Publication Guide
The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is one of the UK's oldest learned societies, founded in London on 4 April 1881 to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for public benefit. Unlike commercial publishing houses, SCI is a membership charity: its journal programme exists to serve applied-chemistry communities, and its roughly eight peer-reviewed titles are produced in partnership with John Wiley & Sons, which has published on SCI's behalf since the early 1990s. The journals live on the dedicated SCI Journals hub of Wiley Online Library.
The portfolio is small but well-regarded in its niches: crop protection (Pest Management Science), food and agricultural science (Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture), industrial chemistry and bioprocessing (Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology), polymers (Polymer International), bioenergy (Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining), and carbon capture (Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology). This guide covers how to pick the right SCI journal, what open access costs, how peer review works, and how to submit.
Which SCI journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this journal |
|---|---|
| Work on pesticides, herbicides, biopesticides, resistance, or crop-protection strategy | Pest Management Science - SCI's flagship and the leading international venue for crop-protection research since 1970. |
| Study food chemistry, food quality, or the agriculture-food interface | Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (est. 1950) - or its fully open-access sister title JSFA Reports for shorter or applied studies. |
| Report applied chemical technology, bioprocessing, water treatment, or industrial biotechnology | Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology (est. 1951). |
| Work on polymer chemistry, polymer physics, or biopolymers | Polymer International. |
| Research biofuels, biorefineries, or bio-based products | Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining (launched 2007). |
| Study CO2 capture, storage, or utilisation | Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology (launched 2011). |
What SCI actually publishes
About eight peer-reviewed journals in applied chemistry and adjacent fields, all published by Wiley on behalf of the society:
- Pest Management Science - research and development in crop protection and pest control.
- Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture - fundamental and applied food and agricultural science.
- Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology - chemical technology, bioprocessing, and environmental technology.
- Polymer International - polymer science with an industrial orientation.
- Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining - sustainable fuels, products, and biorefinery science.
- Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology - carbon capture, storage, and CO2 utilisation.
- JSFA Reports and SCI Sustainability - newer, fully open-access companion venues.
SCI also produces Chemistry & Industry, its member magazine, which is not a peer-reviewed research journal.
Open access and APCs
SCI's established journals are hybrid: you can publish behind the subscription paywall at no cost, or pay an APC to make your article open access under a CC BY licence. APCs below are from the 2026 Wiley price lists (USD, before tax); always confirm on the journal's own open-access page before submitting.
| Journal | OA model | APC (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Pest Management Science | Hybrid | ~$5,630 |
| Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture | Hybrid | ~$4,850 |
| Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology | Hybrid | ~$4,310 |
| Polymer International / Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining / Greenhouse Gases | Hybrid | Check the per-journal Wiley price list |
| JSFA Reports, SCI Sustainability | Fully OA | Lower APC - see journal page |
Three routes can reduce or eliminate the fee:
- Transformative agreements - SCI titles are covered by Wiley's Read & Publish deals; if your institution has one, the APC may be fully paid. Check the ESAC registry or ask your library.
- Waivers and discounts - Wiley applies automatic waivers or discounts for corresponding authors in Research4Life-eligible countries.
- Green OA - self-archiving of the accepted manuscript is permitted with a per-title embargo; check Sherpa Romeo for the specific journal.
Peer review process
SCI journals use single-anonymized peer review as the default: reviewers know the authors' identities, but not vice versa. Editorial boards combine academic and industry expertise, reflecting the society's applied mission. Time to first decision varies by title and season - typically one to three months - so check the journal homepage for current metrics.
How to submit
- Pick the journal. Match your paper's scope using the table above and each journal's aims-and-scope page on the SCI Journals hub.
- Read the Author Guidelines. Each title has its own formatting, word-limit, and data requirements.
- Prepare your manuscript. Use the journal's SciSpace template to meet the SCI numbered reference style and layout rules.
- Submit online. Most SCI titles use ScholarOne Manuscripts (manuscriptcentral.com), with Wiley progressively moving titles to its Research Exchange portal - the journal's Author Guidelines link to the right system.
- Choose OA or subscription publication after acceptance. The open-access decision and any APC payment happen post-acceptance via Wiley Author Services.
Ethics and integrity
SCI journals follow Wiley's publishing-ethics framework and COPE guidance on authorship, plagiarism, corrections, and retractions. Conflicts of interest and funding sources must be declared, and data-availability expectations are set per title in the Author Guidelines.
