Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Journal of Applied Phycology
ISSN 0921-8971 · eISSN 1573-5176 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1989
Journal of Applied Phycology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.59; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 113 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 337 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Applied Phycology is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Algal biology and biofuel production, Marine and coastal plant biology and Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds, together about 47.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Applied Phycology publishes research work on the rapidly expanding subject of the commercial use of algae. The journal welcomes submissions on fundamental research, development of techniques and practical applications in such areas as algal and cyanobacterial biotechnology and genetic engineering, tissues culture, culture collections, commercially useful micro-algae and their products, mariculture, algalization and soil fertility, pollution and fouling, monitoring, toxicity tests, toxic compounds, antibiotics and other biologically active compounds.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Michael A. BorowitzkaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 5, Mainland China 4, Australia 4, France 3, Malaysia 3 (44 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy20.6%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences15.9%
- Seaweed-derived Bioactive CompoundsAgricultural and Biological Sciences11.3%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science6.8%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.1%
- Biocrusts and Microbial EcologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.9%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences4.3%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater 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
CASCAB 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
- 3.59LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 176OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,348OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.48%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 330LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,300,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,243 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 273 | 107 | 92 |
| 2025 | 337 | 107 | 986 |
| 2024 | 244 | 84 | 1,870 |
| 2023 | 262 | 100 | 3,077 |
| 2022 | 250 | 75 | 3,966 |
| 2021 | 318 | 87 | 6,235 |
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
113 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 73 days – 165 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 140 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (662 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)
- about 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 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 3,890 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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 websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Authorship principles
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 Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
COPE member; follows COPE guidelines on misconduct Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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 Journal of Applied Phycology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Reviewer suggestions and exclusions welcome at submission Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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 Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1989
- ISSN
- 0921-8971
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-5176
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Applied Phycology
What CAS zone is Journal of Applied Phycology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Applied Phycology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / Marine & Freshwater Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Applied Phycology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.59; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 176.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Applied Phycology?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 113 days (interquartile range 73–165 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Journal of Applied Phycology based?
Of the 44 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5), Mainland China (4) and Australia (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Applied Phycology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Applied Phycology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Applied Phycology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Applied Phycology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
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: .