Journal profile · Limnology
Water and Environment Journal
ISSN 1747-6585 · eISSN 1747-6593 · Wiley-Blackwell · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 2004
Water and Environment Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.88; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,000; median 295 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 73 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Water and Environment Journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Water resources management and optimization, Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, together about 23% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Water and Environment Journal is an internationally recognised peer reviewed Journal for the dissemination of innovations and solutions focussed on enhancing water management best practice. We encourage contributions focussed at the interface between academia and industry, which deliver industrially impactful applied research underpinned by scientific evidence. We are keen to attract papers on a broad range of subjects, including: Potable water and wastewater treatment for environmental, agricultural, municipal and industrial applications Full-scale operation of innovative processes and technologies with clear research questions and novelty Water reuse and recycling Water management in a circular economy and resilience context Integrated water management strategies Resource recovery Sludge management including processing, storage and management Water related nexus (energy, food, digital, climate change) Environmental conservation, ecosystem services measurement and valuation and natural capital accounting related to water resources Nature based solutions and enhancement of the environment Natural capital in practice Innovative processes and technologies in a NET ZERO industry context Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies. Manuscripts that are out of Journal scope, are those focused on: - Case studies, laboratory, water monitoring, modelling and theoretical studies without verification, clear practical application and novelty - Marine water studies focused on inshore water and oceans - Adsorption studies and curve fitting (e.g. Freundlich, Langmuir etc.) -Engineering design of water infrastructure and distribution systems (e.g. weirs, piano key weirs, and similar) -Urban and stormwater management, SuDS should be submitted to the CIWEM journal: The journal of Flood Risk Management (https://www.ciwem.org/publications/the-journal-of-flood-risk-management) The journal publishes original research, short research papers and review articles. Preferred contributions will introduce the application of emerging or innovative solutions to industrially important challenges. Contributions seeking to apply existing methods are welcomed but their impact and novelty should be made clear. In all cases, authors should ensure that their research is contextualised to enrich understanding of the impact of arising new knowledge to industry and the wider academic community. Reviews for the ‘Leading-Edge Innovation’ series are by invitation only. Authors seeking to submit
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Limnology
Editor-in-chief Ana SoaresPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 12%); most named United Kingdom 14, Mainland China 4, Hong Kong, China 2, South Korea 2, Spain 2 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Water resources management and optimizationEngineering9.7%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Wastewater Treatment and ReuseEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Water Quality and Pollution AssessmentEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Urban Stormwater Management SolutionsEnvironmental Science5%
- Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater TreatmentEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | 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
INSPECEmbaseCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 1.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- h-index
- 32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 991OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.52OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 20.63%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 60LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 63Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 89,702Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,271 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66 | 30 | 5 |
| 2025 | 73 | 36 | 143 |
| 2024 | 53 | 26 | 143 |
| 2023 | 77 | 39 | 448 |
| 2022 | 75 | 13 | 555 |
| 2021 | 87 | 15 | 789 |
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
295 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 229 days – 431 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 317 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (139 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)
- 18–36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 9%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 9%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 274 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 24 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 4,000 / EUR 3,300 / GBP 2,650 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 100–200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 8
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,500 words
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- discussionDiscussion Written discussion in response to papers published in Water and Environment Journal is welcome. The authors of the original article will be invited t…Length not stated
- original articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…Length not stated
- original paperArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…Length not stated
- original research paperArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…Length not stated
- research articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…Length not stated
- reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…Length not stated
- review articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribu…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- short research articleShort Research Article Completed studies with a more focused and succinct contribution to the research program This manuscript type should be selected at the su…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.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing expected and peer reviewed Model summary
This journal expects and peer reviews data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission. Water and Environment Journal recognizes the many benefits of archiving research data. Water and Environment Journal, expects you to archive all the data from which your published results are derived in a …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND 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 o…
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 read more about APCs and whether you may 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 summary
Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at https://authors.wiley.com/journal/WEJ For help with submissions, please contact: submissionhelp@wiley.com This journal does not charge submission fees. Authors are strongly encouraged to read the Journal scope to ensure the proposed manuscript fits the Journal aims a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy:
Preprints accepted Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here.This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. Water and Environment Journal will consider for manuscripts 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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2004
- ISSN
- 1747-6585
- Electronic ISSN
- 1747-6593
- Society / sponsor
- Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 40, Issue 3 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Water and Environment Journal
What CAS zone is Water and Environment Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Water and Environment Journal is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Limnology / Water Resources. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Water and Environment Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.88; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 67.
How long does peer review take at Water and Environment Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 295 days (interquartile range 229–431 days); authors report an average review time of 18–36 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 9% (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 Water and Environment Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–200 words; Keywords: ≤ 8; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,500 words; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: 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 Water and Environment Journal based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 12%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (14), Mainland China (4) and Hong Kong, China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Water and Environment Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Water and Environment Journal is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists INSPEC, Embase, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Water and Environment Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Water and Environment Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,000.
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: .