Journal profile · Environmental Science-Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
ISSN 2767-3197 · Public Library of Science (PLoS) · United States
PLOS Sustainability and Transformation: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2026 Xinrui edition); fully open access; APC about USD 3,400; review about 34 weeks (community reports); 44 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PLOS Sustainability and Transformation is published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) and is classed under Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact and Agricultural Innovations and Practices, together about 22.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PLOS Sustainability and Transformation is a selective Open Access journal publishing original, leading research aimed at catalyzing progress towards transformative changes across sectors to create more just and sustainable futures for all. Our journal connects a diverse community of researchers, practitioners and decision-makers by cross-fertilizing knowledge that addresses both opportunities and challenges regarding key interventions required for sustainability transformations from disciplinary, inter- and trans-disciplinary perspectives as well as from diverse knowledge systems. We work alongside researchers to make their impactful work openly available to all people to inform actions in the face of local to global sustainability challenges. The journal provides a forum for researchers focusing on transformative change for sustainability, based on the research practice values of fairness, openness, diversity, reflexivity, and transparency. We are especially interested in plural framings regarding problems related to sustainability, including decolonial praxis, and in novel co-produced knowledge about how to navigate towards sustainability through a transformative lens across sectors and systems, such as terrestrial (including freshwater) and marine ecosystems, agro-ecosystems and urban systems. We welcome research on transformative change that explicitly addresses sustainability challenges in realms such as climate change, energy, food and agriculture, fisheries, water, urban planning, consumption and production, and social innovation, as well as those that are based on a justice, nexus or systems perspective, grounded in the realities of the Global South (including in Indigenous peoples and Local communities contexts) and the Global North.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science10.2%
- Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Agricultural Innovations and PracticesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Sustainable Development and Environmental PolicyEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Food Waste Reduction and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Environmental Education and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Organic Food and AgricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Dimensions, Crossref
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 25OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.58OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 192 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34 | 34 | 15 |
| 2025 | 44 | 44 | 172 |
| 2024 | 40 | 40 | 236 |
| 2023 | 36 | 36 | 776 |
| 2022 | 38 | 38 | 855 |
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 34 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 34 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 3,400 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,400 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,000 | Yes | — |
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
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted3
- opinion12/16/2025 Opinion Three kinds of questions for scientists in intergovernmental policyLength not stated
- research articleIf you are submitting content other than a research article, learn more about what we publish.Length not stated
- systematic reviewA systematic review paper, as defined by The Cochrane Collaboration, is a review of a clearly formulated question that uses explicit, systematic methods to iden…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship Consortia and group authorship
If a manuscript is submitted on behalf of a consortium or group, include its name in the manuscript byline. Do not add it to the author list in the submission system. You may include the full list of members in the Acknowledgments or in a supporting information file. PubMed only indexes individual consortium or group author members listed in the article byline. If included, these individuals must …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Financial Disclosure Statement
Competing interests and funding source disclosure policy Model summary
This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work. If your manuscript is published, your statement will appear in the Funding section of the article. Include your statement in the Financial Disclosure section of the initial submission form. The statement should include: Specific grant numbers Initials of authors who received each award URLs to sponsors’ websites Also…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data availability policy requiring deposition in public repositories Model summary
All data and related metadata underlying the findings reported in a submitted manuscript should be deposited in an appropriate public repository, unless already provided as part of the submitted article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
PLOS applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees, for virtually any purpose. Anyone may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, as long as the author and original source are properly cited. Learn more.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions policy Model summary
Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions
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
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2767-3197
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
What CAS zone is PLOS Sustainability and Transformation in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at PLOS Sustainability and Transformation?
Authors report an average review time of about 34 weeks. 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 PLOS Sustainability and Transformation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Vancouver; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Cover letter: 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.
Which databases index PLOS Sustainability and Transformation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is PLOS Sustainability and Transformation open access, and what is the APC?
PLOS Sustainability and Transformation is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .