Journal profile · Zoology
Acta Zoologica
ISSN 0001-7272 · eISSN 1463-6395 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1920
Acta Zoologica: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.09; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,400; median 90 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 56 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Zoologica is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Amphibian and Reptile Biology, Ichthyology and Marine Biology and Marine Biology and Ecology Research, together about 19.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Published regularly since 1920, Acta Zoologica has retained its position as one of the world's leading journals in the field of animal organization, development, structure and function. Each issue publishes original research of interest to zoologists and physiologists worldwide, in the field of animal structure (from the cellular to the organismic level) and development with emphasis on functional, comparative and phylogenetic aspects. Occasional review articles are also published, as well as book reviews.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Zoology
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Germany 7, United States 4, United Kingdom 2, Russia 2, Mainland China 1 (24 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science6.5%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology ResearchNeuroscience5.7%
- Fish biology, ecology, and behaviorEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.5%
- Fish Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.8%
- Physiological and biochemical adaptationsEnvironmental Science4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Anatomy & Morphology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anatomy & Morphology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 3 |
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 | Anatomy & Morphology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Zoology | 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
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 1.09LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 74OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,315OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.99OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.66%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 47Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 94,258Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,795 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39 | 21 | 5 |
| 2025 | 56 | 34 | 50 |
| 2024 | 43 | 23 | 82 |
| 2023 | 43 | 19 | 103 |
| 2022 | 43 | 9 | 195 |
| 2021 | 48 | 13 | 249 |
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
90 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 58 days – 140 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (87 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 101 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (97 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 24%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 98 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher 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 3,400 / EUR 2,850 / GBP 2,270 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 2
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1920
- ISSN
- 0001-7272
- Electronic ISSN
- 1463-6395
- Society / sponsor
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Zoologica
What CAS zone is Acta Zoologica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Zoologica is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Anatomy & Morphology / Zoology. 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 Zoologica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.09; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 74.
How long does peer review take at Acta Zoologica?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 90 days (interquartile range 58–140 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 24% (2025). 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Zoologica based?
Of the 24 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (7), United States (4) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Zoologica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Zoologica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Acta Zoologica open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Zoologica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .