The Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education (JCWRE) is a publication of the Universities Council on Water Resources with support from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Former Title: Water Resources Update, until June 2004
Please Note: Beginning January 2025, JCWRE is published through Digital Commons on OpenSIUC. JCWRE is now an Open Access journal. JCWRE was formerly published on WileyOnline.
Aims and Scope
The Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education (JCWRE) disseminates original, peer-reviewed articles and comprehensive reviews on applied research, policy, education, and outreach/extension in water and watershed science and management, with international scope and an emphasis on transdisciplinary approaches and perspectives. Two themed issues a year focus on topics that emerge from conferences, water resources organizations, national training or education programs, and research and extension teams. One issue per year is reserved for general submissions. JCWRE is published by the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR).
Publication
JCWRE is published by the Universities Council on Water Resources. JCWRE is Open Access and can be freely downloaded by researchers, educators, and policy-makers around the world. The journal is online publication only. Three issues per year are published, unless unforeseen circumstances occur. Two issues are typically themed issues and one issue is reserved for general submissions. Manuscripts are published online as they are finished and the issue is closed once all articles for that issue have been published.
Journal Indexing
Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics); INSPEC (IET); Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics)
Journal Impact Factor
Clarivate (2023): 0.9
Open Access Policy and Copyright
Manuscripts submitted to JCWRE must be original and not be submitted or published elsewhere. JCWRE is an open access journal. All content is freely available without charge. Articles published in this journal are governed by the “Attribution CC BY” Creative Commons License. Authors publishing in JCWRE automatically agree to this license. Authors retain copyright to their published material and agree to cite JCWRE when referencing the article.
Publication Fee
The following publication charges apply per article:
$300 for UCOWR members
$500 for non-UCOWR members.
These fees are subject to change.
Author Instructions and Submission Guidelines
Visit Digital Commons on OpenSIUC for author instructions.
Submission Deadlines
JCWRE is currently accepting submissions for consideration. Manuscripts can be submitted at any time. Most general submissions are published in the issue designated for open submissions. However, general submissions may be considered for themed issues if appropriate. Manuscripts are published online as they are finished and the issue is closed once all articles for that issue have been published.
Article Categories
JCWRE publishes articles in five categories: Original Research, Case Study, Review, Research Note, and Perspective Piece. Each category has specific author guidelines. All categories, except Perspective Pieces, are peer-reviewed and subject to standard publication fees. Perspective Pieces are reviewed internally by our Editors and are not charged a publication fee.
Review Process
JCWRE utilizes a single blind process. Authors should submit contact information for 3 potential reviewers with the manuscript. The manuscript is assigned to an Associate Editor or to the Special Issue Editor if a part of a Special Issue. The assigned editor reviews the manuscript for suitability for consideration by JCWRE. If suitable, the manuscript will begin the external review process. The assigned editor will choose and secure a minimum of 2 reviewers for the manuscript. Reviewers will have 4 weeks to provide constructive feedback. Reviewers will use track-changes and provide an overall review letter and publication recommendation (accept as is; accept contingent upon minor revisions; accept contingent upon major revisions; revise and resubmit; or reject) to the assigned editor. Based on the reviews and their own assessment, a publication recommendation will be made by the assigned editor to the journal editors (Karl Williard and Jackie Gillespie). The journal editors will convey a publication decision to the authors, along with reviewer feedback. Authors will have 5 weeks to address the reviewers’ comments and submit a response letter to the journal editors. The journal editors will make a final publication decision and work with the authors to make any needed changes. Once the authors submit a final revised draft, a galley proof will be created and sent to the author for any final changes prior to publication. The entire review process typically takes 10 to 12 weeks. However, it may be longer depending upon reviewer identification and availability.
Questions? Contact the Editors: Jackie Gillespie (crimjac@siu.edu), Karl Williard (williard@siu.edu)
