Journal profile · Earth and Planetary Sciences-Oceanography
Water Security
ISSN 2468-3124 · Elsevier
Water Security: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 5.8 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,534; review about 182 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 7 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Water Security is published by Elsevier and is classed under Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Water resources management and optimization, Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies and Flood Risk Assessment and Management, together about 38.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Water Security aims to publish papers that contribute to a better understanding of the economic, social, biophysical, technological, ecological and institutional influencers of current and future global water security. This includes cross cutting themes that highlight the intersection between climate and water, energy, and food security, as well as biodiversity and ecosystem functions. At the same time the journal intends to stimulate debate, backed by science, with strong interdisciplinary connections. The goal is to publish concise and timely reviews, synthesis articles, and original research articles including exceptional research covering the following elements of water security:• Shortage • Flooding • Drought • Governance • Health and Sanitation • Ecosystems and Ecology • Water systems and infrastructureShortage Reviews should reflect on the ever-changing mosaic of water shortage, that is, variations in availability and the mismatch between availability, on the one hand, and access and demand for ever more water, on the other. Reviews may scrutinize concepts, models, sets of data, etc. that have been used, what results have been achieved, what kind of understanding is missing and reliability and validity of results. Reviews are welcome of the links between academic and other kinds of knowledge systems, e.g. research from the corporate sector (that has considerable research capacity) and how the (joint) understanding evolves about significant challenges and how to deal with them, like competition, conflict, collaboration and how to best use the varying water resources.Flooding This includes all types of flooding, such as coastal floods, river floods, flash floods or glacier outburst floods, and encompasses the causes, development and impacts of flood events. Contributions scrutinize the understanding and quantification of flood hazard, exposure and vulnerability, the interactions and feedbacks between different components, and the dynamic nature of flood risk systems. Emerging issues, such as large-scale and long-term consequences of flooding, e.g. via supply chain interruptions, are covered. The variety of risk reduction measures from precautionary measures, forecasting and early warning to emergency measures and reconstruction, and how these measures are embedded in the political, cultural and economic context are reflected. Reviews on the uncertainty and validation of risk assessments given the scarcity of observations about extreme events are of particular interest.Drought From a water security perspective, drought is considered as a persistent shortage of water relative to the usual water demand in a region. This is not the same definition that is often used by meteorological or hydrological drought indices that measure strictly a decline in the potential water supply. The consequences of drought are important from a water security perspective and hence we welcome papers that look at the challenges posed by drought to municipal, agricultural, industrial or ecological function, and how these are resolved to achieve water security.Governance Water security is conditioned by institutions, policy, and management. This theme primarily addresses human dimensions of water security in relation to surface water, groundwater, wastewater, and desalination. It considers politics, economics and finance, access, social equity, ethics, risk, adaptation, ecosystem services, and related topics. Because water, energy, food, ecosystems, and climate security are inextricably linked, this theme also addresses nexus challenges.Health and Sanitation Reviews within this theme explore linkages between public health and the quality, quantity, and reliability of water supplies, as well as the public-health impacts of excreta and wastewater management and re-use. It also intersects with the themes of shortage and flooding by focusing on the public-health impacts of both extreme events and gradual shifts in climate. Reviews within this theme may
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Earth and Planetary Sciences-Oceanography
Editor-in-chief Upmanu Lall ArizonaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 12, United Kingdom 9, Canada 5, Mainland China 3, South Korea 2 (43 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Water resources management and optimizationEngineering15.3%
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus StudiesEnvironmental Science11.8%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science11.1%
- Water Governance and InfrastructureSocial Sciences10.3%
- Child Nutrition and Water AccessNursing8.1%
- Transboundary Water Resource ManagementSocial Sciences8.1%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Hydrology and Drought AnalysisEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Water Resources | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 11Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.32LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- h-index
- 38OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 116OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 6LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 231 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 19 | 9 |
| 2025 | 7 | 6 | 36 |
| 2024 | 21 | 16 | 190 |
| 2023 | 24 | 11 | 502 |
| 2022 | 21 | 9 | 514 |
| 2021 | 23 | 10 | 492 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
182 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 87 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 182 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 13 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 | EUR 2,870 / GBP 2,680 / JPY 2,300 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- opinionA review article will summarize the current state of understanding on a topic, offering a critical evaluation of the literature, and highlight important issues …Length not stated
- original research articleA review article will summarize the current state of understanding on a topic, offering a critical evaluation of the literature, and highlight important issues …Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articles report the methods and results of a novel research study with substantial implications for water security science and practise.Length not stated
- review articleA review article will summarize the current state of understanding on a topic, offering a critical evaluation of the literature, and highlight important issues …Length not stated
- synthesis articlesSynthesis articles makes a sincere effort to capture the key questions, identify the gaps in our knowledge today, and suggest new approaches or ideas.Length not stated
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
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Neutral position on territorial disputes/jurisdictional claims; maps should only show the studied area with a note that map lines do not necessarily depict accepted national boundaries; authors should use full standard institution titles or standard abbreviations. Model summary
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; submissions initially assessed by editors; if suitable, sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment; editors make the acceptance/rejection decision; editors recuse themselves from papers they wrote, that family/colleagues wrote, or with conf 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 per Elsevier's article sharing policy and does not count as prior publication; free preprint posting service on SSRN offered during submission; posting on SSRN has no effect on editorial process or publication outcome. 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- ISSN
- 2468-3124
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Water Security
What CAS zone is Water Security in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Water Security?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 5.8; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 11, h-index 38.
How long does peer review take at Water Security?
The publisher reports about 182 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Security?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Water Security based?
Of the 43 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), United Kingdom (9) and Canada (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Water Security?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Water Security is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Water Security open access, and what is the APC?
Water Security is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,534.
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: .