Journal profile · Ecology
Ecological Informatics
ISSN 1574-9541 · eISSN 1878-0512 · ELSEVIER · NETHERLANDS · Bi-monthly · Founded 2006
Ecological Informatics: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.48; fully open access; APC about USD 3,190; review about 154 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 610 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ecological Informatics is published by ELSEVIER and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Species Distribution and Climate Change, Remote Sensing in Agriculture and Land Use and Ecosystem Services, together about 31.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An International Journal on Computational Ecology and Ecological Data ScienceThe journal Ecological Informatics is devoted to the publication of high quality, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of computational ecology, data science, biogeography, and ecosystem analysis. The scope of the journal takes into account the data-intensive nature of ecology, the growing capacity of information technology to access, harness and leverage complex data as well as the critical need for informing sustainable ecosystem management in view of global environmental and climate change.The nature of the journal is interdisciplinary at the crossover between ecology and informatics. It focuses on novel concepts and techniques for image- and genome-based monitoring and interpretation, sensor- and multimedia-based data acquisition, internet-based data archiving and sharing, data assimilation, modelling of ecological data, and uncertainty analysis.The journal invites papers on: novel concepts and tools for monitoring, acquisition, management, analysis, and synthesis of ecological data,innovative strategies and applications of eco-acoustics, eco-genomics, digital image processing, machine and deep learning,Bayesian inference and uncertainty analysis techniques,species distribution modelling,understanding and forecasting of ecosystem functioning and evolution, anduse of quantitative tools to inform management decisions on environmental issues like ecosystem sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief George ArhonditsisPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 13 in mainland China (about 16%); most named Mainland China 13, United States 9, Italy 9, South Korea 7, India 6 (81 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science13.5%
- Remote Sensing in AgricultureEnvironmental Science10.7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science6.1%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR ApplicationsEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Animal Vocal Communication and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
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 | Ecology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 8.48LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 13.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.82LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 115OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,130OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.06OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 78.46%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 577LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,009 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 471 | 471 | 299 |
| 2025 | 610 | 610 | 3,194 |
| 2024 | 534 | 534 | 9,526 |
| 2023 | 431 | 187 | 11,348 |
| 2022 | 370 | 114 | 11,598 |
| 2021 | 297 | 79 | 10,786 |
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 2 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)
- 18–36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 154 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 24 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 3,190 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,770 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,220 / JPY 343,560 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,350 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,190 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- book reviewThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…Length not stated
- book reviews•Book ReviewsLength not stated
- case studyThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- original research paperThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…Length not stated
- original research papers and case studies•Original Research Papers and case studiesLength not stated
- reviewThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…Length not stated
- review papersThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review PapersLength not stated
- short notes•Short NotesLength not stated
- special themed issues•Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior consultation with the Editor in Chief)Length not stated
- viewpointThe following contributions will be accepted: •Review Papers •Original Research Papers and case studies •Special themed issues (only to be submitted after prior…Length not stated
- viewpoint articles (invited)•Viewpoint articles (invited)Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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
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 ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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 sharing allowed Model summary
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
- Bi-monthly
- Founded
- 2006
- ISSN
- 1574-9541
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-0512
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ecological Informatics
What CAS zone is Ecological Informatics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ecological Informatics is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Ecology. 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 Informatics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.48; CiteScore 13.2, h-index 115.
How long does peer review take at Ecological Informatics?
The publisher reports about 154 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 18–36 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 Informatics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date. 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 Informatics based?
Of the 81 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 13 (about 16%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (13), United States (9) and Italy (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ecological Informatics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ecological Informatics is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Ecological Informatics open access, and what is the APC?
Ecological Informatics is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,190.
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: .