Journal profile · Environmental Science-General Environmental Science
Natural Resources Research
ISSN 1520-7439 · eISSN 1573-8981 · Springer US · United States · 6 issues per year · Founded 1992
Natural Resources Research: CAS Zone 2 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.02; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 182 days to acceptance (112 articles, last 24 months); 169 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Natural Resources Research is published by Springer US and is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping, Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis and Coal Properties and Utilization, together about 37.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This journal publishes quantitative studies of natural (mainly but not limited to mineral) resources exploration, evaluation and exploitation, including environmental and risk-related aspects. Typical articles use geoscientific data or analyses to assess, test, or compare resource-related aspects. NRR covers a wide variety of resources including minerals, coal, hydrocarbon, geothermal, water, and vegetation. Case studies are welcome.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-General Environmental Science
Editor-in-chief John CarranzaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Canada 4, United States 2, India 2, South Africa 2, Mainland China 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Geochemistry and Geologic MappingComputer Science15.8%
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysisEngineering13.1%
- Coal Properties and UtilizationEngineering8.3%
- Mineral Processing and GrindingEngineering7.7%
- Rock Mechanics and ModelingEngineering7%
- Soil Geostatistics and MappingEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir AnalysisEngineering5.5%
- Reservoir Engineering and Simulation MethodsEngineering4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geosciences, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 6.02LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.06LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- h-index
- 39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 93OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,159OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.62OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 169LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 352,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,188 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 163 | 22 | 72 |
| 2025 | 169 | 19 | 851 |
| 2024 | 150 | 17 | 1,785 |
| 2023 | 141 | 20 | 2,716 |
| 2022 | 169 | 18 | 3,693 |
| 2021 | 197 | 12 | 5,834 |
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
182 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 145 days – 233 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (112 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 208 days
- Sample
- 112 articles with submission and acceptance dates (365 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
- 11 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 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria Model summary
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
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
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
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 availability
Data transparency expected Model summary
The journal encourages authors to provide a statement of Data availability in their article. Data availability statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether data are av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
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
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 Natural Resources Research, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening Model summary
the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism
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 US
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 6 issues per year
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 1520-7439
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-8981
- Society / sponsor
- International Association for Mathematical Geosciences
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 35, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Natural Resources Research
What CAS zone is Natural Resources Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Natural Resources Research is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Geosciences, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Natural Resources Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.02; CiteScore 10.5, h-index 93.
How long does peer review take at Natural Resources Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 112 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 182 days (interquartile range 145–233 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 Natural Resources Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; 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 Natural Resources Research based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Canada (4), United States (2) and India (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Natural Resources Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Natural Resources Research is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Natural Resources Research open access, and what is the APC?
Natural Resources Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
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: .