Journal profile · Ecology
Ecological Research
ISSN 0912-3814 · eISSN 1440-1703 · Springer Japan · JAPAN · Bimonthly · Founded 1986
Ecological Research: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.63; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,000; median 172 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 68 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ecological Research is published by Springer Japan and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Plant and animal studies and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, together about 39.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Nature and Landscape Conservation. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ecological Research publishes original articles with the potential to advance our understanding of ecological processes and patterns in nature. Manuscripts are evaluated based on their scientific validity, robust methodology, and adherence to ethical standards. Rather than emphasizing the level of originality, we prioritize well-structured articles that clearly demonstrate originality. We welcome a broad range of ecological studies spanning from individual to ecosystem levels. Our scope extends to include, for example, studies on the behavioral and physiological responses of individual organisms to their environments, the patterns and mechanisms underlying the geographical distributions of ecological systems, the functions of biological species and communities in ecosystems, the conservation of biological diversity, and interdisciplinary investigations into global environmental issues. Articles that focus exclusively on agricultural perspectives will not be accepted. While we consider all theoretical, empirical, and descriptive approaches, manuscripts must provide general insights beyond individual case studies and appeal to an international audience of ecologists. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editorial Board. The journal publishes original research, reviews, advances in methodology, documentation of valuable data sets, and forum articles. While studies from any region of the world are welcome, we also encourage submissions focusing on biodiversity patterns and processes across broad Asian regions or specific areas in Asia with limited available formation. To highlight this focus, we have established a dedicated category, Biodiversity in Asia, to feature such studies. Each year, approximately five articles published in Ecological Research will be selected by members of the Editorial Board as “Excellent Papers” to recognize outstanding contributions. Abstracting and Indexing Information Science Citation Index Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch) Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition SCOPUS Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Google Scholar EBSCO Sustainability Reference Center AGRICOLA ASFA Biological Abstracts BIOSIS CAB Abstracts CNKI Current Abstracts Current Contents/Agriculture Biology & Environmental Sciences EBSCO Academic Search EBSCO Advanced Placement Source EBSCO Biomedical Reference Collection EBSCO Business Source EBSCO Discovery Service EBSCO Environment Complete EBSCO Environment Index EBSCO Garden, Landscape & Horticul
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Fujio HyodoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 7%); most named Japan 53, Mainland China 5, United States 3, Taiwan, China 1, South Korea 1 (69 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science20.2%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences12.5%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science4.1%
- Forest ecology and managementEnvironmental Science4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, CNKI, AGRICOLA, OCLC
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
- 1.63LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 61LetPub ·
- h-index
- 108OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,114OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.73OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 48.73%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 52LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 53Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 191,833Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,464 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 111 | 68 | 23 |
| 2025 | 68 | 42 | 60 |
| 2024 | 109 | 78 | 414 |
| 2023 | 65 | 36 | 287 |
| 2022 | 99 | 33 | 581 |
| 2021 | 96 | 37 | 1,075 |
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
172 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 120 days – 209 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 36 days (86 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 212 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (180 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 9 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 30%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 30%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 37 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 37 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 161 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 36 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,000 / EUR 2,500 / GBP 2,000 | — | — | |
| 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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
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 Japan
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1986
- ISSN
- 0912-3814
- Electronic ISSN
- 1440-1703
- Society / sponsor
- Ecological Society of Japan
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ecological Research
What CAS zone is Ecological Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ecological Research is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ecology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Ecological Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.63; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 108.
How long does peer review take at Ecological Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 172 days (interquartile range 120–209 days); authors report an average review time of about 9 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 30% (2025). 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 Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Research based?
Of the 69 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (53), Mainland China (5) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ecological Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ecological Research is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Ecological Research open access, and what is the APC?
Ecological Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,000.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .