Journal profile · Multiple
System Dynamics Review
ISSN 0883-7066 · eISSN 1099-1727 · Wiley-Blackwell
System Dynamics Review: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.17; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,270; median 143 days to acceptance (36 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 15% (journal website); 27 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
System Dynamics Review is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Complex Systems and Decision Making, Cognitive Science and Mapping and Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting, together about 53.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Management Science and Operations Research. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
System Dynamics Review exists to communicate to a wide audience advances in the application, methods, and tools of the system dynamics approach. In its broadest sense, the system dynamics approach encompasses model-based analysis of dynamic problems with a systems approach, focusing on endogenous, structural sources of the dynamics of interest. Depending on the characteristics of a given problem, different modeling tools, methods and software can be used with this endogenous dynamic perspective. Applications include social, technical, managerial, business, economic, health, biological, ecological, and environmental problems, among others. The publication goals of the System Dynamics Review include but are not limited to: advances in modelling and simulation methods for dynamic feedback problems; advances in policy analysis methods based on feedback causality; modeling applications in diverse domains; generic structures (feedback structures that support widely applicable behavioral insights); system dynamics contributions to theory building in the social and natural sciences; contributions to the analysis, and applications of complex nonlinear dynamics; policy studies and debate emphasizing the role of feedback causality in dynamic problems of concern; developments in strategies for simulation-based consulting and implementation of model-based policy suggestions; advances in methods and applications of systems thinking relevant to dynamic feedback problems; contributions to system dynamics education and teaching.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 16, Türkiye 4, United Kingdom 3, Australia 2, Switzerland 2 (33 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Complex Systems and Decision MakingDecision Sciences37.6%
- Cognitive Science and MappingComputer Science10.2%
- Innovation Diffusion and ForecastingDecision Sciences6%
- Sustainability and Ecological Systems AnalysisEnvironmental Science3.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.8%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science3.6%
- Simulation Techniques and ApplicationsDecision Sciences3.1%
- Chaos, Complexity, and EducationComputer Science3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceINSPECCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest
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
- 4.17LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.38LetPub ·
- h-index
- 98OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 527OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 66.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 11LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 17Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 116,513Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,168 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 13 | 7 |
| 2025 | 27 | 18 | 38 |
| 2024 | 41 | 28 | 467 |
| 2023 | 38 | 25 | 267 |
| 2022 | 30 | 14 | 174 |
| 2021 | 28 | 13 | 315 |
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
143 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 94 days – 213 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 25 days (37 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 166 days
- Sample
- 36 articles with submission and acceptance dates (48 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)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 104 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,270 / EUR 2,780 / GBP 2,160 | — | — | |
| 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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
Article types accepted2
- letters and commentaryLetters and Commentary Letters and commentary include announcements, responses to articles published in the System Dynamics Review, short essays or editorials, …Length not stated
- notes and insightsNotes and Insights Notes and Insights are important, but contained, observations on and extensions of existing work that can be conveyed in a relatively short a…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Guidelines for AI usage
All uses of AI beyond simple language correction or stylistic improvements should be disclosed in a short Disclosure of AI Usage section after the main text, before the reference list. Articles that address AI as a research object should discuss this in the Methods section in the main text. Regardless of use or disclosure, authors remain solely responsible for their complete manuscripts, including…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship
Author name change policy Model summary
In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access WALS + standard CTA or Open Access
You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License.Standard re-use and licensing rights vary by journal. Note that certain funders mandate a particular type of CC license be used. This journal uses the CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal operates a double-anonymized reviewing process whereby the reviewers are not aware of the author's identity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy
Preprint policy Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. System Dynamics Review will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
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
- 0883-7066
- Electronic ISSN
- 1099-1727
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 42, Issue 4 (December 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about System Dynamics Review
What CAS zone is System Dynamics Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, System Dynamics Review is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Management / Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of System Dynamics Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.17; CiteScore 6, h-index 98.
How long does peer review take at System Dynamics Review?
Based on the dates recorded on 36 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 143 days (interquartile range 94–213 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 15% (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 System Dynamics Review?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words. 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 System Dynamics Review based?
Of the 33 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), Türkiye (4) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index System Dynamics Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, System Dynamics Review is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, INSPEC and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is System Dynamics Review open access, and what is the APC?
System Dynamics Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,270.
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: .