Journal profile · Engineering, Environmental
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ISSN 0273-1223 · eISSN 1996-9732 · IWA Publishing · ENGLAND · Semi-monthly · Founded 1981
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.8; fully open access; APC about USD 3,100; median 108 days to acceptance (99 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 71%; 188 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is published by IWA Publishing 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 Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal, Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment and Urban Stormwater Management Solutions, together about 31.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Waste Management and Disposal. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Water Science and Technology is IWA Publishing’s flagship Open Access journal with a long history in publishing high-quality peer reviewed papers on all aspects of science and technology related to the wastewater cycle. With a readership across academia and industry, the journal provides a valuable resource for those interested in scientific advances as well as the practical applications of research. ‘The primary goal of Water Science and Technology is to advance scientific knowledge and foster innovation in wastewater management, treatment, and resource recovery. The journal serves as a platform for disseminating applied research, encouraging new findings and early-stage studies that contribute to practical advancements in the field.’ Dr Maite Pijuan, Catalan Institute for Water Research (Editor-in-Chief) We invite manuscripts addressing the following areas. Those describing progress in full-scale implementations are particularly encouraged. Biological Wastewater Treatment Processes Relevant submissions are encouraged to explore the use of microorganisms to degrade and remove pollutants. Topics may include activated sludge, biofilms, anaerobic digestion, nutrient removal, process optimization, and microbial community analysis. Physicochemical Wastewater Treatment Submissions are encouraged to focus on processes like coagulation–flocculation, adsorption, membrane filtration, oxidation, and ion exchange. Studies may cover treatment efficiency, novel materials, process optimization, or integration with other methods. Nature-Based Solutions Submissions on nature-based solutions are encouraged to explore treatment systems that harness natural processes, such as constructed wetlands, green infrastructure, or biofiltration. Topics may include design, performance, ecosystem services, and climate resilience benefits. Sludge Management Submissions on sludge management should address the treatment, handling, stabilization, and disposal or reuse of wastewater sludge. Topics may include anaerobic digestion, dewatering, nutrient recovery, energy generation, and environmental impact assessment. Instrumentation, Control and Smart Sensoring Submissions are encouraged to focus on monitoring, automation, and optimization of wastewater and treatment processes. Topics may include sensor development, data analytics, real-time control, IoT applications, and system integration. Modelling and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Submissions should cover simulation, prediction, and evaluat
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Engineering, Environmental
Editor-in-chief Maite PijuanPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science18.3%
- Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater TreatmentEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Urban Stormwater Management SolutionsEnvironmental Science6.1%
- Membrane Separation TechnologiesEnvironmental Science6.1%
- Wastewater Treatment and ReuseEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Water Quality Monitoring and AnalysisEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Water Treatment and DisinfectionEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas ProductionEngineering4.1%
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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | 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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | 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 | Engineering, Environmental | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 2.8LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 124LetPub ·
- h-index
- 193OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 16,669OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.26OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 181LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 29,777 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 159 | 159 | 58 |
| 2025 | 188 | 188 | 458 |
| 2024 | 407 | 407 | 2,693 |
| 2023 | 422 | 422 | 4,075 |
| 2022 | 430 | 430 | 5,782 |
| 2021 | 534 | 534 | 9,235 |
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
108 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 82 days – 150 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (99 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 142 days
- Sample
- 99 articles with submission and acceptance dates (331 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 2.8 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 71%LetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 17 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 3,100 / GBP 2,325 / EUR 2,666 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC | |
| LetPub | GBP 2,150 / USD 2,750 / EUR 2,550 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted5
- data articleData ArticleLength not stated
- editorialSpecific article types available in each journal are listed in Editorial Manager at the point of submission.Length not stated
- research articleResearch ArticleLength not stated
- review articleReview ArticleLength not stated
- short communicationShort CommunicationLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics
- Authorship Author Contributions
As outlined in IWA Publishing’s Ethical Guidance (iwaponline.com/pages/Ethical_Guidance), to increase transparency, IWA Publishing encourages authors to include a full list of author contributions in their manuscripts. This can be included as an additional page as part of the submission items. It should be clearly stated how each author contributed to the research/paper. Please note that this is i…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE member Model summary
IWA Publishing is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
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
- IWA Publishing
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semi-monthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0273-1223
- Electronic ISSN
- 1996-9732
- Society / sponsor
- International Water Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 94, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
What CAS zone is WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Engineering, Environmental / Environmental Sciences / 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 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.8; CiteScore 6.1, h-index 193.
How long does peer review take at WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 99 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 108 days (interquartile range 82–150 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.8 months; the community-reported acceptance is “71%”. 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.
Which databases index WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,100.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, DOAJ, 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: .