Journal profile · Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science
Freshwater Science
ISSN 2161-9565 · University of Chicago Press · UNITED STATES
Freshwater Science: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.37; hybrid open access; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 58 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Freshwater Science is published by University of Chicago Press and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology 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 Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior, together about 48.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Freshwater Science (FWS) publishes articles that advance understanding and environmental stewardship of all types of inland aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, subterranean, and estuaries) and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains). The journal regularly features papers on a wide range of topics, including physical, chemical, and biological properties of lentic and lotic habitats; ecosystem processes; structure and dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems; ecology, systematics, and genetics of freshwater organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates; linkages between freshwater and other ecosystems and between freshwater ecology and other aquatic sciences; bioassessment, conservation, and restoration; environmental management; and new or novel methods for basic or applied research.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science21.3%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science17.1%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science9.9%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science9.4%
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport ProcessesEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science4.2%
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity StudiesEnvironmental Science3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | 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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| 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
- 1.37LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.61LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- h-index
- 95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 737OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.04OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.49%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,221 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 51 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 58 | 7 | 69 |
| 2024 | 47 | 7 | 91 |
| 2023 | 37 | 11 | 153 |
| 2022 | 51 | 12 | 459 |
| 2021 | 50 | 13 | 356 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2161-9565
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Freshwater Science
What CAS zone is Freshwater Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Freshwater Science is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Ecology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Freshwater Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.37; CiteScore 3.5, h-index 73.
How long does peer review take at Freshwater Science?
Authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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.
Which databases index Freshwater Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Freshwater Science is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Freshwater Science open access, and what is the APC?
Freshwater Science is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .