Journal profile · ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Land Use Policy
ISSN 0264-8377 · eISSN 1873-5754 · Elsevier
Land Use Policy: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.49; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,830; review about 236 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 367 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Land Use Policy is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management and Land Rights and Reforms, together about 37% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change and General Agricultural and Biological Sciences. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal Covering All Aspects of Land UseLand Use Policy is an international and interdisciplinary journal concerned with the social, economic, political, legal, physical and planning aspects of urban and rural land use. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information from the diverse range of disciplines and interest groups which must be combined to formulate effective land use policies. The journal examines issues in geography, agriculture, forestry, irrigation, environmental conservation, housing, urban development and transport in both developed and developing countries through major refereed articles and shorter viewpoint pieces.Land Use Policy aims to provide policy guidance to governments and planners and it is also a valuable teaching resource.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Uchendu ChigbuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 10, United Kingdom 9, Australia 9, Mainland China 6, Germany 4 (70 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science16.1%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science11.3%
- Land Rights and ReformsAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.7%
- Economic and Environmental ValuationEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.9%
- Agriculture, Land Use, Rural DevelopmentAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
- Forest Management and PolicyEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Rural development and sustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Agricultural Innovations and PracticesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 6.49LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.69LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 213OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,226OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.27OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 38.28%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 343LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,700 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 383 | 182 | 265 |
| 2025 | 367 | 155 | 2,427 |
| 2024 | 345 | 164 | 5,274 |
| 2023 | 425 | 204 | 8,009 |
| 2022 | 493 | 192 | 14,846 |
| 2021 | 618 | 215 | 23,860 |
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
236 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 94 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 236 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,830 / EUR 3,490 / GBP 3,070 / JPY 451,860 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,200 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- opinionRegular papers. Original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form, may be submitted as regular papers.…Length not stated
- regular paperRegular papers. Original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form, may be submitted as regular papers.…Length not stated
- research paperRegular papers. Original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form, may be submitted as regular papers.…Length not stated
- viewpointRegular papers. Original full-length research papers which have not been published previously, except in a preliminary form, may be submitted as regular papers.…main text ≤ 2,500 words
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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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.
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
- ISSN
- 0264-8377
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-5754
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Land Use Policy
What CAS zone is Land Use Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Land Use Policy is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Studies; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Land Use Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.49; CiteScore 14, h-index 213.
How long does peer review take at Land Use Policy?
The publisher reports about 236 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Land Use Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; 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 Land Use Policy based?
Of the 70 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (10), United Kingdom (9) and Australia (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Land Use Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Land Use Policy is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Land Use Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Land Use Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,830.
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: .