Journal profile · Plant Sciences
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences
ISSN 0735-2689 · eISSN 1549-7836 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1983
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 7.43; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 41 days (first decision after review, publisher); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 15 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. 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 Molecular Biology Research, Plant tissue culture and regeneration and Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms, together about 23.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences focuses on presenting in-depth and up-to-date reviews of timely and/or cutting-edge subjects in the broad discipline of plant science, ranging from molecular biology/biochemistry through the areas of cell biology, plant pathology and physiology, genetics, classical botany, and ecology, to practical agricultural applications. Articles in the journal provide an up-to-date literature base for researchers and students, pointing the way towards future research needs. The journal is also a significant source of credible, objective information to aid decision makers at all levels. An Editorial Advisory Board with widely diverse interests and expertise assists to identify topic areas and suggests authors who are known contributors in those areas to prepare thorough critical reviews. Contributors survey and synthesize the most significant papers in the recent and current literature and present an evaluation of research and advances in the topic area, as well as identify major problems and prospects for the future. Manuscripts for Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences are by invitation only; however prospective authors may suggest unsolicited projects by following the guidelines found here. Note that the journal does not publish literature reviews from theses or dissertations. Peer Review Statement: Prior to submission of an invited manuscript, authors must have their work reviewed so that it is acceptable for publication, both technically and grammatically.Manuscripts found to be suitable for further consideration are reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees before the Editor-in-Chief make a final determination of its suitability for the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.7%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.9%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.5%
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing SymbiosisAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.6%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.8%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.7%
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 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 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
ProQuest, OCLC, CABI (listed in various services in CABI), Cotton and Tropical Fibres, CSA (listed in various services in CABI), EBSCOhost (listed in various services in EBSCOhost), Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Personal Alert (Email), Plant Science, ProQuest (listed in various services in ProQuest)Publisher website
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
- 7.43LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 12.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.52LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.52Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.12LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.12Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 102LetPub ·
- h-index
- 187OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 840OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 15LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 166,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,064 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 15 | 6 | 128 |
| 2024 | 14 | 6 | 338 |
| 2023 | 23 | 11 | 396 |
| 2022 | 18 | 2 | 586 |
| 2021 | 20 | 6 | 964 |
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
41 daysfirst decision after review · community reports over 12 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Not considered
- literature reviews from theses or dissertations
Article types accepted1
- reviewCritical Reviews in Plant Sciences focuses on presenting in-depth and up-to-date reviews of timely and/or cutting-edge subjects in the broad discipline of plant…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Open Select: choose to publish open access. Model summary
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 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 discover…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review statement: prior to submission of an invited manuscript, authors must have their work reviewed so that it is acceptable for publication, both technically and grammatically. Manuscripts found to be suitable for further consideration are reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees b Model summary
Peer Review Statement: Prior to submission of an invited manuscript, authors must have their work reviewed so that it is acceptable for publication, both technically and grammatically.Manuscripts found to be suitable for further consideration are reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees before the Editor-in-Chief make a final determination of its suitability for the journal.
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1983
- ISSN
- 0735-2689
- Electronic ISSN
- 1549-7836
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 45, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences
What CAS zone is Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 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 Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.43; CiteScore 12.1, h-index 187.
How long does peer review take at Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences?
The publisher reports about 41 days (first decision after review); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 15%. 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 Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (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 2 of Biology.
Which databases index Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .