Journal profile · Multiple
Human Ecology
ISSN 0300-7839 · eISSN 1572-9915 · Springer Nature · 6 issues per year
Human Ecology: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.96; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,290; median 282 days to acceptance (63 articles, last 24 months); 90 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Human Ecology is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management, Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, together about 35.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Human ecology examines how people interact with their natural, social, and built environments. The field explores the reciprocal relationships among human behavior, culture, social organization, and ecological systems. It integrates ecological principles with social‑science approaches to understand how human populations adapt to and transform their environments and how they are shaped by environmental conditions. Human ecology is grounded in empirical research and fundamentally concerned with long‑term human survival and environmental resilience across local, regional, and global scales. What We PublishHuman Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal publishes empirical, theory-informed research on dynamic human–environment relationships. We welcome submissions from ecology, biology, geography, anthropology, sociology, psychology, urban ecology and planning, natural resource management, health and nutrition, risk management, and related fields. Common themes include: Human–ecosystem interactions Cultural and social systems Built and technological environments Subsistence, governance, religion, land use, demography Natural resource policy and management, Public (environmental) health Climate adaptation and mitigation Sustainable development Authors are encouraged to review recent articles to assess fit. Characteristics of Strong SubmissionsArticles typically include: Empirical analysis of human–environment relationships Integration of social and natural science perspectives Mixed methods (qualitative and/or quantitative) Clear theoretical contributions Relevance to social and environmental policy See Submission Types for formatting guidelines. Out‑of‑Scope WorkSubmissions with the following characteristics are likely to be desk‑rejected: Single‑discipline studies Research addressing only social or only environmental factors Case studies without theoretical context or generalizable insights Manuscripts focused on persuasion or editorializing rather than on empirical analysis Join Our Community Thank you for your interest in Human Ecology. An Interdisciplinary Journal. We look forward to receiving your work and to supporting rigorous, interdisciplinary research on human–environment relationships.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Sean S. DowneyPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 42, Canada 5, United Kingdom 4, Brazil 3, Australia 2 (64 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science16.2%
- Rangeland Management and Livestock EcologyEnvironmental Science12.1%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science7.4%
- Indigenous Studies and EcologyHealth Professions6.8%
- Agriculture, Land Use, Rural DevelopmentAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.5%
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesEarth and Planetary Sciences4.1%
- Pacific and Southeast Asian StudiesSocial Sciences3.7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIECAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 1.96LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2024
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- h-index
- 129OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,478OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 40.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 97LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 483,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,067 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 137 | 53 | 21 |
| 2025 | 90 | 42 | 149 |
| 2024 | 99 | 55 | 401 |
| 2023 | 87 | 41 | 592 |
| 2022 | 79 | 33 | 585 |
| 2021 | 92 | 55 | 1,043 |
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
282 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 207 days – 373 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (99 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 310 days
- Sample
- 63 articles with submission and acceptance dates (256 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
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 2,290 / EUR 3,190 | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- analysisAnalysis Authors report on current research and case studies—an abstract, preferably no longer than 250 words. Contributions should not exceed 7,000 words, incl…Length not stated
- book reviewle for an interdisciplinary readership. Book Review Book reviews should not exceed 1000 words and should be submitted in the format used by the Americanmain text ≤ 1,000 words
- brief reportBrief Report Brief Communications focus on data presentation and methods: abstract up to 150 words and 4-5 keywords. Contributions should not exceed 2,000-3,000…Length not stated
- commentComment Comments on a paper published in the journal or an issue of global interest. Up to 2000 words.Length not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- researchResearch Addresses a well-defined research problem backed up by a strong theoretical background—an abstract, preferably no longer than 250 words. Contributions …Length not stated
- reviewReview Review Articles in Human Ecology offer a critical and integrative synthesis of research on a focused topic within the journal’s aims and scope. ... Revie…Length not stated
- review articlely and practical concerns in the field. Review Articles should be between 7,000 and 12,000 words in length (excluding references and supplementary material)main text ≤ 12,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
AI disclosure statement required; generative AI tools do not satisfy authorship criteria Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
Originality and approval requirements for manuscript submission Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Human Ecology AI Disclosure
Human Ecology adheres to the principles and guidelines outlined in the Springer Nature Policy on the use of Artificial Intelligence. We reiterate that generative AI tools (GenAI) do not satisfy the criteria for authorship. Accordingly, we require authors to include an AI Disclosure statement in a manuscript subsection entitled “Generative AI Disclosure”. If GenAI was not used, authors should state…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Human Ecology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 6 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0300-7839
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-9915
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Human Ecology
What CAS zone is Human Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Human Ecology is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Anthropology / Environmental Studies / Sociology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Human Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.96; CiteScore 3.1, h-index 129.
How long does peer review take at Human Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 63 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 282 days (interquartile range 207–373 days). 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 Human Ecology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: 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 Human Ecology based?
Of the 64 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (42), Canada (5) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Human Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Human Ecology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Human Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Human Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,290.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .