About the Journal

The Applied Journal of Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (AJ-WEFE) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing research at the intersection of water, energy, food, and ecosystem sustainability, the WEFE nexus. The journal publishes original research articles, reviews, case studies, and policy analyses that address the interdependencies, trade-offs, and synergies across these four critical resource domains.

AJ-WEFE welcomes submissions that engage with integrated resource management, climate resilience, rural and agricultural systems, environmental policy, and socio-ecological transitions. The journal is particularly interested in applied, field-grounded research and contributions that connect scientific findings to real-world decision-making contexts.

The journal also provides a platform for researchers employing AI-assisted qualitative methods, including thematic analysis, discourse analysis, and narrative inquiry, in the study of WEFE nexus issues. While AI tools can augment coding, synthesis, and data interpretation, AJ-WEFE affirms that human expertise remains essential to ensuring contextual sensitivity, epistemic rigor, and methodological transparency.

AJ-WEFE encourages contributions from across the natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, economics, and policy disciplines. Interdisciplinary and cross-sector work is strongly welcomed.

The journal is published by Researchpublication Inc., a U.S.-based nonprofit organization registered under Section 501(c)(3). All editorial decisions are made independently. AJ-WEFE operates under a full open-access model; all articles are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).

Aims and Scope

AJ-WEFE exists to advance scientific understanding and practical knowledge of the WEFE nexus, which is the complex, interdependent system linking water availability, energy production, food security, and ecosystem health. As global pressures from population growth, climate change, and resource scarcity intensify, research that bridges these four domains is increasingly urgent. AJ-WEFE provides the dedicated scholarly venue for that work.

The journal's core aim is to publish rigorous, solutions-oriented research that illuminates how water, energy, food, and ecosystem systems interact, and how those interactions can be better governed, managed, and designed for long-term sustainability and equity.

AJ-WEFE pursues this aim across four dimensions:

1. Scientific Advancement — The journal advances empirical and theoretical understanding of WEFE nexus dynamics, including resource flows, system feedbacks, tipping points, and cascading effects across sectors and scales — from field and watershed level to national and transboundary contexts.

2. Applied and Policy-Relevant Research — AJ-WEFE prioritizes research with direct relevance to resource governance, planning, and decision-making. The journal bridges the gap between scientific findings and actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, development organizations, and civil society actors working on sustainability challenges.

3. Methodological Innovation — The journal welcomes diverse methodological approaches — quantitative modeling, qualitative inquiry, mixed methods, remote sensing, life cycle assessment, and AI-assisted analysis — provided they are applied with rigor and transparency. Human oversight and contextual judgment remain central to all analytical processes.

4. Equity, Resilience, and Justice — AJ-WEFE is committed to research that foregrounds the human dimensions of resource systems, including questions of access, vulnerability, gender, indigenous knowledge, and the just distribution of WEFE nexus benefits and burdens — particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts.

The journal publishes work spanning agriculture and irrigation, rural energy access, watershed management, land use and food systems, climate adaptation, ecosystem services valuation, and integrated resource governance. Both quantitative and qualitative contributions are welcome across all career stages and geographies.

Research Areas

• WEFE Nexus Integration: Cross-sectoral resource interdependencies and trade-offs
• Water Systems: Governance, scarcity, irrigation, and quality
• Energy Transitions: Renewables, rural electrification, and food-energy linkages
• Food Systems: Agricultural sustainability, land use, and supply chains
• Ecosystem Services: Biodiversity, carbon, and landscape management
• Policy and Governance: Regulatory frameworks, institutions, and stakeholder engagement
• AI-Assisted Research Methods: Human-centered AI tools applied to WEFE nexus inquiry

Additional Features

• Rigorous Peer Review: Double-blind peer review
• Open Access: Immediate and free global access
• Interdisciplinary Scope: Natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, and policy
• Applied Focus: Field-based, policy-relevant, and practitioner-oriented research

Publication Frequency

AJ-WEFE is published biannually, with two issues released each year.

Article Processing Charges

AJ-WEFE charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of USD 150 per accepted article. The APC is charged only after acceptance. There are no submission or access fees, and editorial decisions are independent of payment.