Aims and scope
SOIL is a not-for-profit international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and discussion of high-quality research in the field of soil system sciences.
SOIL is at the interface between the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. SOIL publishes scientific research that contributes to understanding the soil system and its interaction with humans and the entire Earth system. The scope of the journal includes all topics that fall within the study of soil science as a discipline, with an emphasis on studies that integrate soil science with other sciences (hydrology, agronomy, socio-economics, health sciences, atmospheric sciences, etc.).
The following manuscript types can be considered for publication in SOIL: original research articles, review articles, short communications, forum articles, and letters to the editors.
SOIL welcomes contributions focusing on the physical, chemical, and/or biological aspects of the soil system. The journal especially values papers that go beyond disciplinary boundaries and/or highlight the interactions and feedbacks between the soil system and other Earth system components:
- soils and plants;
- soils and water;
- soils and atmosphere;
- soils and biogeochemical cycling;
- soils and the natural environment;
- soils and the human environment;
- soils and food security;
- soils and biodiversity;
- soils and global change;
- soils and health;
- soil as a resource;
- soil systems;
- soil degradation;
- soil protection and remediation;
- soil and methods.
SOIL pursues a two-stage process of publication and review, which is designed to foster and document scientific discussion and has proven to enhance the transparency, efficiency, and self-regulation of scientific quality assurance. In the first stage, manuscripts that pass a rapid pre-screening (access review) are immediately posted as preprints on EGUsphere, EGU's preprint repository. They are then subject to interactive public discussion for a period of multiple weeks, during which the comments of designated referees, additional comments by other interested members of the scientific community, and the authors' replies are also posted alongside the preprint. In the second stage, manuscript revision and peer review are completed in the same way as in traditional journals (with further rounds of review and revision where required) and, if accepted, final papers are published in the main journal. To provide a lasting record of scientific discussion and quality assurance, and to secure the authors' publication precedence, every preprint and interactive comment remains permanently archived and individually citable. Preprints are defined as proceedings-type publications and do not constitute peer-reviewed publications. After interactive public discussion, it is therefore not inappropriate to submit the same manuscript or an improved version for peer-reviewed final publication elsewhere. For more information on publication rules of preprints, see www.egu.eu.