Reviews in Water and Human Systems

Frontiers in Water is excited to launch “Reviews in Water and Human Systems”, a specialized series dedicated to publishing high-quality scholarly review papers. This series is part of a larger endeavor with similar reviews-focused collections, analyzing key topics related to the growing field of human-water systems studies.

Water challenges increasingly emerge from the dynamic interplay between environmental processes, human behavior, governance systems, technological innovation, and societal change. This Research Topic seeks to redefine the role of review articles by moving beyond traditional literature syntheses to provide critical, integrative, and forward-looking perspectives on hydrosocial and socio-hydrology research.

We invite reviews that challenge established paradigms, bridge disciplinary concepts and boundaries, and integrate new advances and ongoing patterns in the field to maximize critical approaches and their relationships to one another. Contributions are encouraged to critically evaluate emerging methodologies—including artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, participatory modelling, citizen science, systems thinking, socio-hydrological modelling, complexity science, and network analysis—and assess their potential to transform research and practice. What are fresh dynamics and debates emerging between the lines and articles that can be elucidated? What are the contours and limits of the field so far? Perhaps most importantly, where are recent advances trending?

Rather than focusing solely on what is already known, we encourage authors to identify overlooked research questions, contradictory evidence, methodological limitations, and underrepresented perspectives. Reviews that integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches, compare evidence across regions and scales, explore behavioral and institutional dimensions, or examine cascading risks, uncertainty, and cross-sectoral interactions are particularly welcome. We particularly encourage contributions that translate scientific advances into actionable knowledge for policy, governance, and water management.

The call particularly encourages collaboration between early-career researchers and more established scholars, recognizing that intergenerational partnerships strengthen scientific quality, foster innovation, and support capacity building within the research community. We also welcome initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for author mentorship throughout the publication process, including collaborative writing, constructive feedback, and guidance aimed at supporting researchers who are publishing in this field for the first time. Such efforts are intended to promote inclusivity, broaden participation, and contribute to the development of the next generation of scholars.

“Reviews in Water and Human Systems” welcomes review type papers, including Systematic Reviews, Policy and Practice Reviews, Mini Reviews, and Reviews.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Human-water systems, hydrosocial, socio-hydrology, hydrology, social ecology, socio-natural systems, political ecology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.