Journal profile · Toxicology
Ecotoxicology
ISSN 0963-9292 · eISSN 1573-3017 · Springer US · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1992
Ecotoxicology: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.69; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 168 days to acceptance (67 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 159 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ecotoxicology is published by Springer US 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 Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology, Heavy metals in environment and Mercury impact and mitigation studies, together about 38.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis and Pollution. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research on the effects of toxic chemicals on populations, communities and terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. It aims to elucidate mechanisms and processes whereby chemicals exert their effects on ecosystems and the impact caused at the population or community level. The journal is not biased with respect to taxon or biome, and papers that indicate possible new approaches to regulation and control of toxic chemicals and those aiding in formulating ways of conserving threatened species are particularly welcome. Studies on individuals should demonstrate linkage to population effects in clear and quantitative ways. Laboratory studies must show a clear linkage to specific field situations. The journal includes not only original research papers but technical notes and review articles, both invited and submitted. A strong, broadly based editorial board ensures as wide an international coverage as possible.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Toxicology
Editor-in-chief Cole MatsonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 13, Mainland China 5, Italy 4, Portugal 4, United Kingdom 3 (48 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Environmental Toxicology and EcotoxicologyEnvironmental Science24.2%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Mercury impact and mitigation studiesEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Toxic Organic Pollutants ImpactEnvironmental Science6.1%
- Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental StudiesEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Insect and Pesticide ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Heavy Metal Exposure and ToxicityEnvironmental Science2.9%
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 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Toxicology | 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 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Toxicology | 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 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Toxicology | 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
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 2.69LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 130OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,557OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.26%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 154LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 521,900Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,885 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 153 | 57 | 63 |
| 2025 | 159 | 29 | 419 |
| 2024 | 122 | 36 | 696 |
| 2023 | 104 | 34 | 846 |
| 2022 | 134 | 28 | 1,697 |
| 2021 | 179 | 43 | 2,606 |
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
168 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 141 days – 206 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 206 days
- Sample
- 67 articles with submission and acceptance dates (346 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 5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 23 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 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted13
- correspondenceEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- ecotox noteAn EcoTox Note usually identifies and describes a unique ecotoxicological problem or issue of interest to the readership, and is categorized as Correspondence.Length not stated
- editorialEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- matters arisingThe Matters Arising article type denotes formal post-publication scientific commentary on published papers that can include either challenges or clarifications …Length not stated
- methodologyThe Journal will include not only original Research papers but also Methodology, Correspondence, and Mini-review articles, both invited and submitted.Length not stated
- mini-reviewThe Journal will include not only original Research papers but also Methodology, Correspondence, and Mini-review articles, both invited and submitted.Length not stated
- original research articleEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- original research paperEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- researchThe Journal will include not only original Research papers but also Methodology, Correspondence, and Mini-review articles, both invited and submitted.Length not stated
- research paperEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- review articleEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- technical noteEditorial Aim Ecotoxicology is an international journal devoted to the publication of fundamental research in ecotoxicology. This field of study is broad and at …Length not stated
- technical notesTechnical Notes constitute Methodology.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented in Methods. Model summary
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
Original work, not under consideration elsewhere, co-author approval required. Model summary
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
Data and materials must support published claims and comply with field standards. Model summary
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
Retrospective ethics approval usually cannot be obtained; Editor's discretion on peer review. Model summary
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 Ecotoxicology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Review process
If the Editor determines that the subject matter falls within the scope of the Journal he sends it for review by two referees. The Editor decides whether and in what form to accept a paper. Decisions of the Editor are final. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Permission required for previously published material. Model summary
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0963-9292
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-3017
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ecotoxicology
What CAS zone is Ecotoxicology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ecotoxicology is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ecology / Environmental Sciences / Toxicology. 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 Ecotoxicology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.69; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 130.
How long does peer review take at Ecotoxicology?
Based on the dates recorded on 67 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 168 days (interquartile range 141–206 days); authors report an average review time of about 5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Ecotoxicology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Ecotoxicology based?
Of the 48 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), Mainland China (5) and Italy (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ecotoxicology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ecotoxicology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Ecotoxicology open access, and what is the APC?
Ecotoxicology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
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: .