Journal Guide
Publishing in Fuel: Fit, Timeline & Submission Guide
Fuel science and combustion: chemistry, properties, and energy conversion
Should you submit here?
Submit if present fuel or approach improving combustion performance or reducing emissions. Be careful if analyzing fuel composition and properties alone insufficient.
Best fit if
Present fuel or approach improving combustion performance or reducing emissions
Not ideal if
Analyzing fuel composition and properties alone insufficient
Also compare
7.5
Impact Factor (2024)
~40-50%
Acceptance Rate
~100-130 days median
Time to First Decision
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What Fuel Publishes
Fuel published by Elsevier is the premier journal for fuel science, combustion, and energy conversion. With JIF 7.5 and Q1 ranking in Energy & Fuels and Chemical Engineering, Fuel emphasizes research on fuel composition, combustion chemistry, emissions, and fuel utilization. The journal publishes research on fossil fuels, biofuels, and synthetic fuels covering fundamental chemistry through application. Critically: Fuel values research with clear relevance to fuel technology or combustion. Pure analytical chemistry without fuel context is less competitive. The journal seeks papers advancing understanding of fuels and combustion enabling cleaner, more efficient energy conversion.
- Fossil fuels: coal, oil, natural gas characterization and utilization
- Biofuels: biodiesel, bioethanol, biogas, synthetic biofuels
- Combustion chemistry: reaction mechanisms, kinetics, emissions formation
- Fuel composition: hydrocarbon analysis, impurity effects, molecular characterization
- Emission control: NOx reduction, particulate matter, pollutant mitigation
- Advanced combustion: premixed flames, diffusion flames, detonation
- Fuel additives: octane enhancement, oxidation stability, lubricity improvement
- Synthetic fuels: hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, e-fuels from carbon dioxide
Editor Insight
“Fuel publishes research advancing fuel science and combustion. We seek fuels and combustion technologies with demonstrated performance, rigorous characterization, sound mechanistic understanding, and practical energy or environmental benefits. The best papers combine fuel chemistry with engine or device validation.”
What Fuel Editors Look For
Novel fuel or combustion technology advancing energy performance or emissions
Present fuel or approach improving combustion performance or reducing emissions. Better efficiency? Lower pollutant formation? Novel fuel with practical advantages? Quantify improvement: efficiency gain, emission reduction, specific properties.
Complete fuel characterization and combustion analysis under relevant conditions
Thoroughly characterize fuel: composition analysis, physical properties, thermal properties. Perform combustion testing under realistic engine or burner conditions. Lab-scale combustion without engine or device context is less competitive.
Mechanistic understanding of combustion chemistry and emission formation
Explain combustion mechanisms and why fuel performs as observed. What chemical pathways control combustion? How do fuel components affect emissions? Mechanistic insight stronger than empirical observations alone.
Practical engine or device performance validation
Test fuels in actual engines or burners, not just flame reactors. Engine-out emissions and performance data prove practical applicability. Real-device validation significantly strengthens papers.
Environmental and economic assessment of fuel viability
Address cost competitiveness and environmental impact. Show how fuel impacts lifecycle emissions, production cost, and energy return. Practical viability crucial for fuel adoption.
Why Papers Get Rejected
These patterns appear repeatedly in manuscripts that don't make it past Fuel's editorial review:
Fuel characterization without combustion or engine performance data
Analyzing fuel composition and properties alone insufficient. Fuel Chemistry expects combustion or engine performance demonstration. How does fuel perform in actual combustion?
Laboratory combustion without realistic engine or device conditions
Flame reactor or bench-scale combustion results often don't transfer to engines. Engine-out emissions and performance data required for practical relevance.
Emission reduction claims without rigorous measurement methodology
Quantify emissions with proper analytical methods. Compare with baseline fuels under identical conditions. Unsupported emission reduction claims are challenged.
Ignoring practical challenges: cost, availability, compatibility
Novel fuels must be economically competitive and compatible with existing infrastructure. Fuels requiring extreme processing or incompatible with engines have limited adoption potential.
Overclaiming efficiency or emissions benefits without proper testing
Efficiency and emission improvements must be rigorously measured in comparable systems. Theoretical benefits without experimental validation are unconvincing.
Does your manuscript avoid these patterns?
The Free Readiness Scan reads your full manuscript against Fuel's criteria and flags the specific issues most likely to cause rejection.
Insider Tips from Fuel Authors
Sustainable and alternative fuel research increasingly prominent
Biofuels, synthetic e-fuels, and sustainable aviation fuels addressing climate concerns receive strong editorial interest and high citations.
Emission control and reducing pollutants highly valued
Research reducing harmful emissions (NOx, particulate matter, toxic compounds) has practical environmental impact and regulatory relevance.
Fuel-engine interactions and real engine testing crucial
Papers with real engine data showing how fuel chemistry affects engine performance, emissions, and longevity more competitive than combustion lab studies alone.
Hydrogen and ammonia fuels gaining prominence
Research on hydrogen combustion, ammonia as fuel, or carbon-neutral synthetic fuels increasingly competitive as decarbonization accelerates.
Computational chemistry modeling fuel combustion valued
Detailed chemical kinetic modeling combined with experimental validation of combustion mechanisms demonstrates sophisticated approach.
The Fuel Submission Process
Manuscript preparation
Prep6,000-9,000 words with 6-8 figures. Include fuel characterization (composition, properties), combustion/engine testing methodology, performance data (efficiency, emissions), mechanistic discussion, comparison with baseline fuels, and assessment of practical viability. Supporting: detailed characterization, combustion curves, engine data.
Submission via Elsevier system
Day 0Submit at https://www.editorialmanager.com/FUEL/. Required: manuscript emphasizing combustion/performance novelty and practical significance, figures showing fuel properties and combustion/engine performance, cover letter highlighting advantages.
Editorial assessment
1-2 weeksEditor assesses fuel novelty, combustion/engine relevance, and practical significance. Papers lacking combustion data or engine performance face lower priority. Moderate desk rejection ~25-35%.
Peer review
100-130 days2-3 fuel experts assess fuel characterization rigor, combustion/engine testing validity, mechanistic understanding, and practical significance. First decision 100-130 days.
Revision and publication
Revision: 4-8 weeksRevisions often request additional engine testing, emission data, or mechanistic explanation. Publication 2-4 weeks after acceptance.
Fuel by the Numbers
| 2024 Impact Factor | 7.1 |
| 5-Year Impact Factor | 7.5 |
| Acceptance rate | ~40-50% |
| Desk rejection rate | ~25-35% |
| Median first decision | ~115 days |
| Open access option | $3,100 USD |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Founded | 1927 |
Before you submit
Fuel accepts a small fraction of submissions. Make your attempt count.
Start with the Free Readiness Scan. Unlock the Full Review from $49, with local pricing shown before checkout. If you need deeper submission planning, choose the Submission-Ready Dossier. The full report is calibrated to Fuel.
Article Types
Research Article
6,000-9,000 wordsFuel characterization and combustion/engine performance
Review
10,000-15,000 wordsFuel technology or combustion topic review
Short Communication
3,500-5,000 wordsBrief fuel or combustion finding
Landmark Fuel Papers
Papers that defined fields and changed science:
- Biofuel development and performance (2000s+) - renewable fuel alternatives
- Combustion chemistry and emission formation (various) - emissions control
- Fuel additives and octane enhancement (1970s+) - improved fuel performance
- Hydrogen fuel technology (2000s+) - clean energy carrier
- Sustainable aviation fuel development (2010s+) - decarbonizing aviation
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Primary Fields
Related Journal Guides
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- Publishing in Applied Energy
- Publishing in RNA
Latest Journal-Specific Guides
- Submission guideFuel Submission Guide: Scope, Format & Tips (2026)Fuel submission guide: fuel research with quantified combustion-performance, emissions, or scaling metrics.
- Journal assessmentIs Fuel a Good Journal? The Elsevier Fuel Science FlagshipFuel is Elsevier's flagship for fuel science and technology with IF 7.4. Here's when your paper fits, what gets desk-rejected, and how it compares to Applied Energy, Energy & Fuels, and Combustion and Flame.
- Desk rejectionHow to Avoid Desk Rejection at Fuel in 2026Avoid desk rejection at Fuel with clear combustion relevance, stronger validation, and real fuel-use consequence.
- Review timelineFuel Review Time: What Authors Can Actually ExpectFuel can look quick from the outside because the journal posts a fast first-decision metric. The practical question is whether the manuscript is truly fuel-science first and strong enough to survive a heavier full-review path.
More Guides for This Journal
- Acceptance rateFuel Journal Acceptance Rate: What Authors Can UseFuel does not disclose an official acceptance rate. The editorial filter that matters is whether your combustion or fuel science paper presents original work with systematic data and practical relevance.
- Impact factorFuel Impact Factor 2026: 7.5, Q1, Rank 22/175Fuel impact factor is 7.5 with a 5-year JIF of 7.1. See rank, quartile, peer comparisons, and what it means for your submission.
- Publishing costsFuel APC and Open Access: Elsevier Pricing, Institutional Coverage, and Journal AlternativesFuel (Elsevier) charges ~$4,000-$5,450 for open access. IF ~7, core Elsevier R&P journal. Comparison with Combustion and Flame, Energy & Fuels, and more.
- Submission processFuel Submission Process: What Happens From Upload to First DecisionFuel submission process guide covering Elsevier Editorial Manager, scope fit, abstract, highlights, figures, and editorial routing.
- Manuscript prepFuel Cover Letter: What Editors Actually Need to SeeFuel editors screen for practical relevance to real fuel systems and will desk-reject pure modeling without experimental validation.
- Publishing guideFuel Formatting Requirements: Complete Author GuideFuel formatting guide. Word limits, figure specs, reference format, LaTeX vs Word, and journal-specific formatting quirks you need to know.
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