Journal profile · Biology
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
ISSN 1464-7931 · eISSN 1469-185X · Wiley-Blackwell · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1935
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.9; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,390; median 307 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: mostly invited papers; 146 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant and animal studies, Animal Behavior and Reproduction and Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, together about 29.4% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biological Reviews publishes synthetic reviews, based on the literature, covering important biological questions that are interesting to a broad readership and are timely (e.g. from a fast-moving field, or due to new discoveries or conceptual advances). A 'synthetic review' goes beyond compiling information, rather it should analyse the information and build a new theoretical or conceptual framework that can substantially reshape the area. Definition of review Our concept of a review is one that comprehensively surveys the literature in order to answer a key biological question, or to identify new biological questions that need to be addressed to advance the field. This includes using data from the literature (for example, in meta-analyses). A review contrasts with primary research, which is the generation of new data. Thus, taxonomic or phylogenetic reviews, which draw conclusions from new data (even if made from “published” specimens or archived sequence data) typically fall out of scope as being primary research. Also out of scope are “opinion pieces” where they are based on an incomplete survey of the literature, where studies are only included that fit a specified hypothesis. Reviews suitable for Biological Reviews synthesise the literature and from this draw novel insights which contribute to the reshaping of an area. To help authors with some concrete guidance, a reviewer described what we are looking for in the following ways: “Excellent reviews provide new conceptual insight not present in the primary literature. For example, they may bring together literature items (e.g. empirical or theoretical) that were previously disconnected to show where they do in fact overlap; or the review may generate significant new ideas and hypotheses. Such reviews are rare but, if they are readable and clear, they can form the basis for a new research direction. Good reviews explain difficult topics and make use of examples to illustrate how phenomena or theories are connected, or provide synthetic overviews of a large body of literature (empirical or theoretical). They can be the first entry into a new literature and may often allow readers to extract information or insights (e.g., about key experiments to be done) that are difficult to see from reading the primary literature or existing summaries. There are also not-so-useful reviews. These are more like summaries. They summarize recent opinions or results of one or several fields, restate conclusions that are eas
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biology
Editor-in-chief John WelchPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 10, United States 2, Canada 1, Australia 1, New Zealand 1 (15 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences12.5%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.9%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science7%
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Physiological and biochemical adaptationsEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences4.3%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedCASCAB AbstractsGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 10.9LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 10.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 10.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 24.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 24.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 24.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.61LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 5.27LetPub ·
- h-index
- 143LetPub ·
- h-index
- 304OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,631OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 12.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 62.19%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 129LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 129Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,552,045Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,736 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 90 | 67 | 101 |
| 2025 | 146 | 109 | 1,128 |
| 2024 | 139 | 107 | 3,349 |
| 2023 | 121 | 97 | 4,182 |
| 2022 | 108 | 77 | 8,073 |
| 2021 | 153 | 97 | 10,550 |
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
307 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 261 days – 377 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 325 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (253 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)
- Mostly invited papersLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 303 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 5,390 / EUR 4,480 / GBP 3,620 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 15,000 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 5
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted1
- reviewArticles should provide synthetic and critical assessments of fields of research that are valuable to specialists while remaining accessible to biologists more …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- Publication ethics
Originality: not previously published, not under consideration elsewhere Model summary
Submission of a paper is taken to imply it has not previously been published and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Copyright transfer to Cambridge Philosophical Society upon acceptance Model summary
Upon acceptance of a paper, the author will be asked to transfer copyright to the Cambridge Philosophical Society.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access for hybrid titles
Open Access option under Creative Commons License Model summary
You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1935
- ISSN
- 1464-7931
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-185X
- Society / sponsor
- Cambridge Philosophical Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 101, Issue 5 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
What CAS zone is BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.9; CiteScore 24.5, h-index 304.
How long does peer review take at BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 307 days (interquartile range 261–377 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Mostly invited papers”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 22% (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 are the manuscript requirements of BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 15,000 words; Suggested reviewers: Required, 5; Cover letter: Required. 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 REVIEWS based?
Of the 15 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (10), United States (2) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, CAS, CAB Abstracts, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS open access, and what is the APC?
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,390.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .