Journal profile · Environmental Science-Ecology
Food Webs
ISSN 2352-2496 · Elsevier
Food Webs: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.65; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,950; review about 201 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 43 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Food Webs is published by Elsevier 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 Isotope Analysis in Ecology, Plant and animal studies and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, together about 36.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Food Webs publishes original research articles, focused reviews and short communication papers examining the species interactions that structure ecological communities. This interdisciplinary journal encompasses both experimental and theoretical research that seeks a mechanistic understanding of the influence of these interactions on the composition of communities and functioning of ecosystems. As such, articles focus on a multitude of areas within the area of food web biology.These include, but are not limited to, the following: • simple trophic relationships and cascading effects between levels of a community • multi-species interactions and the structuring of populations and communities • effect of competition and co-existence of species in defining trophic relationships • effect of perturbation on species and interaction pathways • quantifying direct and indirect effects on populations • stability and productivity of food webs • empirical and theoretical assessment of food web structure and complexity • models explaining food web structure and trophic relationshipsFood Webs will consider papers from terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems, without any bias for the taxa being studied or techniques used
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Ecology
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 14, Canada 6, Japan 4, Spain 2, Mainland China 1 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science13.6%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences11.6%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science11.5%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science4.6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.3%
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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| 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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 1.65LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 45OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 191OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 510 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 16 | 7 |
| 2025 | 43 | 9 | 36 |
| 2024 | 48 | 23 | 137 |
| 2023 | 64 | 26 | 396 |
| 2022 | 50 | 25 | 425 |
| 2021 | 28 | 13 | 304 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
201 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 120 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 201 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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 2,950 / EUR 2,760 / GBP 2,360 / JPY 365,890 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- data paperOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- full articleOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- hypothesisOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- original research articleOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- perspectiveOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- research paperOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- review articleOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal Research Article Research Papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. Arti…main text ≤ 3,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Neutral position on territorial disputes or jurisdictional claims; maps should only show the area actually studied. Model summary
Elsevier respects the decisions taken by its authors as to how they choose to designate territories and identify their affiliations in their published content. Elsevier’s policy is to take a neutral position with respect to territorial disputes or jurisdictional claims, including, but not limited to, maps and institutional affiliations.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access options available; see open access information page. Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process; submissions initially assessed by editors; if suitable, sent to a minimum of two reviewers; decision made by editors. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed per Elsevier article sharing policy; free preprint posting service on SSRN offered. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 2352-2496
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Food Webs
What CAS zone is Food Webs in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Food Webs is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology. 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 Food Webs?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.65; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 45.
How long does peer review take at Food Webs?
The publisher reports about 201 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Food Webs?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; 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 Food Webs based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (14), Canada (6) and Japan (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Food Webs?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Food Webs is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Food Webs open access, and what is the APC?
Food Webs is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,950.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .