Journal profile · Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Sustainable Futures
ISSN 2666-1888 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
Sustainable Futures: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,390; review about 209 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 1,177 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Sustainable Futures is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Energy, Environment, Economic Growth, Environmental Sustainability in Business and Sustainable Supply Chain Management, together about 34.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Sustainable Futures: is a journal focused on the intersection of sustainability, environment and technology from various disciplines in social sciences, and their larger implications for corporation, government, education institutions, regions and society both at present and in the future. It provides an advanced platform for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development in society, economics, environment, and culture. The scope of the journal is broad and encourages interdisciplinary research, as well as welcoming theoretical and practical research from all methodological approachesSubject areas include, but are not limited to:Role of emerging technologies in sustainable management,Innovation,Water and food security,Climate, environment and weather,Energy consumption and usage,Life Cycle management,Economic social growth,Environmental economics and circular economy,Population explosion and urbanization,Growth knowledge management,Marketing and Environmental Attitudes,Corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility,Sustainable products, services and operations,Measuring, forecasting and monitoring sustainability related issues,Governance, legislation, and policy for sustainability,Green Supply Chain and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing,Sustainable Urban and Rural Development,Sustainable Transportation,Sustainable hospitality management and Ecotourism,
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Editor-in-chief Yuli ShanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 26 in mainland China (about 29%); most named Mainland China 26, United Kingdom 15, Italy 11, Australia 4, Greece 4 (89 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Energy, Environment, Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance14.1%
- Environmental Sustainability in BusinessBusiness, Management and Accounting10.6%
- Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting9.9%
- Energy, Environment, and Transportation PoliciesEnergy6%
- Environmental Impact and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Climate Change Policy and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.2%
- Energy and Environment ImpactsEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Corporate Social Responsibility ReportingBusiness, Management and Accounting4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 6.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.49LetPub ·
- h-index
- 47OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 491OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.79OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.93%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,152LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,202 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 562 | 562 | 380 |
| 2025 | 1,177 | 1,177 | 6,701 |
| 2024 | 274 | 274 | 4,571 |
| 2023 | 45 | 45 | 1,073 |
| 2022 | 38 | 38 | 1,213 |
| 2021 | 22 | 22 | 657 |
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
209 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 20 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)
- about 20 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 94 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 209 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 31 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 2,390 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,340 / EUR 2,190 / GBP 1,870 / JPY 290,230 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,470 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,390 | — | — |
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 papers4, by deadline
- 2nd International Conference on Green Innovation and Circular Economy (GR-I-CE 2026)Deadline
- Energy Security in a Shock-Prone World: Clean Energy, Innovation, and Resilience DynamicsDeadline
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Extended Reality (XR) for Sustainable and Immersive Urban Mobility and Urban SystemsDeadline
- Climate Risk, Critical Minerals, and Sustainable Energy TransitionsDeadline
Article types accepted9
- full length articlesFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- opinionFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- opinion papersOpinion Papers provide a forum for academicians and practitioners to develop and express perspectives regarding emerging, paradoxical or controversial issues re…Length not stated
- perspectiveFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- research articleFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- review articleFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles are intended for research that contributes to knowledge to Sustainable Futures Studies from a critical analysis of extant publications.Length not stated
- short communicationFull length articles provide the main content of the journal. Each should demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge related to Sustainable Futures Stu…Length not stated
- special issues articlesSpecial Issues articles are papers submitted to a specific virtual special issue (VSI).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. 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
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2666-1888
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Futures
What CAS zone is Sustainable Futures in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Sustainable Futures is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Operations Research & Management Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Sustainable Futures?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 6.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.5, h-index 47.
How long does peer review take at Sustainable Futures?
The publisher reports about 209 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 20 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Sustainable Futures based?
Of the 89 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 26 (about 29%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (26), United Kingdom (15) and Italy (11). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Sustainable Futures?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Sustainable Futures is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Sustainable Futures open access, and what is the APC?
Sustainable Futures is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,390.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .