Journal profile · Ecology
Global Ecology and Biogeography
ISSN 1466-822X · eISSN 1466-8238 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1999
Global Ecology and Biogeography: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.44; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,000; median 221 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 219 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Global Ecology and Biogeography is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Species Distribution and Climate Change and Plant and animal studies, together about 50.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Global Ecology and Biogeography (GEB) welcomes papers that investigate broad-scale (in space, time and/or taxonomy), general patterns in the organization of ecological systems and assemblages, and the processes that underlie them. In particular, GEB welcomes studies that use macroecological methods, comparative analyses, meta-analyses, reviews, spatial analyses and modelling to arrive at general, conceptual conclusions. Studies in GEB need not be global in spatial extent, but the conclusions and implications of the study must be relevant to ecologists and biogeographers globally, rather than being limited to local areas, or specific taxa. Similarly, GEB is not limited to spatial studies; we are equally interested in the general patterns of nature through time, among taxa (e.g., body sizes, dispersal abilities), through the course of evolution, etc. Further, GEB welcomes papers that investigate general impacts of human activities on ecological systems in accordance with the above criteria. Global Ecology and Biogeography generally does not publish studies that focus on unique events or places, or on specific taxa in local areas. The journal is also not interested in studies that lack ecological and/or biogeographical focus. Global Ecology and Biogeography is a sister publication to Journal of Biogeography, and Diversity and Distributions. The three journals have distinct but complementary focus areas within the broad field of biogeography. The Journal of Biogeography publishes research at the intersection of biology and geography that is scientifically important and of broad general interest. We seek papers describing patterns and revealing mechanisms that shape biodiversity, through time, throughout the planet, from the deep past into the future, and from local to global scales. Diverse approaches are encouraged—including ecological, evolutionary, genomic, geographic, empirical, theoretical —considering any aspect of biogeography, from molecules to ecosystems and from microbes to plants and megafauna. Through this broad and inclusive scope, we aim for papers in Journal of Biogeography to address understudied, vexing, and urgent questions and to advance basic understanding of the origins, distributions, and fates of life on Earth. Manuscripts submitted to Journal of Biogeography should be original and innovative, concise, well written, rigorously analyzed and argued, and consequential. While many such studies will be multifaceted, comparative, and draw gene
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 15, United Kingdom 12, Germany 7, Canada 5, Australia 4 (63 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science22.6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science18.7%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.4%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science7.4%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science2.8%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences2.7%
- Fire effects on ecosystemsEnvironmental Science2.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Geography, Physical | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 6.44LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 11.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.11LetPub ·
- h-index
- 127LetPub ·
- h-index
- 233OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,518OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 60.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 181LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 183Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,045,747Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,641 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 132 | 83 | 72 |
| 2025 | 219 | 172 | 891 |
| 2024 | 150 | 121 | 1,888 |
| 2023 | 197 | 156 | 3,505 |
| 2022 | 195 | 121 | 6,141 |
| 2021 | 213 | 109 | 7,832 |
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
221 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 165 days – 296 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 244 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (360 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)
- 8–16 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 18%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 239 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 daysPublisher 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 5,000 / EUR 4,200 / GBP 3,350 | — | — | |
| 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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 6
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- correspondenceThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …main text ≤ 2,000 words
- data articleThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- meta-analysesThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- meta-analysisThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- methodThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- perspectiveThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …main text ≤ 5,000 words
- research articleThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- research reviewsThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
- reviewThe Journal publishes articles under the following main headers: 1) Research Article, 2) Perspective, 3) Meta-analyses, 4) Research Reviews, 5) Method, 6) Data …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Code availability, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to all of the following criteria:
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Code availability Data and Code Availability Statement
You must include a data and code availability statement with your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. Potent…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data sharing
This journal mandates data sharing. You can learn more about data sharing in Data Sharing Policy | Wiley
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Member of COPE. Model summary
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read the Top 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors here. Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found at authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/index.html.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Uses iThenticate CrossCheck. Model summary
Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints allowed. Model summary
This journal will consider for review articles previously available as preprints on non-commercial servers such as ArXiv, bioRxiv, psyArXiv, SocArXiv, engrXiv, etc. Authors may also post the submitted version of their 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
- 1999
- ISSN
- 1466-822X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1466-8238
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Global Ecology and Biogeography
What CAS zone is Global Ecology and Biogeography in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Global Ecology and Biogeography is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Ecology / Geography, Physical; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Global Ecology and Biogeography?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.44; CiteScore 11.8, h-index 233.
How long does peer review take at Global Ecology and Biogeography?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 221 days (interquartile range 165–296 days); authors report an average review time of 8–16 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 18% (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 Global Ecology and Biogeography?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 6; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; 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 Global Ecology and Biogeography based?
Of the 63 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (15), United Kingdom (12) and Germany (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Global Ecology and Biogeography?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Global Ecology and Biogeography 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 Global Ecology and Biogeography open access, and what is the APC?
Global Ecology and Biogeography is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,000.
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: .