Journal selection
Civil Engineering, Structures and Smart Materials: Which Index Actually Accepts Your Paper, and What It Costs
Journal and conference list verified as on October 2026.
Civil engineering authors tend to pick a journal by its impact factor and then force the paper to fit. It works the other way round. Three facts about your paper decide which index and which tier it belongs in.
1. What kind of evidence do you have?
Physical tests on full-size or large-scale specimens point at the senior SCIE titles. Numerical models validated against someone else's tests point at the mid band. A model with no validation, or a machine learning model trained on a public dataset, points lower, and the methods note below explains why.
2. How long can you wait?
The senior Elsevier and Wiley structures journals often take six to twelve months across rounds. The Diamond and Scopus Q3 titles below are quicker. If a thesis date is fixed, start from the middle of this page.
3. Who is paying?
In engineering most of the respected titles charge no APC. A missing budget closes very few doors here.
Deadline planner
Move the slider to the number of months you have before your deadline. The lanes show which route in this field still fits.
How to read a quartile before you read the list
The Scopus quartile comes from Scimago, inside a Scopus subject category. The JCR quartile comes from Clarivate, using the impact factor. An ESCI journal shows an impact factor and a quartile that look exactly like an SCIE one, so an ESCI Q1 will not satisfy a rule asking for SCIE. Where the tier is not recorded, the tables say so. Settling this first is part of Journal Submission Preparation.
Diamond open access: civil engineering journals with no APC
Nine titles that charge nothing, six of them Scopus Q1. Several are new, so their Web of Science status is not yet recorded.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
What is on this page
Tap a block to filter every table below to that group.
| Journal | ISSN | Publisher | Web of Science index and JCR quartile | Scopus quartile | Access model and article charge | Journal link | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advances in Bridge Engineering | 2662-5407 | Springer | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q2, JIF 2.1 | Q2 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | aben.springeropen.com/ | Bridges specifically, Web of Science listed and free from a major publisher. |
| Materiales de Construccion | 0465-2746, 1988-3226 | CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q3, JIF 1.5 | Q2 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | materconstrucc.revistas.csic.es | Construction materials from a national research council. English papers accepted. |
| Sustainable Structures | 2789-3111, 2789-312X | Sustainable Development Press Limited | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | www.sustain-dpl.com/picnews.asp?id=155 | Scopus Q1 and free. Low-carbon structural systems. |
| Resilient Cities and Structures | 2772-7416 | Elsevier B.V. | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | www.journals.elsevier.com/resilient-cities-and | Hazard resilience of structures and cities, Scopus Q1, no APC. |
| Low-Carbon Materials and Green Construction | 2731-6319 | Springer | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | www.springer.com/journal/44242 | Green binders and recycled materials. Scopus Q1, free. |
| AI in Civil Engineering | 2097-0943, 2730-5392 | Springer Nature | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | link.springer.com/journal/43503 | Machine learning for structures and construction, Scopus Q1, free. Read the methods note below first. |
| Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure | 2752-9991 | Oxford University Press | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | academic.oup.com/iti | Pavements and transport infrastructure, university press, no APC. |
| Journal of Soft Computing in Civil Engineering | 2588-2872 | Pouyan Press | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | www.jsoftcivil.com/ | Soft computing in civil engineering, Scopus Q1, free. Heavily submitted. |
| Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies | 2458-973X | Yildiz Technical University | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q2 | No APC, Diamond OA No article charge (Diamond OA) | commons.yildiz.edu.tr/jscmt/about.html | University journal, Scopus Q2, free. |
Not sure whether the journal you picked is still indexed? Run it through the Predatory Journal Checker at ai.researchramp.com, or send us the title on WhatsApp or WeChat for a same-day check. Two minutes to spare instead? Try the Smart Quiz.
Web of Science options: SCIE and ESCI
The senior journals are almost all subscription with no APC. Two ESCI titles with very high impact factors are materials science journals, and are flagged. The AI Journal Finder matches an abstract against them in seconds.
| Journal | ISSN | Publisher | Web of Science index and JCR quartile | Scopus quartile | Access model and article charge | Journal link | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement and Concrete Research | 0008-8846, 1873-3948 | Elsevier Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 13.1 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Cement chemistry and microstructure. Mechanism, not mix optimisation. |
| Cement and Concrete Composites | 0958-9465, 1873-393X | Elsevier Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 13.1 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Composite and fibre-reinforced concretes. Durability evidence expected. |
| Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering | 1093-9687, 1467-8667 | Elsevier Inc. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 9.1 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Computing and AI in civil engineering at the highest level. New methods only. |
| Construction and Building Materials | 0950-0618, 1879-0526 | Elsevier Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 8.0 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | The field's highest volume materials journal. Busy, broad, and firm on novelty. |
| Thin-Walled Structures | 0263-8231, 1879-3223 | Elsevier Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 6.6 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Steel and thin-walled members. Experimental plus numerical work. |
| Engineering Structures | 0141-0296, 1873-7323 | Elsevier B.V. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 6.4 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | General structural engineering. Validated numerical models required. |
| Civil Engineering Journal (Iran) | 2476-3055, 2676-6957 | Salehan Institute of Higher Education | ESCI, Q1, JIF 4.9 | Q1 | APC unconfirmed Subscription or hybrid, verify the charge live | Verify on the publisher page | Very high volume. Confirm the current charge and review model before submitting. |
| International Journal of Structural Integrity | 1757-9864, 1757-9872 | Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. | ESCI, Q1, JIF 3.0 | Q2 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Fatigue, fracture and assessment of existing structures. |
| Journal of Structural Integrity and Maintenance | 2470-5314, 2470-5322 | Taylor and Francis Ltd. | ESCI, Q2, JIF 3.1 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Inspection and maintenance. Practical and reachable. |
| Interdisciplinary Materials | 2767-4401, 2767-441X | John Wiley and Sons Inc | ESCI, Q1, JIF 31.6 | Q1 | APC charged 3,000 USD | onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/2767441x | Materials science, not civil engineering. The impact factor reflects that field. |
| Advanced Powder Materials | 2772-834X | KeAi Communications Co. | ESCI, Q1, JIF 24.9 | Q1 | APC charged 840 USD | www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/advanced-po | Powder metallurgy and functional materials. Only for smart material synthesis work. |
Scopus-indexed options
Q1 and Q2 first, then the Q3 band where a first paper often lands. Planning a sequence is the Mentorship Program.
| Journal | ISSN | Publisher | Web of Science index and JCR quartile | Scopus quartile | Access model and article charge | Journal link | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering | 0899-1561, 1943-5533 | American Society of Civil Engineers | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q2, JIF 3.0 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | The ASCE materials journal. Steady, respected, no APC. |
| Road Materials and Pavement Design | 1468-0629, 2164-7402 | Taylor and Francis Ltd. | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q2, JIF 3.0 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Asphalt and pavement materials. |
| Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures | 1537-6494, 1537-6532 | Taylor and Francis Ltd. | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Mechanics of composites and smart structures. Analytical and numerical work. |
| Journal of Infrastructure Intelligence and Resilience | 2772-9915 | Elsevier B.V. | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q1 | APC charged 1,600 USD | www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-infra | Data-driven infrastructure management, Scopus Q1. |
| International Journal of Steel Structures | 1598-2351, 2093-6311 | Korean Society of Steel Construction | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q3, JIF 1.4 | Q3 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Society journal for steel design. A realistic first paper. |
| Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering | 0315-1468, 1208-6029 | National Research Council of Canada | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q3, JIF 1.3 | Q3 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Broad civil engineering with a long record. |
| Bridge Construction | 1003-4722 | Wuhan Bridge Media Co., Ltd., MBEC | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q3 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Chinese bridge engineering. Check the language policy. |
| Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering | 1443-9255 | Electronic Journals for Science and Engineering International | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q3 | APC charged 250 USD | ejsei.com/EJSE/ | Low APC, Scopus Q3. |
EI Compendex indexed journals
Six SCIE journals also carried in EI Compendex, all subscription with no APC. These are the senior specialist titles.
| Journal | ISSN | Publisher | Web of Science index and JCR quartile | Scopus quartile | Access model and article charge | Journal link | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite Structures | 0263-8223, 1879-1085 | Elsevier B.V. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 7.1 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Composite mechanics, including smart and morphing structures. |
| Structural Safety | 0167-4730, 1879-3355 | Elsevier B.V. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 6.3 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Reliability and risk. Probabilistic methods are the entry ticket. |
| Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics | 0098-8847, 1096-9845 | John Wiley and Sons Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 5.0 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Seismic response and design. Shake table or validated models. |
| Computers and Structures | 0045-7949, 1879-2243 | Elsevier Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 4.8 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Computational methods. A new algorithm, not a software run. |
| Materials and Structures | 1359-5997, 1871-6873 | Springer Science and Business Media B.V. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 3.9 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | The RILEM journal. Test methods and standards work. |
| Canadian Geotechnical Journal | 0008-3674, 1208-6010 | Canadian Science Publishing | SCIE, Q2, JIF 3.5 | Q1 | No APC, subscription Subscription or hybrid, no APC | Verify on the publisher page | Geotechnics and foundations. |
Gold open access: civil engineering journals with an APC
From about 585 to 2,740 US dollars. The smart materials and health monitoring titles are strong and SCIE listed.
| Journal | ISSN | Publisher | Web of Science index and JCR quartile | Scopus quartile | Access model and article charge | Journal link | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials | 1947-5411, 1947-542X | Taylor and Francis Ltd. | SCIE, Q1, JIF 6.6 | Q1 | APC charged 1,680 USD | www.tandfonline.com/journals/tsnm | SCIE Q1 smart materials at a moderate APC. The natural home for sensing and self-healing materials. |
| Structural Control and Health Monitoring | 1545-2255, 1545-2263 | John Wiley and Sons Ltd | SCIE, Q1, JIF 5.1 | Q1 | APC charged 2,740 USD | onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/schm | Structural health monitoring and control, SCIE Q1. |
| International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials | 1976-0485, 2234-1315 | Springer Science + Business Media | SCIE, Q2, JIF 3.6 | Q1 | APC charged 2,390 USD | www.springer.com/40069 | Concrete structures and materials, SCIE listed. |
| Journal of Civil Engineering and Management | 1392-3730, 1822-3605 | Vilnius Gediminas Technical University | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q2, JIF 3.7 | Q2 | APC charged About 1,170 USD (billed as 1,000 EUR) | journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/JCEM | Construction management and engineering, with an impact factor. |
| Infrastructures | 2412-3811 | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q2, JIF 2.9 | Q2 | APC charged About 2,270 USD (billed as 1,800 CHF) | www.mdpi.com/journal/infrastructures | Fast, broad infrastructure scope. |
| Journal of Infrastructure Preservation and Resilience | 2662-2521 | Springer Nature | No Web of Science tier recorded | Q2 | APC charged 1,690 USD | jipr.springeropen.com/ | Preservation and retrofit. Scopus Q2. |
| Curved and Layered Structures | 2353-7396 | Walter de Gruyter GmbH | Web of Science listed, tier to verify by ISSN, Q3, JIF 1.6 | Q1 | APC charged About 585 USD (billed as 500 EUR) | www.degruyter.com/journal/key/cls/html | Shells and layered structures at a low APC. |
Indexed conference routes in civil engineering
Civil engineering has real indexed proceedings, led by ACI and ASCE series. Several other matches in the data, microelectronics and powder metallurgy among them, share a keyword only and are left out.
| Conference or proceedings series | Index status | ISSN or publisher | Coverage and subject | Our note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Concrete Institute, ACI Special Publication | Scopus-indexed proceedings series | 01932527 | 1977-2025 and earlier | The strongest proceedings route in concrete, with decades of coverage. |
| Geotechnical Special Publication | Scopus-indexed proceedings series | 08950563 | 1987-2025 | ASCE geotechnical conference papers, unbroken coverage. |
| International Conference on Civil, Structural and Transportation Engineering | Scopus-indexed proceedings series | 23693002 | 2015-2016, 2018-2025 | General civil engineering, reachable. |
| ICAMS International Conference on Advanced Materials and Systems | Scopus-indexed proceedings series | 20680783 | Even years, 2016-2024 | Smart and advanced materials. Biennial. |
| Advances in Earthquake Engineering | EI Compendex book series | Computational Mechanics Publications | Geotechnical, civil and structural engineering | The EI route for seismic work. |
| Advances in Science and Engineering Technology International Conferences, ASET | EI Compendex journal | IEEE | Energy, sustainability, civil and structural engineering | Sustainable building and energy papers. |
Designs civil engineering editors reject on sight
- A finite element model with no validation. Every structures journal here wants the model checked against physical tests, yours or published ones, before any parametric study.
- Machine learning on the standard public concrete dataset. Compressive strength prediction from the same few hundred mixes has been published so often that most editors now return it without review.
- One specimen per configuration. Test results need repeats, usually three, with variability reported.
- A new mix with strength but no durability. Materials journals expect shrinkage, permeability or chloride data, not only 28-day strength.
- A parametric study with no question. Varying five inputs in software is not a contribution unless it answers a design problem.
- Health monitoring demonstrated only on simulated data. Reviewers ask for a laboratory structure or a real bridge.
Fixing these before submission is Manuscript Preparation Support, and the revision round is Review & Response Support.
What gets accepted in this field, and what gets rejected
Likely accepted
- Tests plus validated models. Physical data, then a model that reproduces it.
- Comparison with design codes. Whether current codes are safe for the case you studied.
- Durability alongside strength.
- Scale effects addressed. Why small specimens represent real members.
- Data and models shared.
- A practical design recommendation.
Likely rejected
- Software output as a finding.
- Public concrete dataset, new algorithm.
- Single specimens.
- Waste material added to concrete, strength only.
- Review papers with no protocol.
- Claims beyond the tested range.
Is a journal still indexed in Scopus in 2026?
Only the live Scopus source list answers that, checked on the day you submit. Search by ISSN, and check the discontinued sources file as well as the active list, because a journal's own website is not evidence of current coverage.
Which civil engineering journals were discontinued by Scopus recently?
This page lists active titles only, so no discontinued list is given here rather than guessed. Download the discontinued sources file from Elsevier and search your ISSN. New high-volume open access titles are the ones most often added and later removed.
How long is the gap between Scopus delisting and a journal still claiming indexing?
Indefinitely, in practice. Nothing obliges a journal to remove the claim from its website, and titles regularly advertise Scopus coverage a year or more after discontinuation. Only the live source list tells you the truth today.
Is ABDC A the same as Scopus Q1 for civil engineering research?
The question does not apply. ABDC grades business and management journals, and civil engineering titles are outside its scope. If a committee asks for an ABDC grade on a structures paper, it is applying a business school rule to an engineering output. The relevant measures here are the Web of Science tier, the Scopus quartile, and in China the CAS partition.
Which civil engineering journals are on the ABDC list?
Essentially none, because the list covers business disciplines. The closest overlap is construction management, where a paper sent to a management journal could land on an ABDC-listed title. That is a change of venue, not of field.
What counts as an A star journal in civil engineering research?
There is no A star in civil engineering, because that grade belongs to the ABDC business list. The working equivalent is the small group of SCIE Q1 flagships in the Web of Science and EI tables, such as Cement and Concrete Research and Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, or CAS Zone 1 in Chinese institutions.
The UGC CARE list was discontinued, so how do I verify a civil engineering journal now?
The UGC discontinued the CARE list in a public notice dated 11 February 2025, following its decision of 3 October 2024, and published the final list only as a reference resource. Verification now runs through the live Scopus source list, the Web of Science Master Journal List and your institution's parameters.
Which civil engineering journals charge no article processing fee and are still indexed?
As on October 2026 the no-APC options here include Advances in Bridge Engineering, Materiales de Construccion, Sustainable Structures, Resilient Cities and Structures, Low-Carbon Materials and Green Construction, AI in Civil Engineering, Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure, the Journal of Soft Computing in Civil Engineering and the Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies.
Every subscription title in the tables also charges no APC, including all the SCIE flagships.
What editors screen before a reviewer sees your paper
The editorial office checks whether the English is clear enough to review, whether the structure and reference style match the journal, and what the similarity report says. In civil engineering a further check is common: whether test specimens, loading protocols and material properties are reported in enough detail to repeat the tests. Run your own overlap check first with the Plagiarism & AI Similarity Checker, and use the AI Journal Finder to confirm the journal's scope matches your abstract before you submit.
Where Research Ramp comes in
We match a finished abstract against live indexing, tell you plainly when a design will not survive the first screen, and prepare the submission so the editorial office has no reason to bounce it. Subject-matched PhD editors, milestone payments, and the author stays the author. Language is Manuscript Editing, partners with laboratory access are Collaboration Matching, and past work is on our Case Studies page.
- Journal Selection and Publication Support, the main guide this post sits under
- All 30 subject journal lists, the full series index
- Engineering, the subject page for civil and structural work
- The advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and robotics journal list
- Where to publish on physical education, sport science and exercise
Questions we are asked about indexing status
How do I check a journal is still indexed today?
Search the ISSN on the live Scopus source list and the Web of Science Master Journal List, including the discontinued and on-hold files, on the day you submit. Take a dated screenshot of the record.
What does "on hold" in Web of Science mean for me?
Clarivate has paused coverage while it re-evaluates the journal. Articles already published stay indexed, but new ones may not be covered, so an on-hold title is a poor bet while your paper is in the queue.
My journal was delisted after acceptance, what now?
If your article was published while the journal was still covered, it remains indexed. If it has not appeared yet, withdrawing formally before publication is usually cleaner than defending it later. Thesis, funding and authorship questions sit under Other Academic Support.
Send us the abstract, we will send back the shortlist
Send us your abstract and we will return a shortlist that separates SCIE, SSCI, AHCI, Scopus and EI options, with the access model marked against each. Tap the WhatsApp icon, or scan the WeChat code. To hand over the whole route from venue choice to acceptance, that is the Full Publication Package.
发送摘要，即可获得按检索类型分层的期刊清单。
We post indexing updates, delistings and venue notes as they happen. Follow Research Ramp on LinkedIn, and subscribe to our newsletter, The Right Way to Do Research, for a regular round-up in your inbox.
Disclaimer. Every table on this page is correct as on October 2026 and no later. Article charges shown in US dollars are approximate conversions at October 2026 rates, and journals bill in their own currency. Indexing, quartile, access model and charges change through the year, and journals can be added to or removed from Scopus and Web of Science at any time. This page is general information only. Research Ramp Private Limited accepts no responsibility or liability for any decision made on the basis of it, including the choice of journal, any charge paid, or the outcome of any submission. Every detail must be independently verified by the author with the journal's own website and the live Scopus source list and Web of Science Master Journal List before submitting. If you would like an informal second check, send us the title and we will look at it for you.
本页所有列表数据截至 2026 年 10 月，仅供一般参考。Research Ramp 不对任何依据本页作出的选刊、付费或投稿结果承担责任。投稿前请务必通过期刊官网及 Scopus、Web of Science 实时数据自行核实收录情况与费用。
What the charged journals cost
Every stated article charge on this page, converted to US dollars. Tap a bar for the journal and its index tier.