Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Aquatic Sciences
ISSN 1015-1621 · eISSN 1420-9055 · Springer International Publishing · SWITZERLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1920
Aquatic Sciences: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.31; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,190; median 160 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 75%; 100 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Aquatic Sciences is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics, Fish Ecology and Management Studies and Marine and coastal ecosystems, together about 38.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aquatic Sciences - Research Across Boundaries publishes original research, overviews, and reviews dealing with aquatic systems (wetlands, freshwater and marine systems) and their boundaries, including the impact of human activities on these systems. The coverage ranges from molecular-level mechanistic studies to investigations at the whole ecosystem scale, including fish ecology. Aquatic Sciences publishes articles presenting research across disciplinary and environmental boundaries, i.e. studies examining interactions among geological, microbial, biological, chemical, physical, hydrological, and societal processes, as well as studies assessing land-water, air-water, benthic-pelagic, river-ocean, lentic-lotic, and groundwater-surface water interactions. Bibliographic Data First published in 1920 1 volume per year, 4 issues per volume Format: 21 x 27.9 cm ISSN 1015-1621 (print) ISSN 1420-9055 (electronic)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Christopher RobinsonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 9, Germany 7, Spain 4, Mainland China 3, United Kingdom 3 (45 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science14.2%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science12.5%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences11.6%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science7.1%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science6.2%
- Diatoms and Algae ResearchMaterials Science3.9%
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesEnvironmental Science3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
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: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, 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
- 2.31LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 114OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,463OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.58OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.15%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 100LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 336,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,228 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 117 | 50 | 36 |
| 2025 | 100 | 36 | 185 |
| 2024 | 121 | 57 | 651 |
| 2023 | 111 | 48 | 796 |
| 2022 | 77 | 30 | 690 |
| 2021 | 82 | 28 | 1,037 |
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
160 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 109 days – 222 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (104 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 183 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (240 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)
- 75%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 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 4,190 / EUR 3,190 / GBP 2,790 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- editorialPeer Review All contributed and invited manuscripts are reviewed by respected scientists who assess the quality, significance and originality of the work, as we…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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
Author Contribution and Competing Interest information must be provided at submission via the submission interface. 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 Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Authors are encouraged to place species distribution records in publicly accessible databases such as GBIF nodes or GBIF-endorsed data centres. 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 Compliance with Ethical Standards
The journal is a COPE member and follows COPE guidelines on dealing with potential acts of misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Aquatic Sciences, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Authors may suggest suitable reviewers and/or request exclusion of certain individuals at submission. Model summary
All contributed and invited manuscripts are reviewed by respected scientists who assess the quality, significance and originality of the work, as well as the clarity of its presentation. The review process is rapid and rigorous. Our goal is to limit the time from submission to publication on the World Wide Web to six months. To ensure that Aquatic Sciences presents a broad coverage of the many fie…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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 International Publishing
- Country or region
- SWITZERLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1920
- ISSN
- 1015-1621
- Electronic ISSN
- 1420-9055
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Aquatic Sciences
What CAS zone is Aquatic Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Aquatic Sciences is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Limnology / Environmental Sciences / Marine & Freshwater Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Aquatic Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.31; CiteScore 3.8, h-index 114.
How long does peer review take at Aquatic Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 160 days (interquartile range 109–222 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 75%”. 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 Aquatic Sciences?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Aquatic Sciences based?
Of the 45 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), Germany (7) and Spain (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Aquatic Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Aquatic Sciences 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 Aquatic Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Aquatic Sciences is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,190.
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: .