Journal profile · Soil Science
Pedosphere
ISSN 1002-0160 · eISSN 2210-5107 · Institute of Soil Science · PEOPLES R CHINA · Bimonthly · Founded 1991
Pedosphere: CAS Zone 2 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.65; subscription journal; APC about USD 3,000; review about 5 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 151 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Pedosphere is published by Institute of Soil Science and is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics, Heavy metals in environment and Soil and Unsaturated Flow, together about 37.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Pedosphere - A peer-reviewed international journal was founded in 1991 and is published bimonthly in English by Elsevier Limited and Science Press.Pedosphere is sponsored jointly by the Soil Science Society of China and the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences in cooperation with 5 of the most important Chinese institutions and universities working in the field of soil science: China Agricultural University; the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Agricultural University; South China Agricultural University; and Zhejiang University.The Editor-in-Chief is Prof. Shen Ren-Fang, who is Honorary President of the Soil Science Society of China, and Director of the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.Pedosphere welcomes submissions from scientists around the world under a broad scope of topics relevant to timely, high quality original research findings, especially up-to-date achievements and advances in the entire field of soil science studies dealing with environmental science, ecology, agriculture, bioscience, geoscience, forestry, etc. It publishes mainly original research articles as well as some reviews, mini reviews, short communications and special issues; and its areas of particular interest include soil physics; soil chemistry; soil biology and biochemistry; soil fertility and plant nutrition; soil resources and use; soil mineralogy; soil environment and ecology; soil and water conservation; forest, range, and wetland soils; soil salinity and management; soil and plant analysis and technology; and soil gases and global change.Papers submitted to the Journal Pedosphere must be sent out for double anonymized in-depth peer review by the Editorial Committee , which is composed of 42 foreign and 21 Chinese worldwide renowned soil scientists from 24 countries, and by its scientific review panel composed of thousands of internationally invited experts prior to acceptance for publication.Pedosphere has been abstracted/indexed in most of relevant internationally important databases and abstracts, such as Current Contents/AB and ES, Science Citation Index Expanded, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, VINITI Abstracts Journal, Elsevier BIOBASE, GEOBASE, ASCI, Pollution Abstracts, Environmental Sciences and Pollution Mgmt, Environment Encyclopedia and Directory, Irrigation and Drainage Abstracts, Soils and Fertilizers, Water Resources Abstracts, Agroforestry Abstracts, Field Crop Abstracts, Forestry Abstracts, Geographical Abstracts, Geological Abstracts, Geomechanics Abstracts, Grasslands and Forage Abstracts, Horticultural Abstracts, International Development Abstracts, Maize Abstracts, Nematological Abstracts, CSCD, CSTPCD, CJCR, CNKI, CAJCED, Plant Growth Regulator Abstracts, Rice Abstracts, and Wheat, Barley and Triticale Abstracts.To date the published papers in Pedosphere submitted by authors from over 30 countries outside China, such as the USA, UK, France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, Poland, India, Brazil, Thailand, Pakistan, Greece, Syria and Bangladesh, have accounted for more than 30% of the total. Additionally, over 90% of the published articles in the journal belong to research projects supported by various international and national scientific foundations.Pedosphere's audience: Scientific and technical researchers and workers as well as university and college teachers and students related to soil science, environmental science, ecology, bioscience, geoscience, agriculture, forestry, etc.All manuscripts should be submitted electronically via Pedosphere Online Editorial System (POES) - the web-based online manuscript submission, tracking, peer-review, and editorial management system of Pedosphere - which can be accessed at http://pedosphere.issas.ac.cn.For subscription outside China: Elsevier is responsible for overse
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Soil Science
Editor-in-chief Lun Shan NorthwestPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 21 in mainland China (about 20%); most named Mainland China 21, United States 20, Germany 10, Australia 9, Italy 6 (104 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences22.3%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science8%
- Soil and Unsaturated FlowEngineering7.4%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science6.8%
- Clay minerals and soil interactionsMaterials Science4.9%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science4%
- Soil Geostatistics and MappingEnvironmental Science3.9%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Soil Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: CNKI, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, ScienceDirect, VINITI Abstracts Journal, Elsevier BIOBASE, GEOBASE, ASCI, Pollution Abstracts, Environmental Sciences and Pollution Mgmt, Environment Encyclopedia and Directory, Irrigation and Drainage Abstracts, Soils and Fertilizers, Water Resources Abstracts, Agroforestry Abstracts, Field Crop Abstracts, Forestry Abstracts, Geographical Abstracts, Geological Abstracts, Geomechanics Abstracts, Grasslands and Forage Abstracts, Horticultural Abstracts, International Development Abstracts, Maize Abstracts, Nematological Abstracts
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
- 6.65LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 13.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.38LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48LetPub ·
- h-index
- 108OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,417OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 82LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,253 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 133 | 3 | 52 |
| 2025 | 151 | 5 | 349 |
| 2024 | 107 | 15 | 886 |
| 2023 | 131 | 16 | 1,358 |
| 2022 | 110 | 16 | 2,760 |
| 2021 | 120 | 14 | 3,480 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,000 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 150
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 6
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted11
- editorialPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- full-length research papersPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues.Length not stated
- letter to the editorPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- letters to the editorPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- mini reviewPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- research paperPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- reviewPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- review or mini review papersPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues.Length not stated
- short communicationPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues. Authors should ind…Length not stated
- short communicationsPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues.Length not stated
- special issuesPEDOSPHERE accepts full-length research papers, review or mini review papers, short communications, letters to the Editor and special issues.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, 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 Copyright
When articles are provisionally accepted, the corresponding author will be asked to return a signed Copyright Transfer Agreement (including signature(s) of the corresponding author or all co-authors) stating that all contributors have seen and approved the article and that the work has not been, and will not be, published elsewhere; and copyright to the article is hereby transferred to the Editori…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
double anonymized review process 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 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.
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
- Institute of Soil Science
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 1002-0160
- Electronic ISSN
- 2210-5107
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Pedosphere
What CAS zone is Pedosphere in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Pedosphere is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Soil Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Pedosphere?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.65; CiteScore 13.1, h-index 108.
How long does peer review take at Pedosphere?
Authors report an average review time of about 5 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 Pedosphere?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 6; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: 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 Pedosphere based?
Of the 104 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 21 (about 20%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (21), United States (20) and Germany (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Pedosphere?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Pedosphere is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Pedosphere open access, and what is the APC?
Pedosphere is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,000.
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: .