Journal Guide
Materials Impact Factor 3.2: Publishing Guide
Materials science: novel materials, properties, processing, and applications
3.2
Impact Factor (2024)
~50-60%
Acceptance Rate
~70-100 days median
Time to First Decision
What Materials Publishes
Materials published by MDPI is an open-access journal covering materials science and engineering across all material classes. With JIF 3.2 and broad Q2-Q3 coverage, Materials emphasizes research on novel materials, property enhancement, and processing methods. The journal publishes research on metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and nanomaterials. Critically: Materials values work addressing practical material challenges or demonstrating functional advantages. Pure characterization without application relevance is less competitive. The journal seeks papers showing how materials advances enable applications.
- Metals and alloys: microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion, alloy design
- Ceramics: sintering, microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties
- Polymers: polymerization, crystallinity, mechanical behavior, degradation
- Composites: fiber-matrix interaction, reinforcement, property enhancement
- Nanomaterials: nanoparticles, nanostructures, unique properties, synthesis
- Functional materials: biocompatibility, electrical properties, thermal properties
- Processing methods: additive manufacturing, casting, powder metallurgy, coating
- Sustainable materials: recycled content, biodegradable, low-environmental-impact
Editor Insight
“Materials publishes materials science advancing practical performance. We seek materials demonstrating property advantages, novel functionality, or addressing material challenges.”
What Materials Editors Look For
Novel material or processing method showing functional advantage or property improvement
Present material with enhanced properties or novel function. Stronger? Better thermal stability? Improved recyclability? Demonstrate clear advantage with quantified performance metrics.
Complete characterization including microstructure and property relationships
Thoroughly characterize material: microscopy for microstructure, spectroscopy for composition, mechanical and functional property testing. Show structure-property correlation.
Processing method reproducibly producing superior material
Show processing consistently yields material with desired properties. Address process control and optimization. Reproducibility essential for adoption.
Practical application demonstration or performance validation
Show material performs in actual application context. Strength testing under relevant loads, corrosion testing in relevant environment, or functional testing in device.
Comparison with existing materials and cost-benefit analysis
Show material outperforms or differs from conventional alternatives. Address cost relative to performance. Economic viability important for adoption.
Why Papers Get Rejected
These patterns appear repeatedly in manuscripts that don't make it past Materials's editorial review:
Material characterization without demonstrating property advantage or application relevance
Characterizing microstructure and measuring properties alone insufficient. Show functional benefit: property advantage, application relevance, or cost benefit.
Property testing under non-realistic conditions
Test under conditions relevant to intended application. Properties measured in ideal lab conditions often differ in real use.
Incomplete property characterization for intended application
If claiming structural material, provide mechanical properties. If claiming functional material, provide functional characterization. Complete testing essential.
No comparison with existing commercial materials
Show material compares favorably with commercial alternatives. What advantages justify adoption?
Ignoring manufacturability and scalability
Show material can be made at scale using practical methods. Lab-scale without scale-up pathway has limited utility.
Does your manuscript avoid these patterns?
The quick diagnostic reads your full manuscript against Materials's criteria and flags the specific issues most likely to cause rejection.
Insider Tips from Materials Authors
Sustainable and recycled materials increasingly competitive
Materials with environmental benefits (recycled content, biodegradable, low-impact) align with sustainability priorities.
Additive manufacturing and novel processing methods trending
New manufacturing approaches enabling novel material forms or properties increasingly valuable.
Lightweight and high-strength materials for aerospace/automotive valued
Materials enabling weight reduction with maintained or improved strength have engineering relevance.
Biocompatible and biodegradable polymers gaining prominence
Polymers with biomedical or environmental benefits increasingly competitive.
Machine learning for materials design emerging area
Using computational methods or ML for materials property prediction increasingly valued.
The Materials Submission Process
Manuscript preparation
Prep5,000-8,000 words with 5-7 figures. Include material synthesis/processing, characterization (microscopy, spectroscopy, properties), property-performance relationships, testing under realistic conditions, comparison with existing materials.
Submission via MDPI system
Day 0Submit at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/. Required: manuscript emphasizing novelty and property/application advantage, figures showing characterization and properties, cover letter highlighting benefits.
Editorial assessment
1-2 weeksEditor assesses novelty and practical significance. Papers lacking clear advantage or application context face lower priority. Moderate desk rejection ~15-25%.
Peer review
70-100 days2-3 materials experts assess novelty, characterization rigor, property claims, and significance. First decision 70-100 days.
Revision and publication
Revision: 2-4 weeksRevisions often request additional property testing or comparison data. Publication 1-3 weeks after acceptance (fast MDPI OA).
Materials by the Numbers
| 2024 Impact Factor | 3.4 |
| 5-Year Impact Factor | 3.6 |
| Acceptance rate | ~50-60% |
| Desk rejection rate | ~15-25% |
| Median first decision | ~85 days |
| Open access APC | ~$1,800-2,200 |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Founded | 2008 |
Before you submit
Materials accepts a small fraction of submissions. Make your attempt count.
The pre-submission diagnostic runs a live literature search, scores your manuscript section by section, and gives you a prioritized fix list calibrated to Materials. ~30 minutes.
Article Types
Research Article
5,000-8,000 wordsMaterials research with characterization and testing
Review
7,000-12,000 wordsMaterials topic review
Landmark Materials Papers
Papers that defined fields and changed science:
- High-strength lightweight alloys (various) - aerospace and automotive
- Advanced polymer synthesis (various) - novel functional polymers
- Composite material development (various) - enhanced mechanical properties
- Additive manufacturing materials (2010s+) - novel manufacturing possibilities
Preparing a Materials Submission?
Get pre-submission feedback from reviewers who've published in Materials and know exactly what editors look for.
Run Free Readiness ScanNeed expert depth? Human review from $1,000
Primary Fields
Related Articles
- Desk Rejection: What It Means, Why It Happens, and What to Do Next
- How to Respond to Reviewer Comments (Without Losing Your Mind)
- How to Choose the Right Journal for Your Paper (A Practical Guide)
- Pre-Submission Scientific Review: What It Costs, When It Works, and When to Skip It
Ready to submit to Materials?
A desk rejection costs months. Get expert feedback before you submit, from scientists who know exactly what Materials editors look for.
Avoid Desk Rejection
Get expert pre-submission review before you submit to Materials. 3-7 day turnaround.
Manuscript Rejected?
Expert revision help to strengthen your manuscript and resubmit with confidence.
Reviewer Response Help
Get expert guidance crafting your response to Materials reviewers.
Need field-expert depth? Human review from $1,000