Journal profile · Environmental Sciences
Ecological Indicators
ISSN 1470-160X · eISSN 1872-7034 · ELSEVIER · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 2001
Ecological Indicators: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.67; fully open access; APC about USD 4,020; review about 108 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 1,478 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ecological Indicators is published by ELSEVIER and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies and Remote Sensing in Agriculture, together about 30.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Integrating Sciences for Monitoring, Assessment and ManagementThe ultimate aim of Ecological Indicators is to integrate the monitoring and assessment of ecological and environmental indicators with management practices. The journal provides a forum for the discussion of the applied scientific development and review of traditional indicator applications as well as for theoretical, modelling and quantitative approaches such as index development. Research into the following areas will be published.• All aspects of ecological and environmental indicators and indices. • New indicators, and new approaches and methods for indicator development, testing and use. • Development and modelling of indices, e.g. application of indicator suites across multiple scales and resources. • Analysis and research of resource, system- and scale-specific indicators. • Methods for integration of social and other valuation metrics for the production of scientifically rigorous and politically-relevant assessments using indicator-based monitoring and assessment programs. • Approaches on how research indicators can be transformed into direct application for management purposes. • Broader assessment objectives and methods, e.g. biodiversity, biological integrity, and sustainability, through the use of indicators. • Resource-specific indicators such as landscape, agroecosystems, forests ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, wetlands, etc.The journal seeks innovative papers which provide new developmental and methodological steps for environmental indication. Submissions of results from simple monitoring programs or single case studies, resulting in descriptive approaches without any exploration from the theory of indication, from the methodology of indication, or from the management points of view are not considered suitable for publication in Ecological Indicators.The following contributions will be accepted:Original research papers; Review articles; Special themed issues; Short notes and case studies; Viewpoints; Letters to the Editor; Book reviews.Ecological Indicators has an open access companion title, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators . It welcomes submissions promoting research on indicators as drivers for environmental management, policy formulation, and interdisciplinary research assessing complex environmental interactions for stimulating sustainable development.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Sciences
Editor-in-chief Giovanni ZurliniPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 21 in mainland China (about 20%); most named Mainland China 21, United States 16, India 13, Italy 9, Spain 7 (106 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science17.4%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science7.9%
- Remote Sensing in AgricultureEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.1%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science4%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | 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
- 8.67LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97LetPub ·
- h-index
- 246OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 11,237OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 9.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,429LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 15,563 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,009 | 1,009 | 561 |
| 2025 | 1,478 | 1,478 | 10,617 |
| 2024 | 1,541 | 1,541 | 26,583 |
| 2023 | 1,644 | 1,644 | 42,382 |
| 2022 | 1,313 | 1,313 | 44,837 |
| 2021 | 1,210 | 1,210 | 50,093 |
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 PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 3 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 108 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 16 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 4,020 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,650 / EUR 3,410 / GBP 2,920 / JPY 452,710 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,600 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,620 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted15, with length limits
- book reviewThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- book reviewsBook reviews will be solicited by the Editor-in-Chief and will fall upon a range of relevant books no more than 2 years old.Length not stated
- letterThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- original researchThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- original research paperThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- original research papersOriginal research papers are expected to report results of original research, and materials should not have been previously published elsewhere, except in a pre…Length not stated
- regular paperThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- reviewThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- review articleThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…main text ≤ 12,000 words
- review articlesReview articles are expected to cover subjects falling within the scope of the journal which are of active current interest. They may be submitted or invited. R…Length not stated
- short notes and studiesShort notes consist of a concise but complete description of a limited or preliminary investigation, which may eventually be included in a later paper.Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues concentrate on a special topic and should consist of a minimum (usually 10) number of manuscripts, an introduction by the guest editors, where th…Length not stated
- viewpointThe official language of the journal is English. The following types of contributions will be accepted: Original research papers Review articles Short notes and…Length not stated
- viewpoint articlesViewpoint articles provide a forum for authors to present a novel, distinctive or even personal viewpoint on any topic falling within the journal's scope.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
1 to 7 keywords required Model summary
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 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
- ELSEVIER
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2001
- ISSN
- 1470-160X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-7034
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- 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 ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ecological Indicators
What CAS zone is Ecological Indicators in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ecological Indicators is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Sciences; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Ecological Indicators?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.67; CiteScore 14.3, h-index 246.
How long does peer review take at Ecological Indicators?
The publisher reports about 108 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; 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 Ecological Indicators?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; 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 Ecological Indicators based?
Of the 106 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 21 (about 20%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (21), United States (16) and India (13). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ecological Indicators?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ecological Indicators is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Ecological Indicators open access, and what is the APC?
Ecological Indicators is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,020.
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: .