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Measurement: Journal of the International Measurement Confederation is an international peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advances in measurement science, sensor technology, and instrumentation engineering. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), it serves as a primary archival outlet for research on sensors, metrology fundamentals, signal processing algorithms, and measurement system characterization.
What it is
The Measurement journal—frequently searched as measurement: journal—is the official archival journal of IMEKO, an international federation of 42 member organizations founded in 1958. Established in 1983, the journal provides a global platform for academic researchers, national metrology institutes (NMIs), and industrial practitioners to publish research that advances measurement methodology. It holds print ISSN 0263-2241 and electronic ISSN 1873-412X.
Unlike broad engineering journals that accept empirical studies where instrumentation is a routine tool, Measurement requires submitted manuscripts to make a distinct contribution to measurement science itself. The journal operates a rigorous peer review workflow evaluating whether sensor designs, calibration routines, or measurement algorithms provide demonstrable advances over existing metrological practices.
Who runs it and what it covers
Measurement is published by Elsevier in formal cooperation with IMEKO. The journal is led by Editor-in-Chief Prof. Paolo Carbone (Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy), supported by an international editorial board aligned with IMEKO Technical Committees (TCs), including TC1 (Education and Training), TC2 (Photonics), TC3 (Measurement of Force, Mass and Torque), TC4 (Measurement of Electrical Quantities), TC7 (Measurement Science), and TC10 (Testing, Diagnostics & Inspection).
The scope encompasses five primary pillars across instrumentation and measurement:
- Measurement Fundamentals: Theoretical frameworks, metrological traceability to the International System of Units (SI), standardized terminology (VIM), and uncertainty evaluation.
- Sensors and Transducers: Novel physical, chemical, optical, and biological sensing principles, transducer fabrication, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and interface electronics.
- Techniques and Algorithms: Signal processing, multi-sensor data fusion, state estimation, inverse problem solving, and noise reduction tailored to measurement systems.
- Performance Evaluation: Experimental and analytical procedures characterizing precision, reproducibility, dynamic range, and environmental resilience in instruments.
- Distributed Measurement Systems: Sensor networks, wireless measurement nodes, Internet of Things (IoT) metrology frameworks, and cyber-physical measurement architectures.
The editorial board enforces strict scope boundaries. A frequent trigger for desk rejection is the routine application of standard signal processing, machine learning, or commercial sensors to external scientific or industrial problems without novelty in measurement science. Furthermore, submissions containing experimental data must adhere to international guidelines for uncertainty evaluation, specifically the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM).
Elsevier and IMEKO also publish open-access companion titles, including Measurement: Sensors, Measurement: Food, Measurement: Energy, and Measurement: Digitalization, alongside IMEKO’s independent open-access publication, Acta IMEKO.
How to search or use it
Submitting research to Measurement involves navigating Elsevier’s online publishing ecosystem and complying with specific editorial protocols. Authors should follow these sequential steps:
- Access the Editorial Manager Portal: Navigate to the submission site at
editorialmanager.com/meas/and sign in using Elsevier credentials or ORCID. - Select Article Type: Choose the appropriate manuscript category, such as Full Length Article, Review Article, Technical Note, or Special Issue section.
- Prepare Anonymized Files: Measurement enforces double-anonymized peer review. Authors must prepare a blind manuscript file stripped of author names, affiliations, and funding identifiers, alongside a separate title page file.
- Draft Highlights and Abstract: Supply 3 to 5 core research highlights (maximum 85 characters each including spaces), a structured abstract of at most 250 words, and 4 to 6 indexing keywords.
- Embed GUM Uncertainty Analyses: Verify that all experimental measurements report explicit uncertainty evaluations and calibration traceability.
- Upload Files and Declarations: Upload editable manuscript files (LaTeX or Word), high-resolution figures, Conflict of Interest declarations, and Data Availability statements.
- Approve the PDF Proof: Generate the system proof inside Editorial Manager. Inspect equation rendering, Greek symbols (such as α, β, μ, and σ), and table layouts before final submission.
- Select Publishing Model: Upon acceptance, choose between subscription publishing (zero author fees) or Gold open access under a Creative Commons license, which requires an Article Publishing Charge (APC) of approximately $3,500 USD.
Strengths and limits
Selecting Measurement as an archival outlet presents distinct advantages and operational constraints:
Strengths
- Institutional Prestige: As the official journal of IMEKO, the publication maintains direct links to national metrology institutes and international standardization bodies.
- High Bibliometric Standing: The journal maintains a strong journal impact factor (around 5.6) and a Scopus CiteScore of ~11.5, placing it in the Q1 tier for Instrumentation and Electrical Engineering. Differences among citation metrics can be explored in our guide to impact factor vs h-index.
- Double-Blind Review: Mandatory double-anonymized review shields researchers from institutional and geographic evaluation bias.
- Zero-Cost Hybrid Option: Authors without open-access funding can publish via the subscription route with no mandatory page fees.
Limits
- Rigid Scope Enforcement: Studies applying standard sensors without advancing measurement theory, hardware, or calibration algorithms face rapid desk rejection.
- Metrological Demands: Rigorous uncertainty modeling (GUM compliance) is mandatory for experimental studies.
- Gold Open Access Pricing: The APC of approximately $3,500 USD requires dedicated grant funding or institutional agreements.
Alternatives
Researchers evaluating publication outlets can compare Measurement against leading peer journals in metrology and instrumentation systems:
| Journal Title | Publisher & Society | Review Model | Access Model & APC | Metrics & Indexing | Primary Scope Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Elsevier / IMEKO | Double-anonymized | Hybrid ($0 / ~$3,500 USD Gold OA) | WoS SCIE Q1 (IF ~5.6), Scopus Q1 (CiteScore ~11.5) | Comprehensive measurement science, sensors, algorithms, and metrology |
| IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement | IEEE / IEEE I&M Society | Single-anonymized | Hybrid ($0 / ~$2,495 USD Gold OA) | WoS SCIE Q1 (IF ~5.6), Scopus Q1 (CiteScore ~10.2) | Instrumentation architectures, measurement algorithms, and electrical sensors |
| Measurement Science and Technology | IOP Publishing | Double-anonymized | Hybrid ($0 / ~$3,190 USD Gold OA) | WoS SCIE Q2 (IF ~2.7), Scopus Q1 (CiteScore ~5.4) | Instrument design, experimental measurement physics, and sensor engineering |
| Sensors and Actuators A: Physical | Elsevier | Single-anonymized | Hybrid ($0 / ~$3,650 USD Gold OA) | WoS SCIE Q1 (IF ~4.3), Scopus Q1 (CiteScore ~8.4) | Physical transducer devices, MEMS, and hardware sensor engineering |
| Metrologia | IOP Publishing / BIPM | Single-anonymized | Hybrid ($0 / ~$3,200 USD Gold OA) | WoS SCIE Q2 (IF ~3.1), Scopus Q1 (CiteScore ~5.8) | Primary metrology, fundamental SI constants, and national standard comparisons |
| Acta IMEKO | IMEKO | Double-anonymized | Diamond Open Access ($0 APC) | Scopus indexed (CiteScore ~2.6) | Peer-reviewed research and extended contributions from IMEKO symposia |
FAQ
What is the relationship between Measurement and IMEKO?
Measurement is the official journal of the International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), founded in 1958. Published by Elsevier on behalf of IMEKO since 1983, the journal works closely with IMEKO Technical Committees to disseminate primary measurement research and select extended proceedings from IMEKO World Congresses.
What are the ISSN numbers for Measurement journal?
The journal possesses two official ISSN registrations: Print ISSN 0263-2241 and Electronic ISSN 1873-412X. Both identifiers correspond to the main journal profile in Clarivate Web of Science and Elsevier Scopus.
Does Measurement charge mandatory author fees?
No. Measurement is a hybrid journal. Authors can publish manuscripts under the traditional subscription model with zero page charges or publication fees. Authors wishing to publish open access can elect Gold Open Access upon acceptance, which incurs an Article Publishing Charge (APC) of approximately $3,500 USD unless covered by an institutional transformative agreement.
Why are papers frequently desk-rejected by Measurement editors?
The primary reason for desk rejection is lack of novelty in measurement science. Manuscripts that merely apply commercial sensors or routine data processing to empirical problems—without introducing new sensing principles, calibration methods, or metrological algorithms—fall outside the journal’s scope. In addition, experimental papers that omit rigorous uncertainty calculations (GUM compliance) are rejected before peer review.
How does Measurement differ from IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement?
While both journals share similar Q1 impact factors and focus on instrumentation, *Measurement* operates under a double-anonymized review model and reflects the broad international metrology scope of IMEKO, encompassing theoretical metrology and multi-disciplinary sensing. *IEEE TIM* operates primarily under single-anonymized review with a strong orientation toward electrical, electronic, and computer-integrated instrumentation systems.
Sources
- Elsevier / ScienceDirect. Measurement: Journal of the International Measurement Confederation — Aims and Scope & Guide for Authors.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/measurement(accessed 2026-11-10). - International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO). Official Journal: Measurement.
https://www.imeko.org/index.php/measurement(accessed 2026-11-10). - Elsevier Editorial Manager. Measurement Author Submission Portal.
https://www.editorialmanager.com/meas/(accessed 2026-11-10). - Clarivate. Web of Science Master Journal List & Journal Citation Reports.
https://mjl.clarivate.com/(accessed 2026-11-10). - Scopus. Source Details: Measurement (ISSN 0263-2241).
https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/23880(accessed 2026-11-10).
