Journal profile · LIMNOLOGY-MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Inland Waters
ISSN 2044-2041 · eISSN 2044-205X · Freshwater Biological Association · ENGLAND
Inland Waters: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.72; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 177 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 62 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Inland Waters is published by Freshwater Biological Association and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics, Marine and coastal ecosystems and Fish Ecology and Management Studies, together about 45.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Inland Waters is the peer-reviewed, scholarly outlet for original papers that advance science within the framework of the International Society of Limnology (SIL). The journal promotes understanding of inland aquatic ecosystems and their management. Subject matter parallels the content of SIL Congresses, and submissions based on presentations are encouraged. All aspects of physical, chemical, and biological limnology are appropriate, as are papers on applied and regional limnology. The journal also aims to publish articles resulting from plenary lectures presented at SIL Congresses and occasional synthesis articles, as well as issues dedicated to a particular theme, specific water body, or aquatic ecosystem in a geographical area. Publication in the journal is not restricted to SIL members. Now online: the full collection of Proceedings (Verhandlungen) and Communications (Mitteilungen) from the International Society of Limnology, spanning 1922-2010. These volumes have been digitised for the first time and include papers covering the entire spectrum of limnology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LIMNOLOGY-MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief David HamiltonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 10, Canada 9, Australia 7, Mainland China 6, Israel 6 (71 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science20%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences13.5%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science11.9%
- Soil and Water Nutrient DynamicsEnvironmental Science7.4%
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecologyEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and BehaviorEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science3.4%
- Water Quality and Pollution AssessmentEnvironmental Science3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Limnology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
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
- 1.72LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.88Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.91Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 18LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 323OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.53OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.8%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 60LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 99,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 739 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52 | 21 | 7 |
| 2025 | 62 | 24 | 98 |
| 2024 | 47 | 19 | 142 |
| 2023 | 38 | 15 | 217 |
| 2022 | 39 | 15 | 429 |
| 2021 | 53 | 29 | 910 |
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
177 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 126 days – 314 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 129 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 299 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (131 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly 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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal (Taylor & Francis Open Select); open access publishing optional, no APC if not publishing open access. Model summary
Inland Waters is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readershi…
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
- Freshwater Biological Association
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2044-2041
- Electronic ISSN
- 2044-205X
- Society / sponsor
- International Society of Limnology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 16, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Inland Waters
What CAS zone is Inland Waters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Inland Waters is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Limnology / Marine & Freshwater Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Inland Waters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.72; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at Inland Waters?
Based on the dates recorded on 89 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 177 days (interquartile range 126–314 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Inland Waters based?
Of the 71 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (10), Canada (9) and Australia (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Inland Waters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Inland Waters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Inland Waters open access, and what is the APC?
Inland Waters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .