Journal profile · Environmental Science-Water Science and Technology
PLOS Water
ISSN 2767-3219 · Public Library of Science (PLoS) · United States
PLOS Water: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2026 Xinrui edition); fully open access; APC about USD 2,596; review about 25 weeks (community reports); 119 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PLOS Water 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 Child Nutrition and Water Access, Water resources management and optimization and Fecal contamination and water quality, together about 36.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Water Science and Technology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PLOS Water is an open-access journal that brings together research relevant to the study of water for people and planet. Our broad scope brings together diverse water research communities to promote multidisciplinary research and facilitate collaboration between the interconnected fields of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and water resources. PLOS Water publishes primary research conducted in a transparent, ethically and methodologically rigorous manner that contributes to the base of academic knowledge on a diverse range of water-related topics. These areas include water treatment, contamination, purification, quality, consumption, recycling, scarcity and supply, conservation, infrastructure, technology and engineering, applied governance and policy, equity, access, and environmental impacts, as well as ecosystem approaches, socio-behavioral, and economic studies relevant to these areas. All researchers who play a role in this global issue — including academics, government agencies, professional and community organizations, engineers, and water professionals — are encouraged to submit their research to the journal. We consider articles reporting primary research performed in a variety of settings and welcome laboratory, field, and computational work as well as systematic reviews, replication studies, and negative or null results.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Water Science and Technology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Child Nutrition and Water AccessNursing18.9%
- Water resources management and optimizationEngineering9.1%
- Fecal contamination and water qualityEnvironmental Science8.5%
- Water Governance and InfrastructureSocial Sciences7.3%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Wastewater Treatment and ReuseEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Water Treatment and DisinfectionEnvironmental Science4.2%
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 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 4 |
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
- 4.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 24OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 98LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 467 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 110 | 110 | 46 |
| 2025 | 119 | 119 | 274 |
| 2024 | 91 | 91 | 567 |
| 2023 | 98 | 98 | 1,003 |
| 2022 | 49 | 49 | 744 |
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 25 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 30 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 2,596 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,496 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,400 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2
- meta-analysisManuscripts reporting a meta-analysis of genetic association studies must report results of value to the field and should be reported according to the guideline…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
This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work. It is important to gather these details prior to submission because your financial disclosure statement cannot be changed after initial submission without journal approval. If your manuscript is published, your statement will appear in the Funding section of the article. Enter this statement in the Financial Disclosu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data availability policy requiring deposit of data and metadata in appropriate 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
Policy for manuscripts disputing published work, inviting signed review by the disputed author. Model summary
For manuscripts disputing previously published work, it is PLOS Water policy to invite a signed review by the disputed author during the peer review process.
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
- 2767-3219
- 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 Water
What CAS zone is PLOS Water in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 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 Water?
Authors report an average review time of about 25 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 Water?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Vancouver; 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 Water?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PLOS Water 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 Water open access, and what is the APC?
PLOS Water is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,596.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .