Journal profile · Social Sciences-Communication
Learning Environments Research
ISSN 1387-1579 · eISSN 1573-1855 · Springer Nature · 3 issues per year
Learning Environments Research: CAS Zone 2 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.8 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 355 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); 42 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Learning Environments Research is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 2 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Educational Environments and Student Outcomes, Urban Green Space and Health and Teacher Education and Leadership Studies, together about 45.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Learning Environments Research interprets the term ‘learning environment’ as the context in which learning occurs. The journal seeks to advance our understanding of organisational, physical, psychosocial, and pedagogical aspects of learning environments and how these influence teacher and student learning and cognitive and affective outcomes, including student achievement. The journal expands our knowledge of pre-primary, primary, high school, college and university, and lifelong learning environments irrespective of subject area. Apart from classroom-level and school-level environments (e.g., school climate), the journal devotes attention to out-of-school learning environments (such as the home, science centres, museums, television, parks, and other natural areas) and online learning environments. The journal also seeks to increase our understanding of the architecture, design and affordances of schools and learning spaces and whether or how these influence student learning and outcomes. The journal's scope is deliberately broad in terms of substance, research design and methods. Learning Environments Research publishes original academic papers, including theoretical reflections, reports of quantitative and qualitative research, meta-analyses, discussions of methodological issues, reports of the development and validation of assessment instruments, and reviews of books and evaluation instruments and critical, systematic, and integrative literature reviews. All submissions, however, are required to be framed within learning environments research, clearly stating what aspects of the learning environment were examined and how the study and its findings are seated within this field. The journal is affiliated with the American Educational Research Association's Special Interest Group on the Study of Learning Environments. However, having Regional Editors and members of the Editorial Board from around the world ensures that Learning Environments Research is a truly international journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Communication
Editor-in-chief Jill AldridgePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 12, United States 6, Netherlands 4, Finland 3, India 2 (38 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Educational Environments and Student OutcomesSocial Sciences27.5%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science9.8%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences8.4%
- Online and Blended LearningSocial Sciences7.7%
- Evaluation of Teaching PracticesSocial Sciences5.8%
- Innovative Teaching and Learning MethodsPsychology5.3%
- Education and Technology IntegrationSocial Sciences5.2%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences5.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOERICERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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 (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- h-index
- 80OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 481OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.14OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 44.55%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 40LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 340,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 725 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41 | 17 | 11 |
| 2025 | 42 | 26 | 143 |
| 2024 | 35 | 17 | 216 |
| 2023 | 39 | 18 | 530 |
| 2022 | 37 | 28 | 732 |
| 2021 | 49 | 24 | 1,260 |
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
355 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 219 days – 427 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (86 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 378 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (88 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
- Submission to first decision
- 45 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 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — |
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
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
Papers must be between 4000 and 7000 words including references, tables and figures. Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data and materials, including software/code, must support published claims and comply with field standards. Model summary
All authors are requested to make sure that all data and materials as well as software application or custom code support their published claims and comply with field standards.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Competing interests disclosure required under Statements and Declarations. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Permission required for previously published figures, tables, or text passages. Model summary
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Learning Environments Research, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review; authors must anonymize manuscripts and submit a separate title page. Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 3 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1387-1579
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-1855
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Learning Environments Research
What CAS zone is Learning Environments Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Learning Environments Research is in Zone 2 of Education, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Learning Environments Research?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 8.7, h-index 80.
How long does peer review take at Learning Environments Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 355 days (interquartile range 219–427 days). 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 Learning Environments Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: 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 Learning Environments Research based?
Of the 38 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (12), United States (6) and Netherlands (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Learning Environments Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Learning Environments Research is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO, ERIC and ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Learning Environments Research open access, and what is the APC?
Learning Environments Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
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: .