Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Heredity
ISSN 0018-067X · eISSN 1365-2540 · Springer Nature · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1947
Heredity: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.59; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,690; median 204 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 78 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Heredity is published by Springer Nature 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 Genetic diversity and population structure, Plant and animal studies and Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals, together about 35.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Genetics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Heredity welcomes papers that provide broad insights that extend beyond a single species or study system. We encourage submissions from all areas of genetics, including: population genetics / genomics molecular evolution and phylogenetics functional genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and proteomics genome architecture cytogenetics human genetics epigenetics ecological genetics evolutionary genetics conservation genetics developmental genetics applied genetics quantitative genetics adaptation genomics crop and livestock genetics / genomics
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology16.5%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.7%
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and AnimalsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.4%
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.8%
- Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.7%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
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 | Genetics & Heredity | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | 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 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Genetics & Heredity | 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 | Genetics & Heredity | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | 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
MEDLINECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC
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
- 2.59LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.98LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 108LetPub ·
- h-index
- 213OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,065OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 75LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 5,690,930Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,854 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 72 | 59 | 29 |
| 2025 | 78 | 74 | 255 |
| 2024 | 73 | 73 | 352 |
| 2023 | 80 | 80 | 917 |
| 2022 | 96 | 96 | 2,216 |
| 2021 | 98 | 98 | 2,074 |
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
204 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 128 days – 299 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 228 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (159 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
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 2,690 / EUR 3,990 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1947
- ISSN
- 0018-067X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2540
- Society / sponsor
- Genetics Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Heredity
What CAS zone is Heredity in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Heredity is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Genetics & Heredity / Ecology / Evolutionary Biology. 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 Heredity?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.59; CiteScore 7.4, h-index 213.
How long does peer review take at Heredity?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 204 days (interquartile range 128–299 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Heredity?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Heredity is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Heredity open access, and what is the APC?
Heredity is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,690.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .