Journal profile · Plant Sciences
BOTANICAL REVIEW
ISSN 0006-8101 · eISSN 1874-9372 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1935
BOTANICAL REVIEW: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.33; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 272 days to acceptance (22 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 95%; 11 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
BOTANICAL REVIEW is published by Springer US and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant Diversity and Evolution, Plant and animal studies and Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy Studies, together about 32.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
For over half a century, The Botanical Review has been a leading international journal noted for its in-depth articles on a broad spectrum of botanical fields. Systematics, phytogeography, cladistics, evolution, physiology, ecology, morphology, paleobotany, and anatomy are but a few of the many subjects that have been covered. The Botanical Review draws together outstanding scientists in the field, synthesizes the current knowledge about a specific subject, and promotes the advancement of botany by indicating the gaps in our knowledge and providing new outlooks on the topic.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Editor-in-chief Douglas C. DalyPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 11, Italy 1 (12 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences13.9%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences12.6%
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.4%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Plant and Fungal Species DescriptionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.8%
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal DiseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB 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
- 5.33LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.22LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 61LetPub ·
- h-index
- 174OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,048OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.24%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 9LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 125,400Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,364 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 9 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 4 | 26 |
| 2024 | 14 | 2 | 189 |
| 2023 | 10 | 5 | 133 |
| 2022 | 15 | 5 | 207 |
| 2021 | 32 | 4 | 703 |
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
272 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 177 days – 334 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (29 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 332 days
- Sample
- 22 articles with submission and acceptance dates (33 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 6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 95%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 21 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 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- 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 The Botanical Review, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general. Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection, they will not handle the peer review process. Back to top
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 US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1935
- ISSN
- 0006-8101
- Electronic ISSN
- 1874-9372
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 92, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about BOTANICAL REVIEW
What CAS zone is BOTANICAL REVIEW in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, BOTANICAL REVIEW is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of BOTANICAL REVIEW?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.33; CiteScore 10.6, h-index 174.
How long does peer review take at BOTANICAL REVIEW?
Based on the dates recorded on 22 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 272 days (interquartile range 177–334 days); authors report an average review time of about 6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 95%”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of BOTANICAL REVIEW based?
Of the 12 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (11) and Italy (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index BOTANICAL REVIEW?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, BOTANICAL REVIEW is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is BOTANICAL REVIEW open access, and what is the APC?
BOTANICAL REVIEW is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
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: .