Journal profile · Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Wellbeing Space and Society
ISSN 2666-5581 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
Wellbeing Space and Society: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,940; review about 174 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 105 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Wellbeing Space and Society is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Urban Green Space and Health, Health disparities and outcomes and Place Attachment and Urban Studies, together about 34.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Wellbeing, Space & Society is an interdisciplinary journal concerned with the role that space and place play in shaping wellbeing across the range of spatial scales from the local to the global.Wellbeing, Space & Society shares the same general approach to manuscripts as its companion titles, Health & Place and Social Science & Medicine. We publish papers from a range of social science disciplines, including geography, sociology, social psychology, social epidemiology, economics, anthropology and political science.We encourage your submissions that address a problem of interest to society and illustrate the links (potential or theorized) between (aspects of) society and space and wellbeing. We are particularly interested in:the policy implications of the research, including work informed by policy analysisthe wellbeing of places - how is that conceptualized, theorized, operationalised and translated?the transactive nature of wellbeing along with the constitutive (or emergent) processes across the scales from the individual through the household to community, etc. that shape wellbeingKey themes for the journal include inequalities across space that have been shaped by societal forces; inequities across social categories (gender, age, race, etc) that are spatially expressed; the shaping of wellbeing in places (a range of socio-political and/or cultural contexts such as indigenous communities or alternative forms of nation states) across a range of spatial scales from the individual to the household to the community to the region to the nation and up to the global context; and the socio-spatial implications of policy interventions at the national (e.g. welfare, taxation) or local (e.g. urban infrastructure, community resources, green spaces).Types of papers accepted by the journal include research articles (both empirical and theoretical), reviews and short communications. We also welcome your proposals for special issues on topics that represent an unusual, even unique area that is likely to be of high interest to the journal's readership.Wellbeing, Space and Society publishes the following types of contribution:Peer-reviewed original research articles in any area of social science research relevant to wellbeing and space. These papers may be up to 4000-6000 words excluding abstract, tables, figures, references and appendices. Systematic and Scoping reviews (including Meta-analyses) of up to 4000-6000 words excluding abstract, tables, figures, references and appendices. Review papers should use an established review methodology.The journal welcomes submissions from a range of ontological and epistemological approaches and is particularly keen to receive work that demonstrates theoretical and/or methodological innovation. Methodological plurality and innovation are encouraged; interpretation of wellbeing in this context may be subjective or objective, eudonic or hedonic, and may also be at the individual and/or community levels.We look forward to receiving your submissions that are thought-provoking, informative, innovative, illustrative, dialogue-worthy pieces that seek to understand, question, and identify approaches to enhancing wellbeing.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Editor-in-chief Susan J. ElliottPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 11, Canada 11, Australia 11, United States 4, Netherlands 2 (47 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science16%
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences10.4%
- Place Attachment and Urban StudiesSocial Sciences8.2%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions6.9%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences5.8%
- Migration, Aging, and Tourism StudiesSocial Sciences5.7%
- Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionPsychology5%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 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
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 28OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 95OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 96LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 458 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 136 | 136 | 34 |
| 2025 | 105 | 105 | 294 |
| 2024 | 51 | 51 | 290 |
| 2023 | 54 | 54 | 541 |
| 2022 | 54 | 54 | 672 |
| 2021 | 41 | 41 | 1,000 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 30 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 111 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 174 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 26 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 1,940 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 1,540 / GBP 1,440 / JPY 1,230 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,450 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,980 | — | — |
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- peer-reviewed original research articlesPeer-reviewed original research articles in any area of social science research relevant to wellbeing and space. These papers may be up to 4000-6000 words exclu…Length not stated
- reviewand appendices. Systematic and Scoping reviews (including Meta-analyses) of up to 4000-6000 words excluding abstract, tables, figures, references and appendimain text ≤ 6,000 words
- systematic and scoping reviews (including meta-analyses)Systematic and Scoping reviews (including Meta-analyses) of up to 4000-6000 words excluding abstract, tables, figures, references and appendices. Review papers …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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
- 2666-5581
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Wellbeing Space and Society
What CAS zone is Wellbeing Space and Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Wellbeing Space and Society is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Public, Environmental & Occupational Health / Geography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Wellbeing Space and Society?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 28.
How long does peer review take at Wellbeing Space and Society?
The publisher reports about 174 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 30 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 Wellbeing Space and Society?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; 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 Wellbeing Space and Society based?
Of the 47 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (11), Canada (11) and Australia (11). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Wellbeing Space and Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Wellbeing Space and Society is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Wellbeing Space and Society open access, and what is the APC?
Wellbeing Space and Society is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,940.
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: .