Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
Science of The Total Environment
ISSN 0048-9697 · eISSN 1879-1026 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Semimonthly · Founded 1972
Science of The Total Environment: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.41; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,250; median 130 days to acceptance (66 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 17% (journal website); 2,990 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus; flagged on an early-warning list or for an indexing change: check before submitting.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Science of The Total Environment is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Air Quality and Health Impacts, Heavy metals in environment and Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact, together about 24.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis and Pollution. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An International Journal for Scientific Research into the Environment and its Relationship with HumankindScience of the Total Environment is an international multi-disciplinary natural science journal for publication of novel, hypothesis-driven and high-impact research on the total environment, which interfaces the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere.STOTEN's Aims & Scope has been updated - we invite contributions of original and high quality interdisciplinary environmental research papers of broad impact. Studies significantly advancing fundamental understanding and that focus on the interconnection of multiple spheres will be given primary consideration. Field studies have preference, while papers describing laboratory experiments must demonstrate significant advances in methodology or mechanistic understanding with a clear connection to the environment. Descriptive, repetitive, incremental or regional-scale studies with limited novelty will not be considered.1) Subject areas may include, but are not limited to: Air quality, atmospheric conditions, and new understanding of their role in adverse health or environmental outcomes Atmospheric biogeochemistry Ecosystem services and life cycle assessment Ecotoxicology and risk assessment Eco-hydrology Wildlife and contaminants Environmental impacts of climate change, agriculture, forestry, and land uses Environmental impacts of waste or wastewater treatment Drinking water contaminants and health implications Environmental remediation of soil and groundwater Global change-induced extreme events and environmental impacts Groundwater hydrogeochemistry and modeling Nanomaterials, microplastics, and other emerging contaminants Novel contaminant (bio)monitoring and risk assessment approaches Use of remote sensing and big data applications in better understanding complex environmentsStress ecology in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems Trace metals and organics in biogeochemical cycles Water quality and securityCritical reviews or Discussion on current or emerging topicsFast-track submissions reporting ground-breaking discoveries with immediate impact2) Types of submissions not to be considered: Papers not contributing significant new knowledge to the field of studyTreatment/technology/engineering studies that do not demonstrate direct environmental effects or benefits Disciplinary studies with limited environmental relevance Local or regional scale case studies lacking international relevance Soil or plant science studies without environmental implications Laboratory batch experiments without an application component, e.g., batch sorption experiments, preparation, and evaluation of sorbents or catalysts for contaminant removal, or controlled laboratory experiments not using environmentally relevant concentrations Manuscripts that are primarily data reports without a substantial hypothesis, e.g., monitoring of common contaminants Modelling studies without calibration and data validation Papers of social science in nature on economics, sociology, psychology, political science, policy, planning and/or managementPapers describing toxicological studies with narrow/specific objectives that do not have a clear environmental science connectionToxicology and ecotoxicology studies testing single chemicals in bench-scale assays Human health studies that do not provide significant additional understanding of pollution induced health outcomes Papers covering exposures, health effects, and control measures in occupational settings Method development papers on common contaminants Bibliometric analysis-based papers Papers that describe data analysis methods including machine learning that do not provide new scientific insights into the system from which the data were collectedDevelopment and/or implementation of renewable energy (e.g., wind, solar) that do not directly affect an environmental system. Please DO NOT ask the Editors-in-Chief for permission before
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editorial board by country: 79 in mainland China (about 32%); most named Mainland China 79, United States 39, Italy 24, Spain 17, Australia 9 (250 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Air Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science8.3%
- Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Science7.1%
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosolsEarth and Planetary Sciences6%
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Environmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Mercury impact and mitigation studiesEnvironmental Science4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
Early warning / risk: Removed from SCIE for editorial reasons on 17 November 2025. CAS Early Warning Journal List: not listed in any of 6 editions.LetPub
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
- 8.41LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 18.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 18.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.04LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 205LetPub ·
- h-index
- 497OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 65,339OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 12.06OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 6,746LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 83,718 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 998 | 518 | 568 |
| 2025 | 2,990 | 1,550 | 16,087 |
| 2024 | 8,491 | 3,084 | 133,860 |
| 2023 | 8,386 | 3,018 | 227,427 |
| 2022 | 8,019 | 2,594 | 309,071 |
| 2021 | 7,753 | 2,544 | 389,497 |
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 PubMed · to
130 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 89 days – 212 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 7 days (66 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 134 days
- Sample
- 66 articles with submission and acceptance dates (8,057 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 2.4 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 75%LetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 107 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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 4,250 / EUR 3,980 / GBP 3,400 / JPY 527,130 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,150 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Not considered
- Disciplinary studies with limited environmental relevance; Local or regional scale case studies lacking inte
Article types accepted13
- brief communicationResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- case studyPapers not contributing significant new knowledge to the field of studyTreatment/technology/engineering studies that do not demonstrate direct environmental eff…Length not stated
- discussionDiscussion. Opinionated exposition on an important scientific issue or event designed to stimulate further discussion in a broader scientific forum.Length not stated
- hypothesisPapers not contributing significant new knowledge to the field of studyTreatment/technology/engineering studies that do not demonstrate direct environmental eff…Length not stated
- letterResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- letters to the editorResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- research paperResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- research papersResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work.Length not stated
- review articleResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles. Critical evaluation of existing data, defined topics or emerging fields of investigation, critical issues of public concern.Length not stated
- short communicationResearch papers reporting original and previously unpublished work. STOTEN now encourages authors to limit the total number of references in a research paper to…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications. A brief communication of urgent matter or the reporting of preliminary findings.Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues. Proceedings of symposia, workshops and/or conferences will be considered for publication as a special issue.Length not stated
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
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.
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
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1972
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1026
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Science of The Total Environment
What CAS zone is Science of The Total Environment in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Science of The Total Environment is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Sciences; it is a Top journal. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Science of The Total Environment?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.41; CiteScore 18.8, h-index 497.
How long does peer review take at Science of The Total Environment?
Based on the dates recorded on 66 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 130 days (interquartile range 89–212 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.4 months; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 17%. 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 Science of The Total Environment?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Science of The Total Environment based?
Of the 250 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 79 (about 32%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (79), United States (39) and Italy (24). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Science of The Total Environment?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Science of The Total Environment is indexed in Scopus.
Is Science of The Total Environment open access, and what is the APC?
Science of The Total Environment is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,250.
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: .