligence. The journal will publish original, innovative and creative research results in the field, and is designed to focus on research in knowledge-based and other artificial intelligence techniques-based systems with the following objectives and capabilities: to support human prediction and decision-making through data science and computation techniques; to provide a balanced coverage of both theory and practical study in the field; and to encourage new development and implementation of knowledge-based intelligence models, methods, systems, and software tools, with applications in business, government, education, engineering and healthcare.This journal's current leading topics are but not limited to:Machine learning theory, methodology and algorithmsData science theory, methodologies and techniquesKnowledge presentation and engineeringRecommender systems and E-service personalizationIntelligent decision support systems, prediction systems and warning systemsComputational Intelligence systemsData-driven optimizationCognitive interaction and brain–computer interfaceKnowledge-based computer vision techniquesSpecial Issue InstructionsKnowledge-based Systems (KBS), an international and interdisciplinary peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of artificial intelligence, welcomes the submission of special issues on timely topics within the scope of the journal. The main objectives of the journal to organize special issues are to bring together state-of-the-art and high-quality research works, to promote key advances in the science and applications in the important field of knowledge-based systems, and to drive emerging research topics and establish flagships in the field.How to submit your Special Issue proposal:Check the selection criteria below for a KBS special issue to make sure your proposal is relevant to the journal,Write your special issue proposal in the structure given below,Submit the special issue proposal to the Editor-in-Chief (EiC),The EiC and KBS special issue assessment panel will then review your proposal and reply with their decision.Guest Editors' Duty and Special Issue Process:After a special issue proposal is accepted by the journal, a call for papers can be formally distributed. All the papers submitted to the special issue will undergo a peer review process. Guest Editors will manage the process and ensure that the reviewing standards for Knowledge-Based Systems regular issues are maintained. A Managing Guest Editor, who will be responsible for distributing submissions to the other Guest Editors, will need to be nominated. After the Guest Editors make recommendations on each paper in the special issue, the EiC will make the final decisions of acceptance for publication. After all papers to be included in the Special Issue are accepted, the Guest Editors will be responsible for either preparing an Editorial (1–2 pages in length) or writing a field survey (5–10 pages in length), which will incorporate the selected papers and related literature relevant to the topic of the special issue.Software PublicationWe 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 which describe the application of the software to research and the published outputs.For more information contact us at: software.impacts@elsevier.com
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Editor-in-chief Jie LuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 15 in mainland China (about 22%); most named Mainland China 15, Australia 14, Italy 8, United States 6, United Kingdom 5 (69 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Topic ModelingComputer Science8.6%
- Advanced Graph Neural NetworksComputer Science7.1%
- Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot LearningComputer Science6%
- Face and Expression RecognitionComputer Science5.2%
- Rough Sets and Fuzzy LogicComputer Science5%
- Anomaly Detection Techniques and ApplicationsComputer Science4.6%
- Text and Document Classification TechnologiesComputer Science4.5%
- Recommender Systems and TechniquesComputer Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 2 |
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
- 8LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 13.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.75LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.08LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 223OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,571OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.59OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 12.82%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,952LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,479 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,699 | 377 | 1,035 |
| 2025 | 2,083 | 360 | 11,017 |
| 2024 | 1,386 | 261 | 22,014 |
| 2023 | 952 | 207 | 25,265 |
| 2022 | 1,181 | 217 | 41,128 |
| 2021 | 1,010 | 178 | 42,328 |
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
158 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 7.8 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 7.8 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 20%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 158 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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 3,430 / EUR 3,210 / GBP 2,750 / JPY 425,420 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,240 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted4
- original high-quality research and review papers(1) Original high-quality research and review papers (preferably no more than 20 double line spaced manuscript pages, including tables and figures).Length not stated
- reviewContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: (1) Original high-quality research and review papers (preferably no more…Length not stated
- short communicationContributions falling into the following categories will be considered for publication: (1) Original high-quality research and review papers (preferably no more…Length not stated
- short communications(2) Short communications, for rapid publication (no more than 10 double line spaced manuscript pages, including tables and figures).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 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 sharing allowed Model summary
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
- Bi-monthly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0950-7051
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-7409
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Knowledge-Based Systems
What CAS zone is Knowledge-Based Systems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Knowledge-Based Systems is in Zone 1 of Computer Science, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Knowledge-Based Systems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8; CiteScore 13.7, h-index 223.
How long does peer review take at Knowledge-Based Systems?
The publisher reports about 158 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 7.8 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Knowledge-Based Systems?
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. 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 Knowledge-Based Systems based?
Of the 69 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 15 (about 22%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (15), Australia (14) and Italy (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Knowledge-Based Systems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Knowledge-Based Systems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Knowledge-Based Systems open access, and what is the APC?
Knowledge-Based Systems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,430.
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: .