Science of The Total Environment Submission Guide: Requirements, Formatting and What Editors Want

STOTEN publishes across the full spectrum of environmental science, and that scope is both its strength and a trap for authors who don't read the fine print. The journal processes a massive volume of papers, over 10,000 submissions per year. Editors are efficient but ruthless about scope fit and formatting compliance. Getting the basics right before you submit saves weeks.

Submission at a glance

What STOTEN actually publishes

The journal's scope is the "total environment," meaning interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere. In practical terms, STOTEN publishes:

• Environmental chemistry and pollution monitoring
• Ecotoxicology and risk assessment
• Water quality and treatment
• Soil contamination and remediation
• Atmospheric pollutants and air quality
• Environmental epidemiology (pollution-health links)
• Waste management and circular economy
• Climate change impacts on ecosystems

What it doesn't publish: purely clinical studies, pure ecology without an environmental stressor, agricultural science without environmental context, or lab-scale synthesis without environmental application. This scope check is where most desk rejections happen.

Manuscript types

Research Articles are the main format. No official word limit, but reviewers and editors prefer papers in the 5,000 to 8,000 word range. If your paper exceeds 10,000 words, move supplementary methods and data to the supporting information.

Short Communications present a single noteworthy finding in about 3,000 words. Good for time-sensitive results, pilot studies with clear implications, or methodological advances that don't need a full paper.

Review Articles should be proposed to the editor before submission. The journal publishes both systematic reviews and narrative reviews, but unsolicited reviews have a lower acceptance rate. If you want to write a review, send a 1-page proposal to the editor-in-chief outlining the topic, why it's timely, and your qualifications.

Graphical abstract requirements

This is mandatory. Papers submitted without a graphical abstract get returned without review.

Specs:

• Single image, maximum 531 x 1328 pixels
• Summarize the key finding visually
• Minimal text (short labels only)
• White or light background preferred
• Submit as a separate TIFF, EPS, or high-res JPEG

For environmental science papers, effective graphical abstracts often show a conceptual diagram: source of contamination, pathway, effect, and the finding your study contributes. Avoid pasting a figure from the paper. Create something that tells the story at a glance.

Cover letter tips

STOTEN editors handle hundreds of papers. Your cover letter needs to work fast.

Include:

1. Title and article type
2. Two or three sentences on why this work is significant for the total environment
3. What's new compared to existing studies
4. Statement confirming no simultaneous submission
5. Four to five suggested reviewers with emails and affiliations

Don't include: A rehash of the abstract, a long literature review, or generic statements about the importance of environmental research. Editors can spot padding immediately.

Formatting requirements

Structure: Title, Abstract (max 150 words), Keywords (4-6), Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion (can be separate or combined), Conclusions, Acknowledgments, References, Figure Captions.

Abstract: STOTEN prefers structured or semi-structured abstracts. Even if you don't use subheadings, cover background (1-2 sentences), methods (1-2 sentences), results (2-3 sentences), and implications (1 sentence). Stay under 150 words.

Keywords: Choose 4-6 keywords that someone would actually search for. Include the specific pollutant, organism, or method name, not just broad terms like "environment" or "pollution."

Figures: Submit separately at 300+ DPI. Use consistent font sizes across all figures (minimum 8 pt after scaling). Color is free online. For maps, include a scale bar and north arrow.

Tables: Editable format within the manuscript. One table per page at the end of the document. Avoid tables that duplicate figure data.

References: Elsevier numbered style. Include DOIs. No fixed reference limit, but 40-60 is typical for a research article.

Data sharing and ethics

STOTEN requires a data availability statement. The journal encourages, but doesn't yet mandate, public data deposit. Acceptable approaches:

• Data deposited in Mendeley Data, Figshare, Dryad, or a discipline-specific repository (best option)
• Data included as supplementary files
• Data available on request (acceptable but weaker, and some reviewers will push back)

For studies involving human subjects, animal experiments, or collection of protected species, include ethics committee approval numbers in the Methods section. Environmental sampling permits should be documented where relevant.

What editors look for

Based on published editorial notes and author experience, STOTEN editors prioritize:

Environmental relevance. The paper must connect to a real environmental problem. Pure lab work without environmental context gets desk rejected even if the science is solid.

Appropriate scale. Single-location studies are fine if the findings have broader implications. But if your results only apply to one specific site with no transferability, the paper is better suited for a regional journal.

Sound statistics. Environmental data is often messy. Editors expect proper statistical treatment, including sample size justification, appropriate tests for your data distribution, and honest handling of variability.

Novelty beyond monitoring. Monitoring data alone isn't enough. "We measured pollutant X at location Y" needs a twist: a new source, a new mechanism, an unexpected trend, or a policy-relevant finding.

Common desk rejection reasons

• Scope mismatch (no environmental connection)
• Missing graphical abstract
• English quality below publication standard
• Monitoring data without novelty or mechanistic insight
• Incomplete methods (can't be reproduced)
• Sample sizes too small without justification

Final pre-submit checklist

• [ ] Graphical abstract as separate file
• [ ] Cover letter with novelty statement and reviewer suggestions
• [ ] Abstract under 150 words
• [ ] All figures as separate high-res files
• [ ] Data availability statement included
• [ ] Ethics approvals documented in Methods
• [ ] Keywords are specific and searchable
• [ ] Supporting information prepared separately
• [ ] All co-authors have approved the submission
• [ ] English proofread by a proficient speaker

For a detailed pre-submission review, see our checklist or manuscript review service.

Sources

• Elsevier author guidelines for Science of The Total Environment
• JCR 2024 (Clarivate Journal Citation Reports) for impact factor data
• Published editorial notes from STOTEN editor-in-chief

See also

• Science of The Total Environment Impact Factor
• Science of The Total Environment Acceptance Rate
• Science of The Total Environment Review Time
• Pre-Submission Checklist