Science of the Total Environment Submission Process

The submission portal is at editorialmanager.com/stoten. Register if you don't have an Elsevier account.

Confirm these are ready:

• manuscript as an editable source file (.doc, .docx, or .tex)
• graphical abstract (mandatory, not optional)
• all figures as separate high-resolution files
• highlights (3 to 5 bullet points)
• data availability statement
• CRediT author contributions for all authors
• declaration of competing interests
• generative AI declaration
• ethics declarations if the study involves human subjects or animal research

The graphical abstract is mandatory

STOTEN requires a graphical abstract for all submissions. This is a single, concise visual summary of the main finding. It should communicate the environmental relevance at a glance. Editors use it alongside the abstract to assess scope during triage.

A missing graphical abstract will cause the manuscript to be returned before editorial review begins.

The handling editor evaluates the manuscript for scope, quality, and environmental relevance. STOTEN's scope is interdisciplinary environmental science, and editors screen for genuine cross-compartment thinking.

Editors are asking:

• does this paper address a real environmental question involving multiple spheres (air, water, soil, biota)?
• does the study advance fundamental understanding, not just report data?
• is the work a field study (preferred) or a lab study with clear environmental connection?
• are the methods appropriate for the environmental question being asked?
• does the paper connect chemical, biological, and physical processes?

Why field studies have priority

STOTEN explicitly states that field studies receive primary consideration. Lab experiments are accepted, but they must demonstrate either significant methodological advances or new mechanistic understanding with a clear path to environmental relevance.

A lab study showing that a material adsorbs a pollutant is not enough. The study needs to show why that matters in a real environmental context: what concentrations are realistic, what competing factors exist, and what the implications are for actual remediation or risk.

Papers that pass triage go to 2 to 3 reviewers. STOTEN uses single-anonymous review.

Reviewers evaluate:

• environmental significance and novelty
• methodological rigor and appropriateness
• quality of data analysis and statistical treatment
• whether conclusions are proportional to the evidence
• connection to broader environmental processes

References should follow Elsevier numbered style with DOIs included. There is no fixed reference limit, but 40 to 60 references is typical for a research article.

Understanding the decision

• Accept: uncommon on first round.
• Minor revision: small changes. Respond within 30 days.
• Major revision: substantive concerns. 30 to 60 days to revise. Returns to reviewers.
• Reject: the paper does not meet STOTEN standards.
• Transfer: Elsevier may suggest transfer to a related journal (Environmental Pollution, Chemosphere, Journal of Environmental Management) with reviewer context.

• Submitted to Journal: your manuscript is in the system
• With Editor: handling editor is reviewing or assigning reviewers
• Under Review: sent to external reviewers
• Required Reviews Complete: reviewers returned reports
• Decision in Process: editor preparing decision
• Revise: revision requested

If "With Editor" persists beyond 3 weeks, a polite inquiry is reasonable.

Submitting a pure lab study without environmental context

The most common triage failure. STOTEN is not a chemistry journal or a materials journal. A study showing pollutant removal in a flask needs to explain why it matters environmentally: realistic concentrations, competing ions, temperature ranges, and what happens at scale.

Missing the graphical abstract

The graphical abstract is mandatory. Submissions without one are returned before editorial review. Prepare it alongside the manuscript, not as an afterthought.

No cross-compartment thinking

STOTEN values studies that connect multiple environmental compartments. A study of soil contamination that also discusses groundwater transport and ecosystem effects is stronger than one that stays in a single compartment. Frame the work broadly.

Overclaiming remediation potential

Lab-scale results showing high removal efficiency do not automatically translate to field-scale remediation. Avoid claims about practical application that the data do not support. Editors and reviewers at STOTEN are sensitive to this gap.