The Journal of Hohai University( Natural Sciences) began publication in 1957. It is an academic journal publishing original research papers and comprehensive reviews in the field of hydrological sciences. The journal focuses on investigations of water resources, water conservancy and hydropower engineering, water transportation engineering, ocean and coastal engineering, environmental science and engineering, hydraulics and river dynamics, hydraulic structure, geotechnical engineering, and engineering mechanics.

This journal is published bimonthly, strictly following the international editorial rules. Each issue includes a table of contents in English, and each paper provides the title, name (s) of the author (s), an abstract (including the purpose of study, methods, results, and conclusions), and key words in English. Most of the published papers are the results of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and ministerial or provincial Science Fund research projects, or are supported by key scientific and technological research and important water conservancy and hydropower engineering projects. These papers have a significant influence on academic and engineering fields in China.

The editorial board consists of over 40 well-known scholars and professors throughout the country, including academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Journal of Hohai University( Natural Sciences) is a national core scientific periodical in Chinese. It is a source journal of the Chinese Scientific and Technical Papers and Citations Database (founded by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China) and the Chinese Science Citation Database (founded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences). It is also indexed/abstracted in Scopus,Chemical Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Applied Mechanics Reviews of America, Index Copernicus, and the Abstract Journal of Russia. The journal has been awarded the Excellent University Sci-tech Journal, the Honorable Title of Water Conservancy Excellent Periodical, and the Jiangsu Province Excellent Periodical.

The journal is sponsored by Hohai University, formerly the East China Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, with a history of nearly a century. Hohai University was the first higher education institution devoted to training water conservancy personnel, and it is the only top-level state university with a primary focus on water conservancy in China. Hohai University is now under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education of China, and part of “Project 211” (building 100 top-level universities in China in the 21st century).

In the past years, Hohai University has undertaken a large amount of research related to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and key state engineering projects, including the Three Gorges Project, the Xiaolangdi Project, the South to North Water Transfer Project, and the project of Regulation of the Yangtze Estuary. The university has produced significant research results, and has been awarded many times by the state, related ministries, and provincial governments.