Journal profile · PLANT SCIENCES
Applications in Plant Sciences
ISSN 2168-0450 · John Wiley & Sons Inc. · UNITED STATES
Applications in Plant Sciences: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.42; fully open access; APC about USD 2,460; median 145 days to acceptance (75 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 47% (journal website); 53 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Applications in Plant Sciences is published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. 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 Genetic diversity and population structure, Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies and Plant and animal studies, together about 40.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS) is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, open access journal promoting the rapid dissemination of newly developed, innovative tools and protocols in all areas of the plant sciences, including genetics, structure, function, development, evolution, systematics, and ecology. Given the rapid progress today in technology and its application in the plant sciences, the goal of APPS is to foster communication within the plant science community to advance scientific research. APPS is a publication of the Botanical Society of America, originating in 2009 as the American Journal of Botany's online-only section, AJB Primer Notes & Protocols in the Plant Sciences.APPS publishes the following types of articles: (1) Protocol Notes describe new methods and technological advancements; (2) Resource Articles describe the development and utility of new plant science resources, including image sets and datasets, nuclear genomes, and sequence-capture baits; (3) Software Notes detail new software applications; (4) Application Articles illustrate the application of a new protocol, method, or software application within the context of a larger study; (5) Review Articles evaluate available techniques, methods, or protocols. For more details on article types, editorial policies, open access charges, and other information, see the APPS Instructions for Authors.APPS operates under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (CC-BY-NC). CC-BY and CC-0 license options are also available. For more information, see the APPS Instructions for Authors or visit the Creative Commons website.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PLANT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Briana L. GrossPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 29, India 2, Germany 2, Spain 2, Austria 2 (49 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology23.7%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.7%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.3%
- Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.1%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.5%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Plant Taxonomy and PhylogeneticsAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.6%
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal DiseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.2%
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, Astrophysics Data System, COPE, iThenticate
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
- 3.42LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 378OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 39LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,228 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50 | 50 | 35 |
| 2025 | 53 | 53 | 134 |
| 2024 | 68 | 68 | 357 |
| 2023 | 67 | 67 | 851 |
| 2022 | 57 | 57 | 526 |
| 2021 | 55 | 55 | 1,006 |
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
145 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 105 days – 210 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 85 days (76 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 241 days
- Sample
- 75 articles with submission and acceptance dates (104 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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 47%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,460 / GBP 1,920 / EUR 2,190 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,340 / EUR 2,090 / GBP 1,830 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,882 / GBP 1,470 / EUR 1,680 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- brief communicationst to the general biological community. Brief Communications—Brief Communications are short (c 3000–4000 word) research articles reporting exciting, significant…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- commentaryNews & Views "On the Nature of Things"—Essays that concisely summarize a new and exciting issue or research area, take a new look at an established area, or exp…Length not stated
- editorialNews & Views "On the Nature of Things"—Essays that concisely summarize a new and exciting issue or research area, take a new look at an established area, or exp…Length not stated
- invited commentaryInvited Commentary—These 2000–4000-word articles provide scholarly commentaries, corrections, criticisms, or alternative interpretations of results presented in…Length not stated
- letters to the editorNews & Views "On the Nature of Things"—Essays that concisely summarize a new and exciting issue or research area, take a new look at an established area, or exp…Length not stated
- news & viewsNews & Views "On the Nature of Things"—Essays that concisely summarize a new and exciting issue or research area, take a new look at an established area, or exp…Length not stated
- reviewNews & Views "On the Nature of Things"—Essays that concisely summarize a new and exciting issue or research area, take a new look at an established area, or exp…main text ≤ 6,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, Publication ethics, Plagiarism
- AI use Use of artificial intelligence and large language models (generative AI)
Generative AI programs, such as ChatGPT, are widely accessible and commonly adopted across various scientific domains. When employing generative AI in scientific work, writing, or figure generation, it is crucial for authors to be aware that unintended content may arise, necessitating careful oversight. Authors must assume full responsibility for content produced by generative AI programs before i…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship
Name change policy. Model summary
In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data sharing
Data sharing mandated and peer reviewed. Model summary
This journal mandates data sharing and peer reviews shared data.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE member. Model summary
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
iThenticate CrossCheck used. Model summary
Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
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
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2168-0450
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Applications in Plant Sciences
What CAS zone is Applications in Plant Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Applications in Plant Sciences is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Plant Sciences. 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 Applications in Plant Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.42; CiteScore 5.5, h-index 62.
How long does peer review take at Applications in Plant Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 75 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 145 days (interquartile range 105–210 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 47%. 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 Applications in Plant Sciences based?
Of the 49 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (29), India (2) and Germany (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Applications in Plant Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Applications in Plant Sciences is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Applications in Plant Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Applications in Plant Sciences is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,460.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .