Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Biofouling
ISSN 0892-7014 · eISSN 1029-2454 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1988
Biofouling: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.5; JCR Q2 (journal website); subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; median 194 days to acceptance (102 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 78 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biofouling is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. 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 Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry, Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing and Marine Ecology and Invasive Species, together about 40.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biofouling is an international, peer-reviewed, multi-discliplinary journal which publishes original articles and mini-reviews and provides a forum for publication of pure and applied work on protein, microbial, fungal, plant and animal fouling and its control, as well as studies of all kinds on biofilms and bioadhesion. Papers may be based on studies relating to characterisation, attachment, growth and control on any natural (living) or man-made surface in the freshwater, marine or aerial environments, including fouling, biofilms and bioadhesion in the medical, dental, and industrial context. Specific areas of interest include antifouling technologies and coatings including transmission of invasive species, antimicrobial agents, biological interfaces, biomaterials, microbiologically influenced corrosion, membrane biofouling, food industry biofilms, biofilm based diseases and indwelling biomedical devices as substrata for fouling and biofilm growth, including papers based on clinically-relevant work using models that mimic the realistic environment in which they are intended to be used. Rapid Online Publication Biofouling now offers even faster publication for its authors. With our Build Issue service, we aim to publish articles within three weeks of receiving the accepted paper*. Articles are entered straight into the online issue upon receipt of the corrected proofs and thereby receiving page numbers immediately. we anticipate that this rapid production service will allow top end research to reach its audiences even sooner , without compromising the peer-review process and whilst continuing to ensure our commitment to publishing research of the highest quality. *This process relies heavily on the immediate return of the copyright form and the return of author corrections within 48 hours of receipt. Peer Review Statement Biofouling is an international, peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality, original research. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. Peer review is single anonymized, but authors who would like their papers double anonymized peer reviewed should submit the title page separately. Submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Manuel SimõesPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 14%); most named United States 3, United Kingdom 3, Mainland China 2, Brazil 2, Hong Kong, China 1 (14 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine Biology and Environmental ChemistryEngineering19.9%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology14.4%
- Marine Ecology and Invasive SpeciesEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences6.2%
- Polymer Surface Interaction StudiesMaterials Science5%
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Environmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Oral microbiology and periodontitis researchDentistry4.1%
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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | 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 | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, Bath Information and Data services (BIDS), Biotechnology Citation Index, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Elsevier BIOBASE/Current Awareness in Biological Sciences, Dechema, Germany, Environmental Periodicals Bibliography, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Geosystems Geoarchives and Geotitles, Materials Information, NISC’s HydroROM, Research Alert, SciSearch
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
- 2.5LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.45LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.45Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.69LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.69Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 77LetPub ·
- h-index
- 127OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,713OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.5OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4.68%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 80LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 153,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 153,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,451 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66 | 17 | 21 |
| 2025 | 78 | 20 | 198 |
| 2024 | 77 | 38 | 333 |
| 2023 | 75 | 29 | 662 |
| 2022 | 67 | 24 | 641 |
| 2021 | 85 | 33 | 1,279 |
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
194 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 137 days – 278 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 213 days
- Sample
- 102 articles with submission and acceptance dates (172 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer review, Single 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Biofouling is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Model summary
Biofouling is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership o…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review is single anonymized, but authors who would like their papers double anonymized peer reviewed should submit the title page separately. Model summary
Peer review is single anonymized, but authors who would like their papers double anonymized peer reviewed should submit the title page separately.
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1988
- ISSN
- 0892-7014
- Electronic ISSN
- 1029-2454
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 42, Issue 8 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biofouling
What CAS zone is Biofouling in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biofouling is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. 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 Biofouling?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.5; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 127.
How long does peer review take at Biofouling?
Based on the dates recorded on 102 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 194 days (interquartile range 137–278 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 38% (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.
What JCR quartile is Biofouling in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Biology.
Where are the editorial board members of Biofouling based?
Of the 14 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3), United Kingdom (3) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biofouling?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biofouling is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Biofouling open access, and what is the APC?
Biofouling is a subscription journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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: .