Journal profile · HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Biosemiotics
ISSN 1875-1342 · eISSN 1875-1350 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · 3 issues per year · Founded 2008
Biosemiotics: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.65; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 99 days to acceptance (68 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 43 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biosemiotics is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Origins and Evolution of Life, Philosophy and History of Science and Embodied and Extended Cognition, together about 41.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biosemiotics is the peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to exploring the semiotic foundations of living systems affiliated with the International Society for Biosemiotic Studies (ISBS). The journal bridges the disciplines of biology, philosophy, communication sciences, cognitive science, systems theory, and others through demonstrating that the emergence, development and evolution of living systems requires semiotic processes such as meaning-making, interpretation of signs, and codes. Its central challenge is the naturalization of biological meaning and information predicated on the assumption that signs are constitutive elements of the living world. The journal places particular emphasis on the advancement of methodological frameworks and the application of biosemiotic theory within empirical contexts, going beyond the Peircean paradigmatic model. By re-examining biological activity and observing where semiosis is decisive, the field generates novel insights for theoretical inquiry and empirical research.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Yogi HalePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 8%); most named Czechia 7, United States 5, Mainland China 3, Germany 3, Italy 3 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Origins and Evolution of LifePhysics and Astronomy21.2%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities11.2%
- Embodied and Extended CognitionNeuroscience9.2%
- Language and cultural evolutionSocial Sciences7.9%
- Plant and Biological Electrophysiology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.2%
- Evolutionary Game Theory and CooperationSocial Sciences6.1%
- Fractal and DNA sequence analysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.3%
- Action Observation and SynchronizationPsychology2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, 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
- 1.65LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.69LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 38OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 203OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 31.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 39.77%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 31LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 151,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 649 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 14 | 2 |
| 2025 | 43 | 13 | 38 |
| 2024 | 39 | 20 | 108 |
| 2023 | 31 | 16 | 142 |
| 2022 | 49 | 22 | 320 |
| 2021 | 72 | 30 | 529 |
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
99 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 134 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (68 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 118 days
- Sample
- 68 articles with submission and acceptance dates (76 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 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 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- book reviewOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- commentaryve, no abstract, maximum 10 references. Commentary (1,000 - 2,000 words): A commentary is an invited article commissioned by the jomain text ≤ 2,000 words
- editorialOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- original articleOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- original research articleOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- perspectiveOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- research paperOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- review articleOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal research (9,000): An original research article is a full-length, original document that reports results of major value in the field of biosemiotics add…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, 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
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
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
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 Biosemiotics, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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 Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 3 issues per year
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 1875-1342
- Electronic ISSN
- 1875-1350
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 19, Issue 2 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biosemiotics
What CAS zone is Biosemiotics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biosemiotics is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Humanities, Multidisciplinary / History & Philosophy Of Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Biosemiotics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.65; CiteScore 3.1, h-index 38.
How long does peer review take at Biosemiotics?
Based on the dates recorded on 68 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 99 days (interquartile range 68–134 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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 Biosemiotics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: APA. 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 Biosemiotics based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Czechia (7), United States (5) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biosemiotics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biosemiotics is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Biosemiotics open access, and what is the APC?
Biosemiotics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .