Journal profile · Entomology
Biological Control
ISSN 1049-9644 · eISSN 1090-2112 · Academic Press Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1991
Biological Control: CAS Zone 2 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.95; fully open access; APC about USD 3,460; review about 98 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 202 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biological Control is published by Academic Press Inc. and is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Insect-Plant Interactions and Control, Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity and Biological Control of Invasive Species, together about 29.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Insect Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biological control is an environmentally sound and effective means of reducing or mitigating pests and pest effects through the use of natural enemies. The aim of Biological Control is to promote this science and technology through publication of original research articles and reviews of research and theory. The journal devotes a section to reports on biotechnologies dealing with the elucidation and use of genes or gene products for the enhancement of biological control agents. The journal encompasses biological control of viral, microbial, nematode, insect, mite, weed, and vertebrate pests in agriculture, aquatic, forest, natural resource, stored product, and urban environments. Biological control of arthropod pests of human and domestic animals is also included. Ecological, molecular, and biotechnological approaches to the understanding of biological control are welcome. The journal Biological Control publishes work that focuses exclusively on LIVING biological control agents. This multidisciplinary journal covers:Entomology:Parasitoids, predators, and pathogens and their use through importation, augmentation, and/or habitat management strategies. Plant Pathology:Antagonism, competition, cross-protection, hyperparasitism, hypovirulence, and soil suppressiveness through naturally occurring and introduced agents. Nematology: Predators, parasitoids, and pathogens in biological control through augmentation and/or habitat management strategies, and suppressive soils through naturally occurring and introduced agents. Weed Science: Vertebrates, invertebrates, and pathogens and their use through classical, augmentative, or bioherbicidal tactics. Included sections:Molecular Technology: Advances in the understanding of biological control agents and their mechanisms. Forum: Theoretical and special topics. Letters to the Editors serve as an avenue for debate. Not considered for publication:Use of natural compounds derived from living organisms, or extracts from plants or microbes, to manage pests, pathogens, or weeds. Studies on host plant resistance, biofertilizer development, plant growth promotion, or transgenic crop effects on pests, unless they directly demonstrate pest or disease management by a living biological control agent. Use of essential oils or plant defense elicitors for pest management. Microbiome or plant-microbe interaction studies, unless there is a direct, demonstrated link to pest or disease management by a living biological control agent. Research involving known or potential human pathogens as biological control agents, unless the authors have done the work to rigorously demonstrate non-pathogenicity. Papers reporting routine host-specificity studies on new biological control agents, surveys for known or unknown biological control agents, or screening of natural enemies against a pest species, unless they include efficacy data or demonstrate impact on pest or disease management. Evidence and validation expectations Studies that extend beyond preliminary laboratory trials to demonstrate efficacy in applied settings, such as greenhouse or field settings, are preferred over purely bench-based work. When reporting the virulence or efficacy of new biological control agents, purely in vitro studies are discouraged; findings should include practical validation in a real-world setting. Further information For more information on the journal's editorial criteria and exclusions, please see Criteria for Rejection without Review: Policies and Guidelines - Biological Control | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Entomology
Editor-in-chief Iain PatersonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 18%); most named United States 21, Mainland China 10, Italy 5, United Kingdom 3, Mexico 3 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Insect-Plant Interactions and ControlAgricultural and Biological Sciences15%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.7%
- Biological Control of Invasive SpeciesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.1%
- Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest ControlAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.4%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Insect Pest Control StrategiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
- Insect Resistance and GeneticsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Insect and Pesticide ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 3.95LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.24LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 157OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,206OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 71.3%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 183LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,859 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 148 | 148 | 52 |
| 2025 | 202 | 202 | 568 |
| 2024 | 178 | 178 | 1,414 |
| 2023 | 220 | 112 | 2,557 |
| 2022 | 234 | 75 | 3,602 |
| 2021 | 239 | 87 | 5,008 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
98 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 4–8 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 48 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 98 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 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 3,460 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,390 / EUR 3,170 / GBP 2,710 / JPY 420,460 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,460 | — | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
- Current trends on the Biocontrol strategies for the management of Postharvest fungal diseases of fruitsDeadline
- Current knowledge on biological control of arthropod pests in vineyards and fruit orchardsDeadline
- Biological control of arthropod pests of tomato: advances, challenges and integration into IPMDeadline
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted12
- hypothesisThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- original paperThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- perspectives papersPerspectives papersprovide the authors with a forum for discussing topics and trends in biological control.Length not stated
- protocolThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- regular research paperThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- regular research papersRegular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the “Aims and scope” of the journal.Length not stated
- research paperThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- reviewThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- review articleThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articlesare intended to reach a broad audience of readers from investigators in the field to new graduate students learning the material for the first ti…Length not stated
- short communicationThe following types of original papers will be considered:Regular research papersare hypothesis-driven projects in biological control as defined above under the…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Academic Press Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 1049-9644
- Electronic ISSN
- 1090-2112
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biological Control
What CAS zone is Biological Control in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biological Control is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / Entomology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Biological Control?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.95; CiteScore 7.1, h-index 157.
How long does peer review take at Biological Control?
The publisher reports about 98 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 Biological Control?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Biological Control based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 18%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (21), Mainland China (10) and Italy (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biological Control?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biological Control is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Biological Control open access, and what is the APC?
Biological Control is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,460.
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: .