Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary Applications
ISSN 1752-4571 · Wiley-Blackwell · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 2008
Evolutionary Applications: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.15; fully open access; APC about USD 4,320; median 201 days to acceptance (88 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 150 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Evolutionary Applications is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Genetic diversity and population structure, Fish Ecology and Management Studies and Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock, together about 36.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Genetics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Evolutionary Applications is a fully peer-reviewed open-access journal that publishes research leveraging evolutionary biology concepts to address critical questions of health, social, and economic relevance. We are particularly interested in papers that contribute to fundamental questions in evolutionary biology using study systems of practical or applied importance. Submissions should employ evolutionary concepts, theories, and methods—ranging from fieldwork, experiments, and laboratory studies to genomics, mathematical modelling, and computer simulations—to address topics including, but not limited to, medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, fisheries and wildlife management, conservation biology, environmental sciences (including climate change and invasion biology), disease biology, microbiology, biotechnology, and toxicology. We strongly encourage the submission of papers utilizing modern molecular and genetic methods, such as population and functional genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenetics, quantitative genetics, association and linkage mapping, to explore significant questions within these topics. Contributions from all taxonomic groups, including microbes, fungi, plants, and animals, are welcome. The journal accepts a variety of paper types, including theoretical, empirical, synthesis, perspective, and resource papers. Evolutionary Applications is now part of the Wiley Open Access publishing program of fully open access journals published by Wiley. For further information visit the Wiley Open Access website. Open Access and Copyright All articles published by Evolutionary Applications are fully open access: immediately freely available to read, download and share. Authors of accepted papers pay an Article Publication Charge. All Evolutionary Applications articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright on any research article in a journal published by Evolutionary Applications is retained by the author(s). Authors grant Wiley a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher. Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are identified. Further information about open access license and copyright can be found here. Abstracting and I
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Editor-in-chief Maren WellenreutherPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 4, Canada 3, United Kingdom 2, Australia 2, New Zealand 2 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology18%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science10.1%
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.3%
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
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 | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, 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
- 3.15LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57LetPub ·
- h-index
- 131OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,560OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.04OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 123LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 124Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 713,377Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,535 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 143 | 143 | 78 |
| 2025 | 150 | 150 | 428 |
| 2024 | 200 | 200 | 1,486 |
| 2023 | 150 | 150 | 1,292 |
| 2022 | 189 | 189 | 2,930 |
| 2021 | 185 | 185 | 4,373 |
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
201 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 165 days – 247 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (88 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 229 days
- Sample
- 88 articles with submission and acceptance dates (316 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 52%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 52%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 54 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 54 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 172 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 23 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 23 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 4,320 / GBP 2,870 / EUR 3,310 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 4,320 / EUR 3,310 / GBP 2,870 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,740 / GBP 2,480 / EUR 2,860 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- double anonymous
Article types accepted10
- commentsWe welcome Comments on recently published articles in the journal, and brief reports (not peer-reviewed) reviewing or previewing symposia, conferences, or works…Length not stated
- meeting and conference reportsMeeting and Conference reports, and Comments -These contributions are published free of charge.Length not stated
- original articleThe journal publishes three main types of articles: Original articles, Reviews, Perspectives and Resource articles.Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal articles - these papers report novel research projects that yield valuable insights into topics within our coverage.Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal publishes three main types of articles: Original articles, Reviews, Perspectives and Resource articles.Length not stated
- perspectivesPerspectives - these manuscripts express new points of view or set out speculations based on a scholarly review of recently published works.Length not stated
- resource articlesResource Articles - Resource articles should present resources that offer clear and significant applied value for the field of evolutionary applications, partic…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal publishes three main types of articles: Original articles, Reviews, Perspectives and Resource articles.Length not stated
- reviewsReviews – Authors are welcome to submit reviews on novel and relevant topics.Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues- The journal also invites direct communication with the Editor-in-Chief for proposals on thematically relevant Special Issues.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Publication ethics 6. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Peer Review and AcceptanceThe acceptance criteria for all papers is the quality, originality and novelty of the research submitted, that must also fit within the scope of the journal as described above. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. Wiley's policy on the confidentiality of the review pro…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open Access and Copyright
All articles published by Evolutionary Applications are fully open access: immediately freely available to read, download and share. Authors of accepted papers pay an Article Publication Charge. All Evolutionary Applications articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work i…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access and Copyright
All articles published by Evolutionary Applications are fully open access: immediately freely available to read, download and share. Authors of accepted papers pay an Article Publication Charge. All Evolutionary Applications articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work i…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double anonymous review process
Double-anonymous peer review Model summary
To try to minimize bias in the peer-review process, Evolutionary Applications typically does not give reviewers access to the authors’ names. To facilitate double-anonymous reviewing, you will be asked to upload your title page separately from the main text. Cut the title page from your manuscript and paste it into a new document. Also, cut the acknowledgments paste them onto the title page. Thus,…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Free format submission Model summary
Authors are not required to reformat papers previously submitted elsewhere. Evolutionary Applications now offers Free Format submission to streamline and simplify the submission process
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 1752-4571
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 19, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- 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 Evolutionary Applications
What CAS zone is Evolutionary Applications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Evolutionary Applications is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Evolutionary Biology; it is a Top journal. 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 Evolutionary Applications?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.15; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 131.
How long does peer review take at Evolutionary Applications?
Based on the dates recorded on 88 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 201 days (interquartile range 165–247 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 52% (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 Evolutionary Applications?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; 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 Evolutionary Applications based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (4), Canada (3) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Evolutionary Applications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Evolutionary Applications is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PubMed, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Evolutionary Applications open access, and what is the APC?
Evolutionary Applications is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,320.
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: .