Journal profile · Engineering, Mechanical
Mechanism and Machine Theory
ISSN 0094-114X · eISSN 1873-3999 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Monthly
Mechanism and Machine Theory: CAS Zone 1 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.86; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,060; review about 106 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 326 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Mechanism and Machine Theory is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Robotic Mechanisms and Dynamics, Gear and Bearing Dynamics Analysis and Mechanical Engineering and Vibrations Research, together about 38.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Control and Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Mechanism and Machine Theory provides a medium of communication between engineers and scientists engaged in research and development within the fields of knowledge embraced by IFToMM, the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science, therefore affiliated with IFToMM as its official research journal.The main topics are:Design Theory and Methodology;Haptics and Human-Machine-Interfaces;Robotics, Mechatronics and Micro-Machines;Mechanisms, Mechanical Transmissions and Machines;Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control of Mechanical Systems;Applications to Bioengineering and Molecular ChemistryMethodologically, this includes theoretical, experimental, and/or historical approaches, along with their practical application, including education. Substantially, the journal aims at covering all subjects related to mechanisms and machines in general, such as: design theory and methodology, kinematics of mechanisms, rotor dynamics, computational kinematics, multibody dynamics, dynamics of machinery, nonlinear vibrations, linkages and cams, gearing and transmissions, transportation machinery, control and reliability of mechanical systems, including hydraulic and pneumatic systems, experimental test techniques, robots and robotic technologies, mechatronics, micromachines, human-machine interfaces, haptics, among others. Prospective fields of application of mechanism and machine science to other scientific areas such as bioengineering and molecular chemistry are also welcome.For more information on IFToMM, please visit https://iftomm-world.org/
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Mechanical
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 14%); most named United States 19, Italy 11, Mainland China 10, Canada 6, United Kingdom 4 (72 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Robotic Mechanisms and DynamicsEngineering19.8%
- Gear and Bearing Dynamics AnalysisEngineering9.5%
- Mechanical Engineering and Vibrations ResearchEngineering9.3%
- Dynamics and Control of Mechanical SystemsEngineering8.1%
- Piezoelectric Actuators and ControlEngineering5.1%
- Robot Manipulation and LearningEngineering4.7%
- Tribology and Lubrication EngineeringEngineering4.6%
- Soft Robotics and ApplicationsEngineering4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 1 |
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
- 5.86LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 12Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.57LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 155OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,820OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.99OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.48%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 298LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,873 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 218 | 77 | 104 |
| 2025 | 326 | 105 | 1,440 |
| 2024 | 250 | 86 | 2,415 |
| 2023 | 258 | 71 | 4,756 |
| 2022 | 406 | 89 | 9,069 |
| 2021 | 354 | 66 | 10,264 |
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
106 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 2 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 106 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 4,060 / EUR 3,800 / GBP 3,250 / JPY 503,560 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,230 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 180 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted11
- calendar insertsOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
- letterOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts. Editor's requirements: While articles pre…Length not stated
- lettersOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
- letters to the editorOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts. Editor's requirements: While articles pre…Length not stated
- news itemsOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
- original research paperOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts. Editor's requirements: While articles pre…Length not stated
- original research papersOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
- reviewOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts. Editor's requirements: While articles pre…Length not stated
- reviewsOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts. Editor's requirements: While articles pre…Length not stated
- short communicationsOriginal research papers, reviews, short communications, letters, letters to the editor, news items, calendar inserts.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics
publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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 Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0094-114X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-3999
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mechanism and Machine Theory
What CAS zone is Mechanism and Machine Theory in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Mechanism and Machine Theory is in Zone 1 of Engineering, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Engineering, Mechanical; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Mechanism and Machine Theory?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.86; CiteScore 12, h-index 155.
How long does peer review take at Mechanism and Machine Theory?
The publisher reports about 106 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Mechanism and Machine Theory?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 180 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; 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 Mechanism and Machine Theory based?
Of the 72 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (19), Italy (11) and Mainland China (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Mechanism and Machine Theory?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Mechanism and Machine Theory is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Mechanism and Machine Theory open access, and what is the APC?
Mechanism and Machine Theory is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,060.
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: .