Journal profile · Robotics
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
ISSN 0921-8890 · eISSN 1872-793X · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1988
Robotics and Autonomous Systems: CAS Zone 2 · Computer Science (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.91; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,140; review about 244 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 336 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Robotics and Autonomous Systems is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Computer Science in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Robotic Path Planning Algorithms, Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization and Robot Manipulation and Learning, together about 33.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Affiliated with the Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS) SocietyRobotics and Autonomous Systems will carry articles describing fundamental developments in the field of robotics, with special emphasis on autonomous systems. An important goal of this journal is to extend the state of the art in both symbolic and sensory based robot control and learning in the context of autonomous systems.Robotics and Autonomous Systems will carry articles on the theoretical, computational and experimental aspects of autonomous systems, or modules of such systems.Benefits to authors:We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our Support Center
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Robotics
Editor-in-chief J. BiswasPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 15, Japan 8, Italy 8, Germany 2, Spain 2 (47 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Robotic Path Planning AlgorithmsComputer Science12.9%
- Robotics and Sensor-Based LocalizationEngineering11.8%
- Robot Manipulation and LearningEngineering9.1%
- Robotic Locomotion and ControlEngineering5.1%
- Modular Robots and Swarm IntelligenceEngineering5%
- Robotic Mechanisms and DynamicsEngineering4.3%
- Advanced Vision and ImagingComputer Science4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Automation & Control Systems | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Robotics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Automation & Control Systems | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Robotics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Computer Science Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Computer Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Automation & Control Systems | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Robotics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 5.91LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 10.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 100LetPub ·
- h-index
- 178OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,107OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.41OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 304LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,560 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 379 | 132 | 149 |
| 2025 | 336 | 132 | 1,145 |
| 2024 | 214 | 87 | 2,799 |
| 2023 | 186 | 89 | 3,525 |
| 2022 | 180 | 71 | 4,826 |
| 2021 | 170 | 69 | 4,698 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
244 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 4–8 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 32 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 135 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 244 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 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 3,140 / EUR 2,940 / GBP 2,510 / JPY 389,450 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,940 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, 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
1 to 7 keywords required Model summary
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 License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1988
- ISSN
- 0921-8890
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-793X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Robotics and Autonomous Systems
What CAS zone is Robotics and Autonomous Systems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Robotics and Autonomous Systems is in Zone 2 of Computer Science, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Automation & Control Systems / Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence / Robotics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Computer Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.91; CiteScore 10.5, h-index 178.
How long does peer review take at Robotics and Autonomous Systems?
The publisher reports about 244 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; 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 Robotics and Autonomous Systems?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 Robotics and Autonomous Systems based?
Of the 47 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (15), Japan (8) and Italy (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Robotics and Autonomous Systems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Robotics and Autonomous Systems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Robotics and Autonomous Systems open access, and what is the APC?
Robotics and Autonomous Systems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,140.
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: .