Journal profile · CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL
Separation Science Plus
ISSN 2573-1815 · Wiley-Blackwell
Separation Science Plus: CAS Zone 4 · Chemistry (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.7 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,460; median 78 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 38% (journal website); 198 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Separation Science Plus is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Chemistry in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography, Analytical Methods in Pharmaceuticals and Analytical chemistry methods development, together about 42.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Analytical Chemistry. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The new journal Separation Science plus (SSC plus) fills the gap typical of many chromatographic journals. It focuses on a variety of advanced approaches to sample preparation prior to the separation, and a wide range of novel applications utilizing pressure-driven and electro-driven chromatographic separations, as well as electrophoretic methods, and gas chromatography. These processes include method development, validation, and applications for real-life samples. SSC plus – A forum that offers first-hand knowledge of the newest developments in sample preparation and application methods. SSC plus is a peer reviewed online-only journal available on Wiley Online Library. Issues are published monthly and comprise around 200 articles annually. SSC plus extends the contents to Application Notes, a format that is largely neglected by the other journals in the field. SSC plus complements the highly successful Journal of Separation Science Separation Science plus publishes: Review Articles Original Papers Short Communications Application Notes How to cite: To make sure that references to this journal are correctly recorded and resolved (for example in CrossRef or ISI Web of Science), please use the following abbreviated title in any citations: "Sep. Sci. plus" (punctuation may vary according to the style of the citing journal).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CHEMISTRY, ANALYTICAL
Editor-in-chief Michael LämmerhoferPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 20%); most named Mainland China 9, Czechia 7, United States 6, Spain 4, Belgium 4 (45 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Analytical Chemistry and ChromatographyChemistry19.8%
- Analytical Methods in PharmaceuticalsChemistry13.6%
- Analytical chemistry methods developmentChemistry8.8%
- Pesticide Residue Analysis and SafetyAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.3%
- Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and EfficacyMedicine4.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.2%
- Transportation Systems and LogisticsEngineering3.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Chemistry Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Analytical | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Chemistry Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Analytical | 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexWeb of ScienceCASPublisher website
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 (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.38LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- h-index
- 22OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 134OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.09%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 174LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 174Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 58,294Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,239 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 144 | 32 | 65 |
| 2025 | 198 | 72 | 597 |
| 2024 | 163 | 78 | 783 |
| 2023 | 155 | 71 | 533 |
| 2022 | 131 | 21 | 543 |
| 2021 | 84 | 7 | 170 |
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
78 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 46 days – 121 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 93 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (357 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 84 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 18 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 3,460 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,330 | — | — |
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted13
- full paperResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- protocolResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- protocolsProtocols (typically five journal pages) provide practical, hands-on descriptions of separation chromatography-. electrophoresis-, or sample-preparation related…Length not stated
- research articleResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- reviewResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- review articleResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles should be written by leading experts and should deal with topics of high current interest and importance in separation science.Length not stated
- short communicationResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- short communicationsShort Communications (typical length of three to five 5 journal pages including figures and tables) need to fulfill the principal requirements of a full paper i…Length not stated
- surveyResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- tutorialResearch Articles (typically eight journal pages including 6-8 figures and/or tables) present novel results of experimental or theoretical studies in the separa…Length not stated
- tutorialsTutorials (typically eight journal pages). Tutorials provide information beyond what is conveyed in a research article, allowing practitioners to acquire new sk…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Peer review, Preprints
- Publication ethics
Follows COPE guidance for ethical concerns, retractions, and expressions of concern. Model summary
SSCP follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance when considering any ethical concerns regarding a published article, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Open access articles use CC-BY, CC-BY-NC, or CC-BY-NC-ND licenses. Model summary
This journal uses the CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Free format submission is offered. Model summary
Separation Science Plus offers Free Format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprints on non-profit servers (ChemRxiv, bioRxiv, arXiv) and theses are acceptable prior publication. Model summary
SSCP will consider submitted papers that have been previously 1) posted as a preprint on a non-profit community preprint server, such as ChemRxiv, bioRxiv, and arXiv. Or 2) published as a thesis prepared toward completion of a graduate degree at a university or institute.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 2573-1815
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 9, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Separation Science Plus
What CAS zone is Separation Science Plus in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Separation Science Plus is in Zone 4 of Chemistry, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Chemistry, Analytical. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Chemistry. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Separation Science Plus?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.7 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 22.
How long does peer review take at Separation Science Plus?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 78 days (interquartile range 46–121 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 38% (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 Separation Science Plus?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Separation Science Plus based?
Of the 45 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 20%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (9), Czechia (7) and United States (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Separation Science Plus?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Separation Science Plus is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, Web of Science and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Separation Science Plus open access, and what is the APC?
Separation Science Plus is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,460.
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: .