Journal profile · Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Materials Today
ISSN 1369-7021 · eISSN 1873-4103 · Elsevier · ENGLAND · Monthly
Materials Today: CAS Zone 1 · Materials Science (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 22.69; hybrid open access; APC about USD 6,070; review about 118 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 372 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Materials Today is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Materials Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nanotechnology research and applications, Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials and Advancements in Battery Materials, together about 20.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Electrical and Electronic Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Materials Today is the flagship journal of the Materials Today family and is dedicated to covering the most innovative, cutting edge and influential work of broad interest to the materials science community.Having established the journal as one of the most highly respected sources of news and reviews in materials science over the last two decades, Materials Today has expanded its scope to cover ground breaking original research in materials science, and aims to become a leading forum in the field.The editors welcome comprehensive articles and short communications reporting breakthrough discoveries and major technical achievements as well as review articles from established leaders in engaging and rapidly developing fields within materials science and related disciplines.Materials Today offers authors rigorous peer review, rapid publication, and maximum visibility. The journal expects to accept only the most significant submitted manuscripts, but will provide very rapid evaluation to prevent publication delays.The Materials Today Family of journals publishes fundamental and applied research that address many of the world’s grand challenges.We publish research across all materials science disciplines, from incremental results to ground-breaking discoveries. Our journals offer multi- and inter-disciplinary platforms for collaboration and the cross-pollination of ideas to drive the field forwardFor more information on the wider Materials Today family visit elsevier.com/subject/materials-today
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Jun LouPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 16 in mainland China (about 24%); most named United States 28, Mainland China 16, Singapore 6, Hong Kong, China 3, Portugal 2 (66 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nanotechnology research and applicationsEngineering7.3%
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting MaterialsEngineering6.9%
- Advancements in Battery MaterialsEngineering6.6%
- Science, Research, and MedicineMedicine6.1%
- Biotechnology and Related FieldsMedicine5.6%
- Advanced Battery Materials and TechnologiesEngineering5.5%
- Graphene research and applicationsMaterials Science4.8%
- Conducting polymers and applicationsMaterials Science4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
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
- 22.69LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 24.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 27LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 27Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.91LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.03LetPub ·
- h-index
- 138LetPub ·
- h-index
- 296OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,166OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 14.56OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 331LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,042 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 284 | 82 | 569 |
| 2025 | 372 | 80 | 5,149 |
| 2024 | 194 | 61 | 6,654 |
| 2023 | 313 | 63 | 13,623 |
| 2022 | 260 | 51 | 10,976 |
| 2021 | 339 | 86 | 23,308 |
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
118 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 1 month
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 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 50 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 118 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 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 6,070 / EUR 5,680 / GBP 4,860 / JPY 752,860 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 6,110 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- commentsIn addition, the journal also publishes Comments, Editorials, and Correspondences.Length not stated
- correspondencesIn addition, the journal also publishes Comments, Editorials, and Correspondences.Length not stated
- editorialsIn addition, the journal also publishes Comments, Editorials, and Correspondences.Length not stated
- original research articleapers describing a comprehensive study. Original Research Articles should be between 3500-9000 words and include a maximum of 100 references. No limits are placmain text ≤ 9,000 words
- original research articlesThe journal publishes high quality Original Research Articles, Short Communications and Reviews.Length not stated
- reviewinsight for the experienced researcher. Reviews should be between 3500-9000 words and include a maximum of 300 references. No limits are placmain text ≤ 9,000 words
- review articleReview Articles are full length papers describing the status of a high interest field, providing both an introduction to the new reader, and insight for the exp…main text ≤ 3,500 words · references ≤ 300
- reviewsThe journal publishes high quality Original Research Articles, Short Communications and Reviews.Length not stated
- short communicationrogress in a rapidly progressing field. Short Communications should be between 2000-3500 words and include a maximum of 50 references. No limits are placemain text ≤ 3,500 words
- short communicationsThe journal publishes high quality Original Research Articles, Short Communications and Reviews.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 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
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 1369-7021
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-4103
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Materials Today
What CAS zone is Materials Today in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Materials Today is in Zone 1 of Materials Science, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Materials Science, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Materials Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Materials Today?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 22.69; CiteScore 27, h-index 296.
How long does peer review take at Materials Today?
The publisher reports about 118 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Materials Today?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Required. 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 Materials Today based?
Of the 66 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 16 (about 24%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (28), Mainland China (16) and Singapore (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Materials Today?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Materials Today is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Materials Today open access, and what is the APC?
Materials Today is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 6,070.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .