2024 Annual Report  of Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics

The year 2024 witnessed the remarkable achievements of WEC&N. Thanks to the collective efforts of the Editorial Board, authors, reviewers, webinar and conference participants, readers, and the Editorial Office, WEC&N made exceptional progress and garnered significant attention from experts and scholars in the field. Here, the WEC&N Editorial Office is honored to present the journal’s numerous accomplishments in 2024 across six key areas.

1. Database Indexing

In 2024, WEC&N achieved a significant milestone by being indexed in Scopus, with its first CiteScore expected in June 2025. As of now, the CiteScoreTracker 2024 stands at 3.8 (Figure 1), reflecting the journal’s rapid progress toward establishing itself as an international platform. This accomplishment highlights the growing recognition and prestige WEC&N has garnered from experts and scholars, further fueling its ambition and commitment to expanding into broader and more impactful research domains.

Figure 1: Journal Database Indexing and CiteScoreTracker 2024

2. Article Submissions and Publications

In 2024, WEC&N received 80 submissions and published 22 high-quality articles across four issues, contributed by 108 authors. Figure 2 presents graphical abstracts of featured articles published in 2024. These articles addressed emerging and critical topics in environmental science, including environmental pollution and health, water pollutants and treatment technologies, and microplastic pollution and remediation.

The distribution of article types was as follows: 50.0% Research Articles, 36.5% Reviews, 4.5% Perspectives, 4.5% Technical Guides, and 4.5% Short Communications (Figure 3). Figure 4 illustrates the geographic distribution of authors for 2024 publications, spanning diverse countries such as Canada, Norway, Australia, the United States, and Poland.

Figure 2: Graphical Abstracts of Featured Articles

Figure 3: Article Type Distribution

Figure 4: Geographic Distribution of Authors for Published Articles

3. Editorial Board

In 2024, WEC&N reached significant milestones in its editorial development, promoting 2 Associate Editors and 1 Regional Editor, while welcoming 19 new Young Editorial Board members (Figure 5). These personnel adjustments and team expansions reflect the journal's steady growth in academic influence and editorial team building, as well as its commitment to a global, youthful, and diverse development strategy. The current Editorial Board consists of 86 members, including 2 Editors-in-Chief, 8 Associate Editors, 3 Regional Editors, 53 Editorial Board members, and 19 Young Editorial Board members from 18 different countries and regions (Figure 6).

Figure 5: List of Promotions and Expansions

Figure 6: Geographic Distribution of Editorial Board Members

4. Special Issues

In 2024, WEC&N launched 15 Special Issues on cutting-edge topics, covering a wide range of areas, including the detection and treatment of emerging pollutants, the assessment of micro- and nanoplastics and their impact on human health and ecosystems, the application of nanomaterials in water pollutant remediation, and wastewater treatment. These Special Issues reflect the journal’s commitment to addressing key challenges and advancements in environmental science.

Figure 7: Special Issues on Trending Topics in 2024

5. Academic Activities

In 2024, WEC&N Editor-in-Chief Joana C. Prata engaged in an insightful academic dialogue with Professor Richard Thompson, a pioneer in microplastic research with over 20 years of experience, to explore the latest advancements and challenges in the field (Figure 8).

Additionally, the journal hosted a high-impact online webinar titled Nanomaterials in Water Environments: Distribution, Interactions, and Ecological Impacts, organized by Professor Julian Blasco from the Department of Ecological and Coastal Management at the University of Rio de Janeiro, Spain, and Professor Ilaria Corsi from the University of Siena, Italy. This event provided a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and discussions on cutting-edge research (Figure 9).

Figure 8: Academic Talk

Figure 9: Online Webinar

The Editorial Office also participated in the 14th Asia-Pacific International Conference on Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, further expanding WEC&N’s academic influence.

Figure 10: Editorial Board Promoting the Journal

6. Citations

In 2024, WEC&N received significant recognition in the global academic community. According to Scopus data, articles published in WEC&N were cited in 79 journals, with over 77% indexed in the ESCI database. As shown in Figure 11, the majority of the citing journals are in the Q1 JCR quartile, with 5 journals having an impact factor greater than 10 (Figure 12), further demonstrating the high quality of the articles published in WEC&N.

Figure 11: Distribution of Impact Factors of Citing Journals

Figure 12: Citing Journals with an Impact Factor Greater Than 10

In 2024, WEC&N experienced remarkable growth and progress. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the experts and scholars who have continuously supported us.

First and foremost, we sincerely appreciate our authors for their trust and valuable contributions. Your research and insights form the foundation of our journal’s success. Secondly, we are immensely grateful to our dedicated reviewers, whose exceptional expertise and meticulous feedback ensure the journal’s high standards of quality and academic rigor.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our esteemed Editorial Board members. Your professional guidance, strategic vision, and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the journal’s development and expanding its academic influence. Finally, we express our sincere appreciation to our loyal readers and supporters. Your continued engagement and positive feedback not only inspire us to strive for excellence but also foster a vibrant and collaborative academic community.

As we look ahead, we remain committed to further enhancing the journal’s impact and reach, and we look forward to working together to achieve even greater milestones in the coming years!

Editor: Sunny Qi
Language Editor: Catherine Yang
Production Editor: Ting Xu
Respectfully submitted by the Editorial Office of Water Emerging Contaminants & Nanoplastics