Sustainability Acceptance Rate 2026: How Hard Is It to Get Published?

Decision cue: Sustainability is a legitimate venue for solid sustainability science that won't clear the bar at higher-IF environmental journals. If scope fits and methods are sound, the acceptance rate is accessible. If you're unsure about fit, check recent issues for your topic area.

Related: Sustainability journal page • Sustainability review time • Pre-submission checklist

The Sustainability acceptance rate sits around 35-45%, which makes it among the more accessible journals indexed in Web of Science. Here's the full breakdown on what that acceptance rate actually means, what reviewers look for, and whether Sustainability is the right venue for your work.

The acceptance rate in context

Sustainability accepts roughly 35-45% of submissions. With over 30,000 submissions per year and 12,000-15,000 papers published annually, it is one of the highest-volume academic journals in existence.

To put it in perspective:

• Nature Sustainability: ~5% acceptance (extremely selective)
• Journal of Cleaner Production (JCP): ~20-25% acceptance
• Science of The Total Environment: ~30% acceptance
• Sustainability: ~35-45% acceptance
• MDPI Environments: ~50%+ acceptance

Sustainability is on the accessible end for indexed, peer-reviewed journals in environmental and sustainability science.

What Sustainability publishes

Sustainability covers an intentionally broad scope: environmental sustainability, social sustainability, economic sustainability, urban planning, resource management, climate change adaptation, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and related interdisciplinary work.

The breadth means many papers fit. The challenge is that "sustainability" can mean almost anything, and reviewers do assess whether the sustainability framing is genuine or superficial.

Desk rejection at Sustainability

Despite the relatively high acceptance rate, Sustainability does desk reject a meaningful fraction of submissions. Triggers include:

Out of scope. Papers that are purely technical or scientific without sustainability relevance, or papers in fields that don't connect to sustainability (pure fundamental physics, clinical medicine without environmental angle).

Scientific rigor failure. Papers with no control conditions, vague methods, or conclusions that can't be drawn from the data are screened out. This happens more than critics of MDPI journals acknowledge.

Duplicate publication. Manuscripts that significantly overlap with published work.

Language quality. MDPI maintains a minimum English quality threshold. Papers where scientific evaluation is impeded by language problems get returned.

Academic editors make desk decisions, typically within 5-10 days.

The peer review process

Sustainability uses external peer review managed by academic editors (Guest Editors for Special Issues, which is a large portion of published content, or section editors). Typically 2 reviewers are assigned.

What reviewers look for:

Methodological soundness. Is the research design appropriate for the question? Are controls present? Is the statistical analysis appropriate? These are the primary reviewers gates.

Genuine sustainability contribution. Reviewers do ask whether the sustainability framing is substantive. A study that measures something environmental but doesn't connect to sustainability policy, practice, or understanding may be pushed back as not fitting the journal's purpose.

Novelty threshold. Sustainability does not require breakthrough novelty, but it does expect that the study adds something to the existing literature. Replications without clear value-add can be rejected.

Literature engagement. Are relevant prior studies cited? Is the contribution situated in the existing body of work?

Time to first decision

Sustainability is one of the faster journals in its tier:

• Desk decisions: typically 5-14 days
• Full peer review: 14-30 days
• First decision after review: 3-7 additional days
• Total: roughly 25-45 days from submission to first decision

This is substantially faster than most Elsevier or Springer journals. For researchers working on time-sensitive policy-relevant topics, this timeline is a genuine advantage.

Decision outcomes

Accept after minor revision: Common. Clarification of methods, improved discussion, minor additions to literature review.

Major revision: Less common than at higher-selectivity journals, but it happens when reviewers require additional analysis or expanded methods section.

Rejection after review: Papers where reviewers find fundamental methodological problems or scope mismatch that passed desk screening.

Desk rejection: Out of scope, quality problems, or language issues.

The Special Issue question

A large proportion of Sustainability papers are published through Special Issues organized by Guest Editors. This is a distinctive feature of MDPI journals. Special Issues often have separate editorial tracks and deadlines.

If you're targeting a Special Issue, check the Guest Editors' affiliation and research area - papers that align closely with the Guest Editor's expertise tend to get more substantive review. Special Issues can also have different (sometimes faster, sometimes slower) review timelines than the regular track.

The Special Issue model is sometimes criticized for reducing editorial independence. For authors, it means knowing which track your submission enters.

APC: what you pay

Sustainability charges CHF 2,700 (approximately USD 3,000) APC. MDPI has institutional discounts and waivers available. Many European institutions have Transformative Agreements with MDPI covering APCs.

Is Sustainability the right venue?

Submit if:

• Your research is within sustainability scope and you've confirmed it with recent published papers
• Methods are sound and you can defend them
• You need a faster timeline than traditional society journals
• Open access is required and you have access to APC funding or institutional agreement

Consider alternatives if:

• Your work fits a specialty journal with higher IF and similar scope (JCP, STOTEN)
• You're concerned about journal reputation in your specific field
• Prestige is important for your career stage (early-career researchers should consider how hiring committees view MDPI journals in their discipline)

Alternatives if Sustainability feels like the wrong fit

• Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier, IF 10.0) - cleaner production, circular economy, higher IF
• Science of The Total Environment (Elsevier, IF 8.2) - broader environmental science
• Resources, Conservation and Recycling (Elsevier, IF 11.2) - circular economy focus
• Environmental Science & Policy (Elsevier, IF 5.2) - policy-focused sustainability
• Sustainable Cities and Society (Elsevier, IF 11.7) - urban sustainability

What to check before submitting

Read 5-10 recent papers in Sustainability in your specific topic area. Check that the journal is actually publishing research like yours. If the methods, framing, and topic type match what you see in recent issues, you're likely scope-appropriate.

If you want objective feedback on manuscript readiness, a Pre-Submission Diagnostic checks your paper against the journal's specific criteria.

The bottom line

Sustainability's 35-45% acceptance rate reflects an accessible but genuine peer-reviewed journal. Papers within scope with sound methods have a good chance. The rapid review timeline and open access publication are practical advantages. The lower JIF (3.3, JCR 2024) and MDPI model carry perception costs in some disciplines - weigh that against the practical benefits for your specific situation.

Sources

• MDPI editorial policies and Sustainability author guidelines (March 2026)
• Clarivate Analytics, Journal Citation Reports 2024 (JIF 3.3, Q2)
• Author experience data from SciRev and academic forums
• Sustainability journal overview
• Sustainability review time 2026