Journal profile · Biology
Acta Biotheoretica
ISSN 0001-5342 · eISSN 1572-8358 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Quarterly · Founded 1935
Acta Biotheoretica: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.31; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,290; median 269 days to acceptance (49 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 22 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Biotheoretica is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Evolution and Genetic Dynamics, Philosophy and History of Science and Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation, together about 31% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Acta Biotheoretica is devoted to the promotion of theoretical biology, encompassing mathematical biology and the philosophy of biology, paying special attention to the methodology of formation of biological theory.Papers on all kind of biological theories are welcome. Interesting subjects include philosophy of biology, biomathematics, computational biology, genetics, ecology and morphology. The process of theory formation can be presented in verbal or mathematical form. Moreover, purely methodological papers can be devoted to the historical origins of the philosophy underlying biological theories and concepts.Papers should contain clear statements of biological assumptions, and where applicable, a justification of their translation into mathematical form and a detailed discussion of the mathematical treatment. The connection to empirical data should be clarified.Acta Biotheoretica also welcomes critical book reviews, short comments on previous papers and short notes directing attention to interesting new theoretical ideas.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biology
Editor-in-chief Frans JacobsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Netherlands 6, France 4, United States 3, Germany 3, United Kingdom 2 (32 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.9%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities10.5%
- Evolutionary Game Theory and CooperationSocial Sciences9.7%
- Origins and Evolution of LifePhysics and Astronomy8.6%
- Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology ModelsMedicine7.9%
- Gene Regulatory Network AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.5%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.31LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30LetPub ·
- h-index
- 68OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 500OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.33OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.59%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 22LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 89,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,557 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 17 | 5 |
| 2025 | 22 | 7 | 28 |
| 2024 | 14 | 7 | 55 |
| 2023 | 21 | 9 | 138 |
| 2022 | 24 | 13 | 150 |
| 2021 | 31 | 13 | 282 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
269 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 109 days – 459 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (49 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 305 days
- Sample
- 49 articles with submission and acceptance dates (53 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,290 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE member, follows COPE guidelines Model summary
As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) the journal will follow the COPE guidelines on how to deal with potential acts of misconduct.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Open Choice articles retain copyright with author under CC license Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Acta Biotheoretica, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review COVID-19 and impact on peer review
Reviewer suggestions/exclusions allowed Model summary
As a result of the significant disruption that is being caused by the COVID-19 pandemic we are very aware that many researchers will have difficulty in meeting the timelines associated with our peer review process during normal times. Please do let us know if you need additional time. Our systems will continue to remind you of the original timelines but we intend to be highly flexible at this time…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1935
- ISSN
- 0001-5342
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-8358
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Biotheoretica
What CAS zone is Acta Biotheoretica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Biotheoretica is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Mathematical & Computational Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Acta Biotheoretica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.31; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 68.
How long does peer review take at Acta Biotheoretica?
Based on the dates recorded on 49 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 269 days (interquartile range 109–459 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Acta Biotheoretica?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Biotheoretica based?
Of the 32 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Netherlands (6), France (4) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Biotheoretica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Biotheoretica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Acta Biotheoretica open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Biotheoretica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,290.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .