For students and research scientists alike, peer-reviewed scientific journals represent the cornerstone of all knowledge and progress. These periodical publications are the best way to remain informed of the latest research and are invaluable when informing new projects and ideas.

There are, however, over 30,000 journals containing over 2 million articles. So deciding which to focus on can be something of a quandary. In the field of water science and technology alone there are hundreds of journals to consider.

So, to help narrow down the selection, here are the five journals we think all academics and professionals interested in the field of water science should be acquainted with.

1. Water Research – A Journal of the International Water Association

Water Research publishes refereed, original research papers on all aspects of the science and technology of the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. It is an interdisciplinary journal with an applied edge. This means that papers that go into too many details of one of the supporting disciplines (such as chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, material sciences, etc.) without making a good link with water research, in general, might be rejected up-front.

2. Environmental Science & Technology Letters

Published as soon as accepted and summarised in monthly issues, Environmental Science & Technology Letters is an international forum for brief communications on experimental or theoretical results of exceptional timeliness in all aspects of environmental science (pure and applied), and short reviews on emerging environmental science & technology topics. Manuscripts describing cross-disciplinary research or addressing emerging issues are of particular interest.

3. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water

The award-winning WIREs (Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews) series combines some of the most powerful features of reference works and review journals in an innovative online format. They are designed to promote a cross-disciplinary research ethos while maintaining the highest scientific and presentational standards. WIREs Water represents an important new forum to promote cross-disciplinary understanding of the water environment, and the severe challenges that it faces during the 21st Century. It is an authoritative resource addressing key topics from the perspectives of earth sciences, biology, engineering, social sciences, and humanities.

4. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology

Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology serves as an international forum for the critical review of current knowledge on the broad range of topics in environmental science. Environmental science is the complex and dynamic interaction of diverse scientific disciplines, including earth and agricultural sciences, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering, and the development of new disciplines such as environmental toxicology and risk assessment.

5. Water Resources Research

Water Resources Research is an interdisciplinary journal that focuses on hydrology and water resources. It publishes original research in the natural and social sciences of water. It emphasises the role of water in the Earth system, including physical, chemical, biological, and ecological processes in water resources research and management, including social, policy, and public health implications. It encompasses observational, experimental, theoretical, analytical, numerical, and data-driven approaches that advance the science of water and its management. Submissions are evaluated for their novelty, accuracy, significance, and broader implications of the findings.