Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
River Research and Applications
ISSN 1535-1459 · eISSN 1535-1467 · John Wiley and Sons Ltd · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 2002
River Research and Applications: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,110; median 186 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 174 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
River Research and Applications is published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Fish Ecology and Management Studies, Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes and Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies, together about 54.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
River Research and Applications , previously published as Regulated Rivers: Research and Management (1987-2001), is an international journal dedicated to the promotion of basic and applied scientific research on rivers. The journal publishes original scientific and technical papers on biological, ecological, geomorphological, hydrological, engineering and geographical aspects related to rivers in both the developed and developing world. Papers showing how basic studies and new science can be of use in applied problems associated with river management, regulation and restoration are encouraged as is interdisciplinary research concerned directly or indirectly with river management problems. The journal also publishes concept papers (see ARENA Section) short communications, regional and thematic review articles, and book reviews. Special thematic issues are an important feature. ENVIRONMENTSRivers, impounded reaches, riparian zones, floodplains, estuaries and deltas in all biogeographic realms and artificial canals. SUBJECTSHydrology (flow regimes, floods, droughts, instream flows, surface/groundwater interaction); water quality (physical, geo-chemical and biochemical processes); channel changes, erosion and sedimentation; flora and fauna (including micro-organisms, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish and other vertebrates). MANAGEMENTImpact assessment, environmental monitoring and modelling, integrated river-basin management, and restoration and conservation of running-water and associated (e.g. floodplain) ecosystems and environmental change (e.g. land use, climate, water demand). Reservoir operation and release strategies and instream flow methodologies, surface and groundwater abstractions and inter-basin transfers, water-quality control, biotic indices, pest and aquatic weed control, fisheries, and river engineering for ecological management, channel maintenance and fishway design. Standard papers normally should not exceed 6 000 words. Longer papers and review articles may be included but authors should first consult the editors. Papers for the ARENA section should normally be restricted to 3 000 words and papers intended for this special section should be identified as such on submission. Regional editorial support and a strict refereeing procedure will ensure that River Research and Applications achieves a high scientific standard and maintains both an interdisciplinary and truly international content. ARENA SectionA special ARENA section provides
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editor-in-chief Paul WoodPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 9, United Kingdom 7, Mainland China 3, Germany 2, Australia 2 (30 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science21%
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesEnvironmental Science20.9%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science12.9%
- Soil erosion and sediment transportAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.1%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science4%
- Fish Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)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: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)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: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceINSPECCAB AbstractsGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 2LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 119OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,815OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 55.94%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 151LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 151Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 295,847Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,474 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 95 | 61 | 10 |
| 2025 | 174 | 119 | 192 |
| 2024 | 189 | 143 | 759 |
| 2023 | 148 | 101 | 849 |
| 2022 | 183 | 83 | 1,346 |
| 2021 | 168 | 53 | 1,714 |
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
186 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 138 days – 262 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 212 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (288 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 32%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 32%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 190 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 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 4,110 / EUR 3,430 / GBP 2,790 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 4–8
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted5
- editorialEditorialLength not stated
- letterLetterLength not stated
- research articleResearch ArticleLength not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
- short communicationShort CommunicationLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
Please refer to the journal’s Authorship policy in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section for details on author listing eligibility.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors will be asked to provide a conflict of interest statement during the submission process. For details on what to include in this section, see the ‘Conflict of Interest’ section in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section below. Submitting authors should ensure they liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Accessibility
RRA recognizes the many benefits of archiving research data. RRA expects you to archive all the data from which your published results are derived in a public repository. The repository that you choose should offer you guaranteed preservation (see the registry of research data repositories at https://www.re3data.org/) and should help you make it findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-useable,…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
COPE member Model summary
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read Wiley’s Top 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors here. Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint your manuscript while its under review
You can now opt to seamlessly preprint your manuscript during submission, and make your work citable and discoverable, before it is accepted or published. Eligible journals allow authors to select their choice of participating preprint repositories. Learn more about Wiley’s Under Review service, powered by Authorea.
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
- John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 2002
- ISSN
- 1535-1459
- Electronic ISSN
- 1535-1467
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 42, Issue 7 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about River Research and Applications
What CAS zone is River Research and Applications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, River Research and Applications is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Water Resources. 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.
What is the impact factor of River Research and Applications?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2; CiteScore 4, h-index 119.
How long does peer review take at River Research and Applications?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 186 days (interquartile range 138–262 days); authors report an average review time of about 6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 32% (2025). 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 River Research and Applications?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 4–8; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not 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 River Research and Applications based?
Of the 30 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), United Kingdom (7) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index River Research and Applications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, River Research and Applications is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, INSPEC, CAB Abstracts, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is River Research and Applications open access, and what is the APC?
River Research and Applications is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,110.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .