Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary Biology
ISSN 0071-3260 · eISSN 1934-2845 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 2007
Evolutionary Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.28; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,290; median 168 days to acceptance (35 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 21 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Evolutionary Biology is published by Springer US and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Evolution and Paleontology Studies, Genetic diversity and population structure and Animal Behavior and Reproduction, together about 30.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The aim, scope, and format of Evolutionary Biology will be based on the following principles: Evolutionary Biology will publish original articles and reviews that address issues and subjects of core concern in evolutionary biology. All papers must make original contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary process. The journal will remain true to the original intent of the original series to provide a place for broad syntheses in evolutionary biology. Articles will contribute to this goal by defining the direction of current and future research and by building conceptual links between disciplines. In articles presenting an empirical analysis, the results of these analyses must be integrated within a broader evolutionary framework. Authors are encouraged to submit papers presenting novel conceptual frameworks or major challenges to accepted ideas. While brevity is encouraged, there is no formal restriction on length for major articles. The journal aims to keep the time between original submission and appearance online to within four months and will encourage authors to revise rapidly once a paper has been submitted and deemed acceptable.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Editor-in-chief Kevin ParsonsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 12, Canada 5, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, France 1 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences10.6%
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.2%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.7%
- Morphological variations and asymmetryMathematics9.3%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.8%
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.5%
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science6.4%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview 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 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
Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSSPublisher website
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
- 2.28LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 99OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 634OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.41OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.43%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 20LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 169,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 943 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 21 | 10 | 56 |
| 2024 | 23 | 14 | 133 |
| 2023 | 30 | 15 | 185 |
| 2022 | 34 | 17 | 342 |
| 2021 | 34 | 17 | 311 |
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 108 days – 224 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (35 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 191 days
- Sample
- 35 articles with submission and acceptance dates (36 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 2,290 / EUR 3,590 | — | — |
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
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- commentaryEvolutionary Biology publishes the following types of papers: Research Articles, Invited Syntheses, Essays, General Interest Essays, and Commentaries. 1. Resear…Length not stated
- editorialEvolutionary Biology publishes the following types of papers: Research Articles, Invited Syntheses, Essays, General Interest Essays, and Commentaries. 1. Resear…Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article, Tools and Techniques, Essay, Synthesis Paper Back to topLength not stated
- reviewEvolutionary Biology publishes the following types of papers: Research Articles, Invited Syntheses, Essays, General Interest Essays, and Commentaries. 1. Resear…main text ≤ 1,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
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
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 Conflict of interest
Authors must indicate whether or not they have a financial relationship with the organization that sponsored the research. This note should be added in a separate section before the reference list. If no conflict exists, authors should state: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
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 Ethical standards
Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a declaration that the experiments comply with the current laws of the country in which they were performed. Please include this note in a separate section before the reference list.
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 Evolutionary Biology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2007
- ISSN
- 0071-3260
- Electronic ISSN
- 1934-2845
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 53, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Evolutionary Biology
What CAS zone is Evolutionary Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Evolutionary Biology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Evolutionary Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Evolutionary Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.28; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 99.
How long does peer review take at Evolutionary Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 35 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 168 days (interquartile range 108–224 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 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 Evolutionary Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: APA; 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 Evolutionary Biology based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), Canada (5) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Evolutionary Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Evolutionary Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Evolutionary Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Evolutionary Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,290.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .