Journal profile · Engineering, Industrial
Systems Engineering
ISSN 1098-1241 · eISSN 1520-6858 · John Wiley and Sons Inc. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly
Systems Engineering: CAS Zone 3 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.86; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,140; median 288 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Systems Engineering is published by John Wiley and Sons Inc. and is in Zone 3 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Systems Engineering Methodologies and Applications, Evaluation and Optimization Models and Technology Assessment and Management, together about 31.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Systems Engineering aims to publish manuscripts on topics related to the discipline of Systems Engineering. The journal welcomes original submissions on the conceptualization, design, implementation, operation, sustainment, and recycling, reuse, and retirement of technologically enabled systems that satisfy stakeholder needs throughout the lifecycle. This includes products and services in the private sector, as well as defense and public infrastructures and socio-technical systems whose precise boundaries are often challenging to define. Systems engineers consider, among others, defining stakeholder needs and customer requirements, trading off alternatives, focusing design team creativity, developing system architecture and design, managing the system complexity over time, establishing and maintaining quality, cost, schedule, risk, and opportunity under uncertainty, manufacturing and realization, understanding performance and safety during operations, training and support, as well as recycling and disposal at the end of life. The topics systems engineers consider provides a focus for the scope of Systems Engineering including encouraging contributions studying fundamental systems science to further define the underpinnings of the discipline, the design and operation of systems and systems-of-systems; the application of systems engineering to enterprises and complex socio-technical systems; the identification, selection and development of systems engineers; as well as the operation and evolution of systems and systems-of-systems over their entire lifecycle.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Industrial
Editor-in-chief Clifford A. WhitcombPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 11%); most named United Kingdom 3, France 2, Singapore 2, Mainland China 1, Norway 1 (9 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Systems Engineering Methodologies and ApplicationsEngineering12.8%
- Evaluation and Optimization ModelsEngineering10.8%
- Technology Assessment and ManagementEngineering8.1%
- Advanced Decision-Making TechniquesComputer Science7.6%
- Evaluation Methods in Various FieldsEnvironmental Science7.3%
- Product Development and CustomizationBusiness, Management and Accounting5.2%
- Complex Systems and Decision MakingDecision Sciences5.1%
- Supply Chain and Inventory ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Industrial | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Industrial | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Industrial | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Operations Research & Management Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexINSPECDBLPCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, 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
- 1.86LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.19LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 550OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.87OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 52.66%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 52LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 52Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 162,447Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,441 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 75 | 31 | 18 |
| 2025 | 66 | 42 | 157 |
| 2024 | 85 | 46 | 248 |
| 2023 | 106 | 66 | 657 |
| 2022 | 53 | 20 | 465 |
| 2021 | 68 | 10 | 431 |
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
288 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 217 days – 362 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 12 days (89 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 302 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (134 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 299 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 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 2,820 / GBP 2,110 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 1,500 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted15, with length limits
- book reviewSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- case studySystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- communicationsCommunications are a response to earlier published papers, book reviews, corrigenda, interviews, or sharing of very recent emerging and important results in sys…Length not stated
- editorialSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialsEditorials are an introduction to a published issue or statements of opinion or critical observation written by members of the editorial board or invited guest …Length not stated
- opinionSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- original researchSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- perspectiveSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- regular articleSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- regular articlesRegular articles are a novel contribution that advances the state-of-the-art as a result of original research.Length not stated
- reviewSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- review articleSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles report on a literature survey, state-of-the-art survey, tutorial, or educational topic.Length not stated
- surveySystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
- tutorialSystems Engineering typically publishes four types of manuscripts: regular articles, communications, editorials and review articles; other types of articles may…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria on the editorial standards web page.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing and data availability Model summary
Systems Engineering expects that data supporting the results in the paper will be archived in an appropriate public repository. Authors are required to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or the absence of shared data. When data have been shared, authors are required to include in their data availability statement a link to the repository they have used, and to cite …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
Reproduction of copyright material Model summary
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material "in print and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal is a subscription journal that offers an open access option. You'll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC. You can check information about read more about APCs and whether you might be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder or a country waiver).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Single-blind peer review model Model summary
Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, new submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs, or contact submissionhelp@…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy
Preprint policy Model summary
Systems Engineering will consider for review, articles previously available as preprints. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. You 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
- John Wiley and Sons Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- ISSN
- 1098-1241
- Electronic ISSN
- 1520-6858
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Systems Engineering
What CAS zone is Systems Engineering in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Systems Engineering is in Zone 3 of Engineering, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Operations Research & Management Science / Engineering, Industrial. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Systems Engineering?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.86; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 71.
How long does peer review take at Systems Engineering?
Based on the dates recorded on 89 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 288 days (interquartile range 217–362 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 8% (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 Systems Engineering?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 1,500 words; Reference style: AMA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Optional. 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 Systems Engineering based?
Of the 9 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 11%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3), France (2) and Singapore (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Systems Engineering?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Systems Engineering is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, DBLP and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Systems Engineering open access, and what is the APC?
Systems Engineering 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: .