Journal profile · Environmental Science-Water Science and Technology
Water Research X
ISSN 2589-9147 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
Water Research X: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 7.15; fully open access; APC about USD 2,690; median 67 days to acceptance (49 articles, last 24 months); 176 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Water Research X is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal, Water Treatment and Disinfection and Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, together about 25.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Waste Management and Disposal. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In association with the International Water Association.Water Research X is a Gold Open Access sister journal of Water Research, featuring regular research articles, concise, letter-style, leading-edge research papers, visionary perspectives and editorials, and mini-reviews of emerging topics. The Journal welcomes contributions on all aspects of the science and technology of the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. A broad outline of the journal's scope includes:• Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; • Urban hydrology including sewer systems, storm water management, and green infrastructure; • Drinking water treatment and distribution; • Potable and non-potable water reuse; • Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; • Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; • Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; • Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; • Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; • Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; • Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; • Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.Water Research X is an interdisciplinary journal with an applied edge. This means that papers that go into too many details of one of the supporting disciplines (such as chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, material sciences, etc.) without making a good link with water research in general may be rejected up-front. Water Research X has changed its paper structures, please find details in Guide for Authors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Water Science and Technology
Editor-in-chief Zhiguo YuanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 23%); most named United States 8, Mainland China 6, Australia 5, Hong Kong, China 2, United Kingdom 2 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science11.9%
- Water Treatment and DisinfectionEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Wastewater Treatment and ReuseEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Membrane Separation TechnologiesEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Fecal contamination and water qualityEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Water Systems and OptimizationEngineering4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 7.15LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.44LetPub ·
- h-index
- 46OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 203OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 162LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 583 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 140 | 140 | 54 |
| 2025 | 176 | 176 | 611 |
| 2024 | 86 | 86 | 868 |
| 2023 | 44 | 44 | 1,193 |
| 2022 | 24 | 24 | 613 |
| 2021 | 40 | 40 | 1,555 |
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 PubMed · to
67 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 52 days – 87 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (49 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 69 days
- Sample
- 49 articles with submission and acceptance dates (59 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 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 76 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 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 2,690 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 3,200 / GBP 2,990 / JPY 2,560 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,230 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,580 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- case studyWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…Length not stated
- commentsCOMMENTS should be on papers published by Water Research X in the past 12 months and must not exceed 1,000 words. A Comment paper may contain up to one figure o…Length not stated
- letterWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…Length not stated
- original researchWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…Length not stated
- perspectiveWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- research articleWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…Length not stated
- reviewWater Research X publishes the following types of papers. All contributions are peer-reviewed. Please carefully read the instructions below and download the tem…main text ≤ 10,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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.
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
- 2589-9147
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Water Research X
What CAS zone is Water Research X in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Water Research X is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Engineering, Environmental / Environmental Sciences / Water Resources. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Water Research X?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.15; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 46.
How long does peer review take at Water Research X?
Based on the dates recorded on 49 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 67 days (interquartile range 52–87 days); authors report an average review time of about 15 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Water Research X?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Water Research X based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 23%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Mainland China (6) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Water Research X?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Water Research X is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Water Research X open access, and what is the APC?
Water Research X is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,690.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .