Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Freshwater Biology
ISSN 0046-5070 · eISSN 1365-2427 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1971
Freshwater Biology: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.55; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,940; median 257 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 208 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Freshwater Biology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Fish Ecology and Management Studies, Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology and Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics, together about 45.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Freshwater Biology publishes papers on all aspects of freshwater ecology, including rivers and lakes (fresh or saline), groundwaters, springs, floodplains, rockpools, intermittent and ephemeral streams and wetlands. We include studies of micro-organisms, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish and other vertebrates, as well as those concerning whole systems and related physical and chemical aspects of the environment, provided that they have clear ecological or biological relevance. Studies may focus at any level in the ecological hierarchy from physiological ecology and animal behaviour, through population dynamics and evolutionary genetics, to community interactions, biogeography and ecosystem functioning. They may also be at any scale: from microhabitat to landscape, and continental to global. Preference is given to research, whether meta-analytical, experimental, theoretical or descriptive, highlighting causal (ecological) mechanisms from which clearly stated hypotheses are derived. Manuscripts with an experimental or conceptual flavour are particularly welcome, as are those or which integrate laboratory and field work, and studies from less well researched areas of the world. Priority is given to submissions that are likely to interest a wide range of readers. We encourage submission of papers well grounded in ecological theory that deal with issues related to the conservation and management of inland waters. Papers interpreting fundamental research in a way that makes clear its applied, strategic or socio-economic relevance are also welcome. Review articles (FRESHWATER BIOLOGY REVIEWS) and discussion papers (OPINION) are also invited: these enable authors to publish high-quality material outside the constraints of standard research papers. Finally, the journal will consider whole SPECIAL ISSUES (or part-issues) devoted to a theme of particular contemporary interest. These should be discussed at an early stage with the Editor-in-Chief.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Belinda RobsonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 16, Spain 6, France 5, Australia 5, United Kingdom 4 (81 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science20.2%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science12.8%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science12.5%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science10%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.9%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesEnvironmental Science4.1%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science2.6%
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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System
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
- 2.55LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.97LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 139LetPub ·
- h-index
- 228OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,692OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 53.6%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 163LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 164Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 555,656Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,796 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 159 | 87 | 39 |
| 2025 | 208 | 143 | 327 |
| 2024 | 173 | 120 | 686 |
| 2023 | 185 | 137 | 1,490 |
| 2022 | 191 | 100 | 1,843 |
| 2021 | 208 | 96 | 2,736 |
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
257 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 193 days – 353 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (86 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 281 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (389 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 hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 24%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 24%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 244 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 19 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 4,940 / EUR 4,170 / GBP 3,290 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 500 words
- Keywords
- 5–2
- 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
- Optional
Article types accepted7
- opinionFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions. All three types of manuscript follow the same process of peer re…Length not stated
- opinionsFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions.Length not stated
- original articleORIGINAL ARTICLELength not stated
- research articleFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions. All three types of manuscript follow the same process of peer re…Length not stated
- research articlesFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions.Length not stated
- reviewFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions. All three types of manuscript follow the same process of peer re…Length not stated
- reviewsFreshwater Biology accepts three types of manuscript: Research Articles, Reviews, and Opinions.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use
AI cannot be listed as author Model summary
AI also does not have legal standing nor the ability to hold or assign copyright so it cannot be listed as an author of an article (COPE).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship.
For details on eligibility for author listing, please refer to the journal’s Authorship policy outlined in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement.
Authors will be asked to provide a conflict of interest statement during the submission process. See ‘Conflict of Interest’ section in Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations for details on what to include in this section. Authors should ensure they liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability Statement.
Data availability statement required Model summary
Freshwater Biology expects authors to make a statement about the availability of data supporting the results in the paper to other researchers. Authors are required to provide a data availability statement to describe the availability or the absence of shared data. Where data are not shared via an appropriate repository, please include a data availability statement such as: “Data are available fro…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 5. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
COPE member Model summary
Editorial Review and AcceptanceThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. All manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed (unless otherwise stated). Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Single-blind peer review (unless otherwise stated) Model summary
All manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed (unless otherwise stated).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints on non-commercial servers considered Model summary
Freshwater Biology will consider for review articles previously available as preprints on non-commercial servers. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to non-commercial servers at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
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 Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1971
- ISSN
- 0046-5070
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2427
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 71, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Freshwater Biology
What CAS zone is Freshwater Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Freshwater Biology is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Ecology. 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 Freshwater Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.55; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 228.
How long does peer review take at Freshwater Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 257 days (interquartile range 193–353 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 24% (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 Freshwater Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 500 words; Keywords: 5–2; 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: 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 Freshwater Biology based?
Of the 81 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), Spain (6) and France (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Freshwater Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Freshwater Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Freshwater Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Freshwater Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,940.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .