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The Journal of Building Engineering (abbreviated as JOBE) is an international, peer-reviewed journal focused on science and technology across the full lifecycle of buildings. For researchers and structural engineers preparing manuscripts in civil and architectural engineering, selecting the right venue requires understanding the journal’s editorial scope, submission workflow, indexing credentials, and citation performance.
This guide explains the operational structure of the Journal of Building Engineering, outlines its subject boundaries, details the submission procedure via Elsevier Editorial Manager, and contrasts the venue against prominent peer journals in building science.
What It Is
The Journal of Building Engineering was established in March 2015 (commencing with Volume 1) and is published by Elsevier Ltd. in Oxford, United Kingdom. Cataloged under electronic ISSN 2352-7102 and assigned the Medline title abbreviation J Build Eng, the serial serves as a forum for original research papers, review articles, and technical notes covering building systems, materials technology, and structural behavior.
Operating as a hybrid journal, it provides authors with the choice between subscription-based publication with no author fees and gold open access under an article publishing charge (APC). Since its founding in 2015, the journal has expanded significantly, accumulating over 17,000 registered records in the Crossref digital infrastructure, with more than 9,000 current digital object identifiers active across recent volumes.
Who Runs It and What It Covers
The journal is published by Elsevier B.V. and managed by an international editorial board of academic specialists in civil and structural engineering. The editorial scope centers on the whole lifecycle of buildings and the built environment. Key thematic areas include:
- Building Materials and Durability: Mechanical properties, cementitious composites, concrete technology, bio-based insulation, and degradation mechanisms over time.
- Structural Engineering and Mechanics: Seismic performance, wind load resistance, finite element analysis (FEA), structural health monitoring (SHM), and retrofitting techniques.
- Building Physics and Environmental Quality: Thermal dynamics, envelope performance, indoor air quality (IAQ), acoustics, moisture transport, and HVAC system modeling.
- Energy and Decarbonization: Whole-life carbon assessment, energy efficiency, building simulation, and thermal envelope retrofits.
- Digitalization and Construction Operations: Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows, digital twins of facility systems, and automated maintenance diagnostics.
Submissions must demonstrate clear scientific novelty and direct applicability to buildings. Manuscripts focused primarily on macro-urban planning, municipal transport, standalone utility power generation, general construction contract management, or occupational safety policy without engineering analysis fall outside the core scope.
Journal of Building Engineering Impact Factor and Metrics
A central consideration for contributing scholars is the journal of building engineering impact factor. Clarivate indexes the journal in the Web of Science Core Collection under the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), categorized within Construction and Building Technology and Engineering, Civil. In Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has reached 8.1 (with recent yearly evaluations ranging between 7.59 and 8.41), ranking the journal in the first quartile (Q1) of civil engineering titles.
To verify live citation performance independently, researchers can consult our guide on how to look up a journal impact factor or review benchmark distributions through our reference on journal impact factor and quartile rankings. In Scopus, the publication maintains active coverage from 2015 to the present across Architecture, Building and Construction, and Civil Engineering, with a CiteScore tracking around 6.4.
How to Search or Use It
Authors submitting a manuscript interact primarily with the Elsevier Editorial Manager platform and the ScienceDirect repository. Editorial Manager coordinates all peer-review interactions, revision cycles, and decision notices. The standard author workflow proceeds through these sequential steps:
- Access the Submission Portal: Go to the Editorial Manager system for the Journal of Building Engineering (editorialmanager.com/jbe). Authors without an account register or log in using institutional single sign-on or an authenticated ORCID profile.
- Initiate New Submission: From the Author Main Menu, select “Submit New Manuscript” to create a submission record and confirm the paper is not under review elsewhere.
- Select Article Type: Choose the appropriate manuscript category, such as “Full Length Article,” “Review Article,” or an invited “Special Issue Article.”
- Upload Required Files: Upload editable manuscript files (Word or LaTeX). Under Elsevier’s “Your Paper Your Way” approach, initial submissions do not require strict formatting, provided essential sections are legible with line numbers. A distinct, mandatory Graphical Abstract and 3 to 5 concise Highlights must be uploaded as separate files.
- Enter Metadata and Classifications: Provide the title, abstract (under 250 words), and keywords. Select classification terms to assist editors in matching qualified reviewers.
- Input Author Details and CRediT Statements: Add all co-authors and specify individual contributor roles. Reference our guide on CRediT author statement samples for transparent role attribution.
- Declare Data Availability and Disclosures: Complete funding disclosures, confirm ethical compliance, and provide a formal data availability statement. See our guide on how to write a data availability statement for reproducibility. All published data deposits should cite their digital object identifier.
- Build and Approve Submission PDF: Generate the merged system PDF, verify that mathematical formulas and figures render correctly, and click “Approve Submission” to transfer the file to the editorial office.
Strengths and Limits
Evaluating the Journal of Building Engineering requires weighing its editorial strengths against operational constraints:
- Strengths:
- Broad Lifecycle Horizon: Bridges structural mechanics, building physics, and material science, accommodating interdisciplinary engineering work.
- Strong Metric Profile: Consistent Q1 status in both Web of Science (SCIE) and Scopus provides high visibility for institutional evaluations.
- No Mandatory Submission Fee: The hybrid model allows authors without open-access funding to publish free of charge under standard subscription access.
- Flexible Initial Submission: The “Your Paper Your Way” policy reduces pre-submission formatting overhead.
- Limits:
- High Selectivity: High submission volume (reflected in over 17,000 registered DOIs) leads to competitive review standards and desk rejection for papers lacking novelty.
- Strict Building Boundaries: Research focused on regional transport, highway pavements, or municipal policy falls outside the journal’s scope.
- Open Access Charges: For authors selecting immediate open access, Elsevier’s article publishing charges require dedicated grant funding.
Alternatives
Authors in civil and structural engineering often evaluate alternative peer-reviewed titles depending on their research focus. The table below compares key peer titles:
| Journal Title | Publisher and ISSN | Primary Scope Focus | Publishing Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Building Engineering | Elsevier ISSN 2352-7102 |
Whole building lifecycle: structures, materials, envelope physics, degradation, and retrofitting. | Hybrid (Subscription or Gold OA) |
| Building and Environment | Elsevier ISSN 0360-1323 |
Indoor environmental quality, ventilation, occupant comfort, HVAC systems, and microclimate. | Hybrid |
| Energy and Buildings | Elsevier ISSN 0378-7788 |
Energy demand, thermal efficiency, building simulation, and net-zero operational design. | Hybrid |
| Automation in Construction | Elsevier ISSN 0926-5805 |
Information technology, robotics, BIM, additive manufacturing, and digital construction tools. | Hybrid |
| Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering | ASCE ISSN 0899-1561 |
Material characterization, mechanics, and laboratory testing for infrastructure. | Hybrid |
| Cement and Concrete Research | Elsevier ISSN 0008-8846 |
Fundamental materials chemistry, hydration kinetics, and nanoscale mechanics of cementitious systems. | Hybrid |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Journal of Building Engineering impact factor?
In Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the Journal Impact Factor for the Journal of Building Engineering is approximately 8.1 (with recent yearly evaluations between 7.59 and 8.41). It ranks in the first quartile (Q1) for both Civil Engineering and Construction and Building Technology.
Is the Journal of Building Engineering an open access journal?
The Journal of Building Engineering operates under a hybrid publishing model. Authors can publish without fees under the subscription model, or choose Gold Open Access by paying an Article Publishing Charge (APC) to release the work under an open Creative Commons license.
What database indexes include the Journal of Building Engineering?
The journal is indexed in Clarivate Web of Science (SCIE), Scopus (Elsevier), the National Library of Medicine (NLM Catalog, J Build Eng), and Crossref. In Scopus, it is indexed across Architecture, Building and Construction, and Civil and Structural Engineering.
Are graphical abstracts required for submissions to this journal?
Yes. The Journal of Building Engineering requires a graphical abstract for research manuscripts. The graphical abstract must be a clear pictorial summary illustrating the core findings of the article.
Where do authors submit manuscripts for the Journal of Building Engineering?
Manuscript submissions are handled online through Elsevier’s Editorial Manager system at editorialmanager.com/jbe. Submissions are not accepted by email.
Sources
- Crossref Metadata Service: Journal of Building Engineering (ISSN 2352-7102). Verified November 8, 2026.
- National Library of Medicine Catalog: Journal of building engineering (NLM UID 496762). Verified November 8, 2026.
- ISSN International Centre: Journal of building engineering (ISSN 2352-7102). Verified November 8, 2026.
- Elsevier Editorial Manager: Journal of Building Engineering Submission Gateway. Verified November 8, 2026.
- Elsevier Guide for Authors: Journal of Building Engineering. Verified November 8, 2026.
