Journal profile · Engineering, Chemical
Tribology Letters
ISSN 1023-8883 · eISSN 1573-2711 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1995
Tribology Letters: CAS Zone 3 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.51; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 84 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 50%; 153 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Tribology Letters is published by Springer US 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 Adhesion, Friction, and Surface Interactions, Lubricants and Their Additives and Tribology and Wear Analysis, together about 40% of its articles. Its main subfields are Mechanics of Materials and Mechanical Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Tribology Letters is devoted to the development of the science of tribology and its applications, particularly focusing on publishing high-quality papers at the forefront of tribological science and that address the fundamentals of friction, lubrication, wear, or adhesion. The journal facilitates communication and exchange of seminal ideas among thousands of practitioners who are engaged worldwide in the pursuit of tribology-based science and technology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Chemical
Editor-in-chief Nicholas D. SpencerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 24, United Kingdom 6, Japan 6, France 5, Mainland China 4 (68 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Adhesion, Friction, and Surface InteractionsEngineering14.3%
- Lubricants and Their AdditivesEngineering13.7%
- Tribology and Wear AnalysisEngineering12%
- Metal and Thin Film MechanicsEngineering8.9%
- Force Microscopy Techniques and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy8.8%
- Tribology and Lubrication EngineeringEngineering7.4%
- Diamond and Carbon-based Materials ResearchMaterials Science6.6%
- Gear and Bearing Dynamics AnalysisEngineering5.5%
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 | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Engineering, Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 3 |
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, Chemical | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Mechanical | Zone 2 |
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 CompendexINSPECCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 3.51LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.61LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 124OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,729OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.68OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 33.1%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 151LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 667,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,044 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100 | 39 | 50 |
| 2025 | 153 | 58 | 719 |
| 2024 | 135 | 58 | 1,046 |
| 2023 | 129 | 39 | 1,417 |
| 2022 | 140 | 57 | 1,921 |
| 2021 | 171 | 72 | 2,717 |
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
84 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 61 days – 108 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 103 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (282 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 2.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 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 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- data noteTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…main text ≤ 1,000 words · abstract ≤ 200 words
- invited viewpoints (by invitation only)Invited Viewpoints are articles containing opinions on current topics of interest to tribologists. These invited papers can be technical, semi-technical, or non…Length not stated
- letterTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
- methodology articleMethods Papers focus on new experimental or data analysis methods, testing procedures or theoretical approaches that are relevant to the field of tribology. It …Length not stated
- methods paperTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
- opinionTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
- original paperTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- research articleTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
- review articleTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
- review article (by invitation only)Review articles are periodically invited from authors who are leaders in tribology to summarize important areas in the field and are submitted by invitation fro…Length not stated
- viewpointTribology Letters aims to advance tribological science by publishing the highest-quality research addressing the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena in tribol…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
Originality and approval requirements Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Tribology Letters, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1995
- ISSN
- 1023-8883
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-2711
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Tribology Letters
What CAS zone is Tribology Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Tribology Letters is in Zone 3 of Engineering, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Engineering, Chemical / Engineering, Mechanical. 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 Tribology Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.51; CiteScore 5.5, h-index 124.
How long does peer review take at Tribology Letters?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 84 days (interquartile range 61–108 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “50%”. 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 Tribology Letters?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: 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 Tribology Letters based?
Of the 68 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (24), United Kingdom (6) and Japan (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Tribology Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Tribology Letters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, INSPEC, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Tribology Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Tribology Letters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .