Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Evolutionary Ecology
ISSN 0269-7653 · eISSN 1573-8477 · Springer International Publishing · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1987
Evolutionary Ecology: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.66; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,590; median 148 days to acceptance (94 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 38 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Evolutionary Ecology is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant and animal studies, Animal Behavior and Reproduction and Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, together about 43.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Genetics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Evolutionary Ecology seeks papers with a clear novelty. They should yield new insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By ecology it is meant the interactions between organisms and their environment. The best papers should pose a new and significant problem (with empirical evidence) and change the way people think about the topic of the paper.The scope of the journal includes all organisms and systems, both living and fossil; it is not biased with respect to taxon or biome or time period.The journal publishes original research, reviews and discussion papers dealing with evolutionary ecology in a broad sense. We also welcome special issues on emerging topics (please contact the editor with proposals).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Editor-in-chief Matthew R. E.Publisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 8, United States 6, United Kingdom 5, France 2, Canada 2 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences19.3%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences13.9%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science10.2%
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science4.4%
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science4.2%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Genetics & Heredity | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Genetics & Heredity | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Genetics & Heredity | 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
CAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 1.66LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 136OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,618OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.38OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 259100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,287 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70 | 27 | 12 |
| 2025 | 38 | 19 | 59 |
| 2024 | 43 | 20 | 137 |
| 2023 | 61 | 29 | 352 |
| 2022 | 79 | 40 | 727 |
| 2021 | 50 | 14 | 456 |
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
148 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 115 days – 203 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 168 days
- Sample
- 94 articles with submission and acceptance dates (104 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 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 2,590 / EUR 3,990 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- No other fees
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Not considered
- Appendices in the printed version
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- commentsComments (1500 words) are short papers referring to recently published articles in Evolutionary Ecology or elsewhere in the field, which are of special interest…Length not stated
- hypothesisAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…Length not stated
- methodology papersMethodology papers (7000 words) should outline novel theoretical, analytical or practical techniques which have been developed to advance research in the field …Length not stated
- natural history notesNatural History Notes (4000 words). These articles should contain very well documented and well replicated observations which generate new ideas and or hypothes…Length not stated
- perspectiveAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- perspectives articlesPerspectives Articles (4000 words) express new points of view, provide novel and unconventional perspectives on current concepts and theories, present new hypot…Length not stated
- research articleAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- research articlesResearch Articles (7000 word limit) present the results of empirical and theoretical investigations, addressing clear questions or hypotheses in evolutionary ec…Length not stated
- reviewAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…Length not stated
- review articleAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- review articlesReview Articles (8000 words) survey recent developments and major advances in evolutionary ecology.Length not stated
- surveyAll papers should yield significant insights into the effects of ecology on evolutionary processes and/or the effects of evolution on ecological processes. By e…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- 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 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
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
Plagiarism screening software may be used. 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 Evolutionary Ecology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Editor-in-Chief first, then Associate Editor assignment. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are first sent to the Editor-in-Chief, and most of them are subsequently assigned to an Associate Editor.
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 International Publishing
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0269-7653
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-8477
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Evolutionary Ecology
What CAS zone is Evolutionary Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Evolutionary Ecology is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ecology / Evolutionary Biology / Genetics & Heredity. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Evolutionary Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.66; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 136.
How long does peer review take at Evolutionary Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 94 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 148 days (interquartile range 115–203 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; 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 Ecology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Ecology based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (8), United States (6) and United Kingdom (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Evolutionary Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Evolutionary Ecology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Evolutionary Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Evolutionary Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,590.
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: .