Fuel Journals: Scope, Impact Factors & Metrics

Researchers navigating energy and combustion publishing frequently search for fuel journals to identify submission venues for their manuscripts. This search intent covers two related areas: the international periodical titled Fuel (ISSN 0016-2361), published by Elsevier; and the broader category of peer-reviewed journals devoted to fuel technology, biofuels, combustion, and energy transition sciences.

Understanding how the flagship journal Fuel operates, how its citation metrics are evaluated, and how peer serials compare is essential for authors seeking timely peer review and impactful scholarly dissemination.

What it is

The term fuel journals designates peer-reviewed serial publications dedicated to the physical, chemical, and engineering dimensions of fuels and chemical energy conversion. Within this field, the journal titled Fuel serves as the primary benchmark publication.

Founded under the title Fuel in Science and Practice and published continuously since 1948 by Butterworths Scientific Publications (now Elsevier), Fuel is cataloged in global bibliometric registries. The National Library of Medicine catalog assigns Fuel the unique identifier 101556828 and the ISO title abbreviation Fuel (Lond). According to the Crossref registry, Fuel holds over 46,400 registered DOIs, with more than 11,700 DOIs in current volumes.

The Flagship Fuel Journal vs. Specialized Field Serials

A common point of ambiguity is the distinction between a single fuel journal and the multi-journal discipline. When authors search for a fuel journal, they typically refer to Elsevier’s Fuel. Modern energy research, however, encompasses specialized niches including thermochemical conversion, electrochemical cells, hydrogen production, and carbon capture.

Researchers must decide whether their findings fit the broad engineering scope of Fuel or belong in sister publications such as Fuel Processing Technology, specialized chemistry serials like ChemSusChem, or broader environmental safety outlets such as the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Who runs it and what it covers

Fuel is published by Elsevier BV and overseen by an international editorial board of researchers in fuel chemistry and reaction engineering.

The scope of Fuel includes primary research articles, reviews, and short communications on solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Core areas include:

• Fossil and Synthetic Fuels: Petroleum refining chemistry, natural gas processing, coal structure, and unconventional hydrocarbons.
• Biofuels and Biomass: Thermochemical conversion, pyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and residue valorization.
• Hydrogen and Clean Vectors: Hydrogen generation, ammonia cracking for power, and synthetic e-fuels.
• Combustion and Kinetics: Flame propagation, soot formation, reaction kinetics, and emissions abatement.
• Carbon Management: Carbon capture, direct air capture integration, and catalytic CO2 conversion.

Metadata from OpenAlex indicates that Fuel has accumulated over 47,900 indexed works receiving more than 1.76 million citations, sustaining an h-index of 318.

Fuels Impact Factor and Citation Metrics

Author interest in the impact factor of fuel reflects institutional performance evaluations and grant reporting needs. Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR) records the two-year Journal Impact Factor (JIF) for Fuel at 7.8, with a five-year Impact Factor of 7.4. These metrics position Fuel in Quartile 1 (Q1) within the Clarivate categories of Energy & Fuels and Chemical Engineering.

In Scopus, the CiteScore for Fuel stands at 16.4, paired with an OpenAlex two-year mean citedness of 8.10. Understanding methodological differences between Clarivate and Scopus indicators helps authors interpret performance; consult CASRAI’s comparative guide on CiteScore vs. Journal Impact Factor for details on differing citation windows and document inclusions.

How to search or use it

Submitting research to Fuel relies on Elsevier’s Editorial Manager platform. A comparative analysis of this submission infrastructure is available in CASRAI’s guide on Editorial Manager vs ScholarOne vs OJS.

Authors submitting a new manuscript to Fuel follow these procedural steps in Editorial Manager:

1. Portal Access: Access the Elsevier Editorial Manager portal for Fuel at editorialmanager.com/fuel, log in via Elsevier profile or ORCID, and choose ‘Author Login’.
2. Select Article Type: Click ‘Submit New Manuscript’ and choose an Article Type (Full Length Article, Review Article, or Short Communication).
3. Enter Classifications: Select relevant subject classifications from the journal taxonomy (e.g., Combustion, Pyrolysis, Biofuels) and enter 4 to 6 keywords.
4. Manage Authors and CRediT Roles: Provide co-author details and institutional affiliations, assigning formal contributor roles per the CASRAI Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT).
5. Suggest Reviewers: Enter contact details for 3 to 5 independent suggested reviewers without conflicts of interest; name opposed reviewers if necessary.
6. Upload Files: Upload the Title Page (with affiliations and funding), Blinded Manuscript (main text, figures, equations), Highlights (3-5 bullet points, max 85 characters each), and Graphical Abstract.
7. Complete Declarations: Complete the mandatory Declaration of Competing Interests and select a Data Availability Statement.
8. Approve Submission: Inspect the compiled submission PDF for layout and equation rendering accuracy, then approve final submission to notify the editors.

Strengths and limits

Evaluating Fuel involves balancing its global reach against high-volume commercial publishing factors.

Strengths:

• Broad Reach: Comprehensive indexing across Scopus, Web of Science, Ei Compendex, and CAS ensures discoverability among researchers worldwide.
• Structured Workflow: Editorial Manager provides reliable submission tracking and rapid online posting with immediate DOI registration.
• No Mandatory Submission Fees: Traditional subscription publishing carries zero author-facing fees ($0 APC).
• Flexible Access: The hybrid model supports funder compliance via optional Gold Open Access or green self-archiving policies.

Limits:

• Competitive Desk Rejection: High annual volume prompts editors to reject submissions lacking novel kinetic or mechanistic insights.
• Gold Open Access Pricing: Authors choosing open-access publication without institutional support pay an APC of $4,330 USD.
• Strict Scope: Studies restricted to local economic analyses without experimental fuel modeling are redirected to energy policy serials.

Alternatives

Researchers examining venues in fuel and energy technology have several indexed alternatives to consider. The table below benchmarks Fuel against peer journals:

Journal Title	Publisher	ISSN	Key Metrics (JCR / Scopus)	Publishing Model	Primary Focus
Fuel	Elsevier	0016-2361	JIF: 7.8 | CiteScore: 16.4	Hybrid ($0 sub / $4,330 OA)	Physical chemistry, technology, and engineering of fuels.
Energy & Fuels	ACS Publications	0887-0624	JIF: 6.0–6.5 | CiteScore: 10.2	Hybrid (ACS AuthorChoice)	Chemical and engineering research on non-nuclear fuels.
Fuel Processing Technology	Elsevier	0378-3820	JIF: 8.1 | CiteScore: 14.8	Hybrid ($0 sub / Gold OA)	Conversion of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels into clean products.
Combustion and Flame	Elsevier / Combustion Inst.	0010-2180	JIF: 5.8 | CiteScore: 10.5	Hybrid ($0 sub / Gold OA)	Fundamental combustion mechanisms and flame kinetics.
Fuels	MDPI	2673-3994	JIF: ~2.8 | CiteScore: 3.5	Gold Open Access (APC)	Open-access coverage of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels.

Choosing among these serials depends on research focus and open-access mandates. Authors focusing on chemical mechanisms often target Energy & Fuels, whereas those investigating reactor designs target Fuel Processing Technology. For teams subject to open-access mandates, reviewing CASRAI’s guide on Gold vs Green vs Diamond vs Hybrid Open Access provides guidance on compliance options.

FAQ

What is the impact factor of the journal Fuel?

Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR) lists the two-year Journal Impact Factor for Fuel at 7.8, with a five-year Impact Factor of 7.4. Scopus lists its CiteScore at 16.4, placing the journal in Quartile 1 (Q1) for Energy & Fuels and Chemical Engineering.

Who publishes Fuel and what are its ISSNs?

Fuel is published by Elsevier BV. Its bibliographic identifiers in the NLM Catalog (NLM ID 101556828) are print ISSN 0016-2361 and electronic ISSN 1873-7153.

Does Fuel charge submission or publication fees?

Fuel charges no submission fees. Under its hybrid model, authors publishing in the subscription track pay $0. Authors electing Gold Open Access pay an Article Processing Charge of $4,330 USD, unless covered by an institutional transformative agreement.

How does Fuel compare to Energy & Fuels?

Both are Q1 journals. Fuel is published by Elsevier with a primary focus on fuel processing, combustion, and technology, whereas Energy & Fuels is published by the American Chemical Society (ACS) with greater emphasis on molecular fuel chemistry.

What manuscript types are accepted by Fuel?

Fuel accepts Full Length Articles presenting original research, Review Articles synthesizing developments in fuel technology, and Short Communications reporting high-impact preliminary findings.

Sources

• National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog: Fuel. NLM Unique ID: 101556828, MedlineTA: Fuel (Lond). Consulted at https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/esummary.fcgi?db=nlmcatalog&id=101556828 on November 9, 2026.
• Crossref Journal Registry: Metadata records for Fuel (ISSN: 0016-2361). Consulted at https://api.crossref.org/journals/0016-2361 on November 9, 2026.
• OpenAlex Bibliographic Registry: Source profile and citation statistics for Fuel. Consulted at https://api.openalex.org/sources?filter=issn:0016-2361 on November 9, 2026.
• Elsevier ScienceDirect & Editorial Manager: Fuel: Guide for Authors and Submission Portal. Consulted at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/fuel and https://www.editorialmanager.com/fuel/ on November 9, 2026.